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The Federal Convention

The most important such body is the Federal Convention. This constitutional organ normally only convenes every five years for only a few hours to perform its sole function of electing the Federal President (Art. 54 of the Basic Law). The Federal Convention comprises the Members of the Bundestag and an equal number of members who are elected by the Land parliaments but need not themselves be Members of the Land parliament concerned. On the day the Federal President is elected, half the Federal Convention thus reflects the relative strengths of the political parties in the Bundestag and the other half their relative strengths in the Land parliaments. As a result of the restoration of German unity, the Federal Convention comprises 1,206 (603 x 2) members. The number of members of the Federal Convention to be elected by the individual Land parliaments depends on the population of the Land concerned.

The Federal Convention is convened by the President of the Bundestag. He decides when and where it will convene, chairs its meetings and conducts its business. The most recent Federal Convention, at which Johannes Rau was elected Federal President, took place in the Reichstag Building in Berlin in May 1999.

The Federal President is elected by the Federal Convention without debate. Every German who is at least 40 years old is eligible to stand as a candidate. Candidates may be proposed by any member of the Federal Convention. These provisions do not, however, indicate the way in which candidates are nominated in practice: the members of the Federal Convention belonging to the same party form political groups, which submit their nominations after carefully considering their candidates' suitability for the highest state office. Where the previous incumbent has sought re-election (which is possible only once), he has so far always stood unopposed. The candidate receiving the votes of the majority of the members of the Federal Convention is elected. If this majority is not obtained by any candidate in two ballots, the person who receives most votes in a further ballot is elected (Art. 54, paragraph (6) of the Basic Law). Once the candidate elected has informed the President of the Bundestag that he accepts his election, he assumes the office of Federal President as soon as the term of office of his predecessor has expired. Once the election procedure has been completed and the president elect has made a short speech, the Federal Convention has fulfilled its function and ceases to exist.