Aiwanger's partner breaks her silence: state funeral planned for Bavaria's deputy premier

Almost a week after the death of Hubert Aiwanger, his partner has spoken publicly for the first time. Tanja Schweiger wrote on Instagram on behalf of the family. A state funeral is planned.

What did she say?

Schweiger addressed her post to "friends and companions". "Hubert Aiwanger is dead," she wrote. The news had "overwhelmed many" on Wednesday evening, she said, and the family "in a very special way".

She described him as a true representative of the people, with charm, humour and tolerance. He found peace in nature, she wrote, and its cycles guided him. "He was a people person, warm-hearted and razor-sharp."

She also thanked people for the "overwhelming sympathy". That included everyone who prayed, gathered, or honoured him at Hubertus services (church events around the feast of St. Hubert) and other services.

What happens next?

In agreement with the family, a state funeral will be held, Schweiger wrote. His burial will then take place at home. Some questions about dates still need to be settled. "We will keep you updated," she added.

Aiwanger, head of the Freie Wähler (a Bavarian-rooted centre-right party), was Bavaria's economy minister and deputy premier. He was found dead in a Berlin hotel last week, aged 55. According to the forensic examination so far, there was no third-party involvement.

Who was he at home?

Aiwanger kept his private life largely out of the public eye. He lived in Rottenburg an der Laaber, a small town of almost 8,500 people in the district of Landshut. His farm is in the district of Rahstorf, a few kilometres outside the town.

He and Schweiger had two children. She is 48, the district administrator (Landrätin) of Regensburg and also a Freie Wähler member.

Earlier on

Aiwanger led his party to success in Bavaria. He was also deeply polarising. In 2023, the "flyer affair" broke, after a report about an antisemitic pamphlet found in his school bag in the 1980s. Premier Markus Söder kept him in office.