(Frankfurt am Main, November 12, 2026) The VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies welcomes the plan by the CDU, CSU, and SPD to elect Ilse Aigner, an electrical engineer, as Federal President. “Technical understanding and expertise in electrical engineering have been rather rare in top-level politics so far,” says Ansgar Hinz, VDE Chairman of the Executive Board. “It would be all the more gratifying—completely independent of party politics—if technical competence were also visibly represented in the highest office of the state in the future.”
Before entering politics, Aigner completed an apprenticeship as a radio and television technician. She subsequently graduated from the technical school for electrical engineers as the only woman in her class and as the top student in her class. She then worked for several years at the helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter. Next January, she is set to be elected Federal President by the Federal Assembly.
Bringing German technological expertise back into the public consciousness
In her current role as President of the State Parliament, Ilse Aigner has repeatedly spoken out on Germany as a business location, including at VDE events. “The German economy needs clarity. Only that creates planning security for businesses and consumers. The upheavals in federal politics offer an opportunity for a fresh start and, above all, greater stability for society and the economy,” she said, for example, in November 2024 at the VDE Bavaria Evening (in German).
