Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier was re-elected President of the German Republic on Sunday February 13 for five years. An essentially honorary mandate where he must embody a moral authority that goes beyond partisan divisions.
In office since March 2017, the former head of German diplomacy was chosen by a large majority by a specially constituted electoral college, bringing together national deputies, a large number of local elected officials, former German leaders, as well as certain personalities from civil society. The result is not a surprise since most of the main political parties in the country had previously announced their support for the reappointment of the outgoing president.
In a speech delivered just after the election result was announced, he promised to fight for democracy while blaming Russia for threatening Europe with armed conflict in Ukraine. “I can only warn” Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. “Don’t underestimate the power of democracy. »
Pledge of continuity
Former right-hand man of the former Social Democratic Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who is a long-time friend of the Russian President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier was then Minister of Foreign Affairs to Angela Merkel. He is appreciated for his attachment to good relations between the country’s major parties and his re-election is considered a guarantee of continuity in a country which changed chancellor last year after 16 years of Angela Merkel’s mandate and is not not yet out of the coronavirus crisis.
The electoral college called which re-elected Mr. Steinmeier on Sunday brings together members of the Federal Parliament, several hundred elected officials from the Länder and representatives of civil society. Among the participants in the ballot were thus Angela Merkel but also the medical director of the pharmaceutical laboratory BioNTech, Özlem Türeci, or even the most famous “drag queen” from Berlin, Gloria Viagra.
French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the first foreign officials to congratulate his counterpart. “Together, let’s continue to nurture the precious friendship that unites Germany and France and to promote our European values”he said in a message posted on Twitter.