Navigationpath: Homepage > German Bundestag > Elections > Election of the Federal President
Christian Wulff (centre), Jens Böhrnsen (background) and Norbert Lammert (foreground) © German Bundestag/photothek
Christian Wulff is the new Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany. On Wednesday, 30 June 2010, the Federal Convention elected him as the successor of Horst Köhler, who had announced his resignation with immediate effect on 31 May. A Christian Democrat, Christian Wulff had served as Minister-President of the state of Lower Saxony since 2003. His election was supported by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Wulff took office immediately upon stating that he accepted his election.
In the decisive third round of voting, Wulff received 625 of the 1242 votes cast. The other main candidate, Joachim Gauck, a former civil rights activist in the GDR and later the Federal Commissioner for the Files of the State Security Service of the Former German Democratic Republic, received 494 votes. Gauck had been nominated by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Alliance 90/The Greens.
A third round of voting was necessary because none of the candidates, of which there were initially four, succeeded in winning an absolute majority - at least 623 votes - in the first two rounds. Wulff won an absolute majority only in the third round, although a simple majority would have sufficed at that stage.
The candidate of the Left Party, Dr Lukrezia Jochimsen, withdrew before the third round. A total of 121 delegates abstained in the third round.
The Federal Convention met in the Reichstag Building in Berlin to elect the new head of state. The Convention was composed of 1244 delegates; half, or 622 delegates, were the Members of the German Bundestag.
The other half were elected by the parliaments of the 16 federal states. The state parliaments could also choose to send well-known figures from the worlds of business, culture or sport to the Federal Convention.
Christian Wulff thanked his predecessor, Horst Köhler, for the services he had rendered the country, and his fellow candidate Joachim Gauck for the “fair contest”. He said that, having been elected in the 20th year following German unification, he wanted to contribute to forging a common Germany identity.
At the start of the Federal Convention, which lasted more than nine hours, Bundestag President Professor Norbert Lammert, who is also President of the Federal Convention, addressed the matter of Horst Köhler’s resignation. This step by Mr Köhler had, he said, resulted in mood of reflection, with all involved critically examining their own role and attitudes towards public positions. This applied to political office-holders, political parties and the media.
The Federal Convention is the largest parliamentary convention in the Federal Republic of Germany. Its sole function is to elect the Federal President.
The Convention usually assembles only every five years in the Reichstag Building, the exception being if the Federal President’s term of office ends prematurely.
The Federal Convention is convened by the President of the Bundestag, who determines its venue and date, and is also responsible for the preparation and holding of the Convention and for follow-up activities.
The Basic Law (the German constitution) stipulates that the Federal Convention must meet 30 days before the end of the Federal President’s term of office, at the latest.
The Federal Convention consists of all Members of the Bundestag and an equal number of members elected by the parliaments of the Länder. In 2010, it therefore had 1244 (2 x 622) members.
The number of representatives which the individual Länder may send to the Federal Convention is calculated based on the population of each Land.
Once the venue and date of the Federal Convention and the number of its members have been announced, the representatives of the Länder are elected by the Land parliaments in line with the principles of proportional representation. They are usually members of the parliaments of the Länder, but local politicians and figures from other areas of public life may also be elected.
The Federal President is elected by secret ballot without any prior debate.
In theory, any German who is at least forty years old is eligible for election. Candidates may be proposed by any member of the Federal Convention.
If none of the candidates receives an absolute majority, i.e. more than half the votes, in the first and second ballots, a third ballot is held. In this case, a relative majority is sufficient: whoever receives the most votes wins. New candidates can also be nominated for the second and third ballots.
The President of the Bundestag announces the result of the count and asks the person elected whether he or she accepts his or her election. Following a short speech by the president elect, the President of the Bundestag declares the Federal Convention to be ended. It has fulfilled its function.
The future Federal President takes up office as soon as the term of office of his or her predecessor has expired.
A newly elected Federal President takes the following oath upon taking up office: “I swear that I will dedicate my efforts to the well-being of the German people, promote their welfare, protect them from harm, uphold and defend the Basic Law and the laws of the Federation, perform my duties conscientiously, and do justice to all. So help me God.” The oath can also be taken without religious affirmation.