Bavarian deputy premier Hubert Aiwanger found dead in Berlin

Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria's deputy premier and economy minister, was found dead in a Berlin hotel on Wednesday evening, and Berlin police and prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause.

Why it matters: Aiwanger led the Free Voters, the junior partner in Bavaria's governing coalition, so his sudden death removes the party's national face and opens a leadership and coalition question in Germany's largest state economy.

Data as of Deutsche Welle report of November 4, 2026, read in full in this run, citing Berlin's public prosecutor's office, dpa and Bild; Tagesschau and ORF carried the same news the same evening. No cause of death has been stated by any authority. Developing item.

Hubert Aiwanger, 55, Bavaria’s deputy premier and economy minister and the chairman of the Free Voters party, was found dead on Wednesday evening in a hotel on Friedrichstrasse in Berlin, according to Berlin’s public prosecutor’s office as reported by Deutsche Welle. He had been feeling unwell during the day and had cancelled a scheduled speech at the opening of his party’s Berlin office for health reasons.

Berlin police and prosecutors have launched an investigation to determine the specific cause of death and the circumstances, and to rule out foul play; no cause has been stated. Bavarian premier Markus Söder, whose CSU governs Bavaria in coalition with Aiwanger’s Free Voters, said he was deeply shocked and called the sudden death an absolute tragedy.

Bavarian deputy premier Hubert Aiwanger found dead in Berlin

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