Bavarian Minister for Economic Affairs and Deputy Minister-President Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) was found dead on 4 November 2026 in a hotel room in Berlin-Mitte. A statement from the Berlin Police on the same day said that the Berlin public prosecutor’s office and the State Criminal Police Office’s 6th Homicide Squad had death investigation opened an investigation into the death to establish the cause and circumstances and rule out possible foul play. The investigation is ongoing. (4 November 2026)
Aiwanger, born in 1971, is regarded as a leading figure in the Free Voters: he had been chairman of the Free Voters Bavaria since 2006 and federal chairman of the party since 2010. In the Bavarian state government, he headed the economics portfolio and served as deputy minister-president. Several national media outlets, as well as the Bavarian State Chancellery and party officials confirmed the news of his death on the evening of 4 November; police and prosecutors also stressed that no definitive cause of death had yet been announced.
According to reports, Aiwanger had appointments in Berlin on the day he died, including a planned appearance at the opening of a Free Voters office in the capital. Party sources said he had cancelled a scheduled interview that morning because he was feeling unwell; investigators have not officially confirmed this information. The Bavarian state government called in representatives at short notice for the evening of 4 November to appear in Aiwanger’s place.
The news prompted immediate reactions in state and federal politics. Coalition partners and opposition parties expressed their condolences and highlighted Aiwanger’s role in Bavarian state politics and his commitment to small and medium-sized businesses and regional economic development. Any specific organisational or constitutional consequences for the state government in Munich will depend on further decisions by the State Chancellery and the party; until then, ministers remain in office and the usual arrangements for deputising apply.
Information on the death, date and location is based on statements published by Berlin Police, reports from several major media outlets, and announcements from party and government sources. Accounts of events on the day of his death are provisional at this stage; investigators have announced further enquiries.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).