Berlin (dpa) – Frank-Walter Steinmeier is to remain Germany’s federal president. In the very first ballot on Sunday, the Federal Convention confirmed with a large majority that the 66-year-old would remain in office. Steinmeier, who was nominated by the governing SPD, Greens and FDP parties, as well as by the CDU/CSU opposition, received an approval rating of around 73 percent. He received 1,045 of the 1,425 valid votes and accepted the election immediately after the result was announced. This makes Steinmeier only the fifth federal president to serve a second term.
The 66-year-old, who has put his SPD party affiliation on hold while head of state, has been federal president since 2017. He previously served as foreign minister from 2005 to 2009 and then again from 2013 to 2017. He failed to become the SPD’s candidate for chancellor in the 2009 federal election.
The Federal Convention is the largest parliamentary body in Germany. Its sole task is to elect the head of state every five years. The Convention is made up of the members of the German Bundestag and an equal number of members sent by the 16 state parliaments.
Ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received long applause before the election, was also present on Sunday. The list of electors included celebrities such as the national coach Hansi Flick, the footballer Leon Goretzka and the musician Roland Kaiser, as well as scientists such as the astronaut Alexander Gerst, the virologist Christian Drosten and Biontech co-founder and vaccine developer Özlem Türeci.