Police See No Sign of Foul Play in Bavarian Minister Aiwanger's Death

Police sources indicate that the death of Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria's deputy premier and economy minister, appears to be health-related, with no signs of foul play, according to TRT World. The Tagesspiegel newspaper reported from police circles that there were no indications of outside involvement.

Aiwanger, 55, led the Free Voters party at both the state and federal level. He was found dead on Wednesday in a Berlin hotel after he did not appear at the opening of his party's new office in the capital.

What police sources have said about the cause

Bild reported that the body was found at the "Neuer Fritz" hotel in Berlin-Mitte, and that sources in the Bavarian state government and the Berlin police confirmed the death to the paper. The German Press Agency, citing high-ranking Bavarian government sources, also confirmed the news, according to blue News.

The accounts differ slightly on how the day unfolded. Blue News, citing dpa, reported that Aiwanger was due to speak that afternoon at the office opening but canceled for health reasons and had someone else speak instead. He could later no longer be reached and was eventually found unresponsive in his room. Bild, as relayed by TRT World, said he missed the event because he was not feeling well. No official cause of death has been disclosed in the reports.

How Aiwanger rose to the top of Bavarian politics

• 2006: Aiwanger began leading the Free Voters in Bavaria, according to TRT World.
• 2008: He was first elected to the Bavarian State Parliament as a Free Voters member and became the party's parliamentary group leader, according to blue News.
• 2010: He took over the federal party, TRT World reported.
• 2018: The Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Free Voters formed a coalition. Aiwanger became economy minister and deputy premier in the government of Markus Soeder.
• This spring: In Bavarian local elections, the Free Voters under his leadership won major victories and took many district administrator posts from the CSU, according to blue News.

Blue News noted that one big goal eluded him: getting the Free Voters into the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament.

What this means for Bavaria and the Free Voters

Aiwanger held three roles at once: state economy minister, deputy head of the Bavarian government and chairman of his party at the state and federal level. Blue News described him as the party's most prominent and most outspoken leader. His death leaves the Free Voters without that figure, and it affects a coalition with the CSU that has governed Bavaria since 2018.

The reports do not say who will take over his ministerial post, the deputy premier's office or the party leadership. Those decisions have not been disclosed. The party had just opened its Berlin office, a step toward a stronger presence in the federal capital, on the day he died.

Personal details

Aiwanger came from Lower Bavaria and had two children. According to blue News, he lived with Tanja Schweiger, a district administrator from the Free Voters.

Earlier on Around Prague: Bavarian deputy premier Hubert Aiwanger found dead in Berlin hotel

Around Prague, based on reporting by blue News, TRT World