Bavaria's Deputy Prime Minister Found Dead in a Hotel Room in Berlin

Hubert Aiwanger, the deputy premier of the German state of Bavaria and its economy minister, was found dead on Wednesday evening at the age of 55 in a hotel room in Berlin’s Mitte district. Police and the capital’s public prosecutor’s office have opened an investigation to establish the exact cause of death and rule out the involvement of a third party.

Aiwanger was in Berlin for the inauguration of an office of his party, Freie Wähler, but did not attend the event after falling ill, according to Bild. German authorities have so far provided no further details about the circumstances of his death.

Bavaria’s premier, Markus Söder, said the death was “a terrible tragedy” and that politicians in the state were deeply shocked.

Aiwanger had led Freie Wähler in Bavaria since 2006 and the party at the federal level since 2010. Since 2018, he had served as minister for economic affairs, regional development and energy and as deputy premier of the state. His party is the CSU’s junior coalition partner in the regional government.

In 2023, the politician became embroiled in a scandal involving an antisemitic and Nazi-related leaflet discovered from the period when he was a student. Aiwanger apologized but refused to resign.