Hubert Aiwanger, the deputy premier of Bavaria and leader of the Free Voters party, has been found dead in a Berlin hotel room aged 55.
His body was discovered on Wednesday evening after he missed the opening of his party’s new office in the German capital, having felt unwell earlier in the day. Bavarian premier Markus Söder confirmed the death, saying: “The sudden death of Hubert Aiwanger is a terrible tragedy. We are all deeply shocked.”
Berlin police and prosecutors said they had opened an investigation to establish the cause and circumstances of his death and to rule out any possible third-party involvement. No cause of death has yet been announced. German media reported that there were no signs of external injuries, and a spokesperson for the Berlin public prosecutor’s office said there was no initial suspicion of a crime, though nothing could yet be ruled out.
Aiwanger had travelled to Berlin for the opening of the Free Voters’ new office but cancelled his appearance after feeling unwell, according to the Bild newspaper. Party colleagues asked hotel staff to open his room after they were unable to reach him, German media reported.
Born on 26 January 1971 in Ergoldsbach, Lower Bavaria, Aiwanger studied agricultural sciences before entering politics. He had sat in the Bavarian state parliament since 2008 and became deputy minister-president and economy minister in November 2018, when the Free Voters entered a governing coalition with the conservative Christian Social Union under Söder. In 2023 he faced national scrutiny after the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported allegations that he had written an antisemitic pamphlet as a schoolboy in the late 1980s.
His death leaves the Free Voters facing a leadership transition and Bavaria’s government with vacancies in both the deputy premiership and the economy ministry. Prosecutors said an autopsy was expected to be ordered.
Sources: Reuters, “Deputy premier of German state Bavaria dies suddenly”, https://www.reuters.com/world/deputy-premier-german-state-bavaria-dies-suddenly-2026-11-04/ ; The Berlin Spectator, “Hubert Aiwanger Found Dead in Berlin Hotel Room”, https://berlinspectator.com/2026/11/05/hubert-aiwanger-found-dead-in-berlin-hotel-room/
