Tuesday, January 04, 2022
Greens clear the way
Traffic lights agree on Steinmeier’s re-election
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to remain the German head of state. The social democrat not only has his own party on his side. After the FDP, the Greens also declare their support.
In addition to the SPD and FDP, the Greens also want a second term in office for Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The 64-year-old is “a very good and highly respected Federal President who has done great service to our country in his first term of office,” said the Greens federal chairmen Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck as well as the parliamentary group leaders Katharina Dröge and Britta Haßelmann. “In particular, his strong voice for democratic cohesion deserves our respect and support,” the statement said. “We are convinced that it will continue to give our society support and orientation on the difficult path out of the pandemic.”
Steinmeier had announced of his own volition that he would like to continue to exercise the office. Before Christmas, the FDP had already spoken out in favor of a second term in office for Steinmeier, who before his time in Bellevue was Federal Foreign Minister, SPD candidate for Chancellor and head of the Chancellery under Gerhard Schröder. The SPD supports its comrade at the head of the state anyway. A re-election at the Federal Assembly on February 13th is almost certain.
Sufficient lead for Steinmeier
In addition to the 736 members of the Bundestag, the Federal Assembly consists of the same number of delegates from the state parliaments. According to research by the dpa news agency, the SPD, Greens and FDP together will send 776 of the 1,472 members to the Federal Assembly. That is 39 more than are needed in the first and second ballots. 446 of the 1472 members will be the CDU and CSU, 389 the SPD, 234 the Greens, 154 the AfD, 153 the FDP, 71 the Left, 18 the Free Voters and 2 the Südschleswigsche Voters’ Association. In addition, there are 5 non-attached members from the Bundestag and the state parliaments.
According to Article 54 of the Basic Law, an absolute majority is required for the first two ballots. If this is not enough, because not all members of the Federal Assembly vote from the Steinmeier government camp, he would most likely be re-elected in the third ballot if a simple majority is sufficient.