Bavaria’s deputy premier and economy minister, Hubert Aiwanger, was found dead at a hotel in Berlin. Before his death, the politician had complained of feeling unwell and canceled a scheduled speech, while authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Bild reported the news.
The body of 55-year-old Hubert Aiwanger was discovered on November 4 in a third-floor room at the Neuer Fritz hotel on Friedrichstrasse in central Berlin.
Aiwanger had been scheduled to speak at the opening of the Berlin office of the Free Voters party, which he led. However, he canceled his appearance because he was feeling unwell and remained at the hotel. Staff suspected he might have contracted an infection, while members of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said he had been experiencing gastrointestinal problems.
People close to the politician reportedly tried to contact him for several hours before his death but received no response.
“There is currently no initial suspicion that a crime has been committed. However, nothing can be ruled out,” Berlin prosecutor’s office spokesperson Michael Petzold said.
According to Bild, no injuries were found on the politician’s body. Prosecutors have not disclosed further details about the circumstances in the interests of the investigation. It also remains unclear who discovered Aiwanger’s body.
His body was removed by a vehicle from Berlin’s forensic medical service at 11:44 p.m. According to Bild, a priest had been in his hotel room shortly beforehand.
Aiwanger’s family was informed of his death by police. He was not married but lived with his 48-year-old partner, Tanja Schweiger, the district administrator of Regensburg and a member of the Free Voters party. The couple had two sons.
Hubert Aiwanger was born on January 26, 1971, in Ergoldsbach, Lower Bavaria. He grew up on a farm and studied agriculture at Weihenstephan. Aiwanger had led the Bavarian branch of the Free Voters party since 2006 and became its federal chairman in 2010. He was first elected to the Bavarian state parliament in 2008. Following the 2018 regional elections, he became Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, as well as Deputy Minister-President. He was known for his criticism of European Union decisions.
