Favouring continuity, Germany re-elects Frank-Walter Steinmeier as president

Steinmeier’s election by secret ballot by a majority of the assembly for another five years was widely expected, amid broad support from most of Germany’s major parties

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, noting the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, called Steinmeier the ‘right president at exactly the right time’

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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier waves next to his wife Elke Buedenbender after his re-election as Germany’s President in Berlin, Germany on February 13. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Published: 12:37am, 14 Feb 2022

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected to a second term as Germany’s president on Sunday as a special assembly voted the veteran politician, seen as a symbol of consensus and continuity, back in to the prominent yet largely ceremonial post.

Steinmeier’s election by secret ballot by a majority of the assembly for another five years was widely expected, amid broad support from most of Germany’s major parties during a time of global turmoil and following a recent change of government.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, noting the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, called Steinmeier the “right president at exactly the right time”.

In his acceptance speech, Steinmeier criticised Russia’s military build-up. “I can only warn [President Vladimir Putin] … Don’t underestimate the strength of democracy.”

A top government aide during Gerhard Schroeder’s chancellorship and a foreign minister under Angela Merkel, Steinmeier is the 12th person – all men – to hold the office in the post-war era.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel at the Paul Loebe Haus in Berlin, Germany on February 13. Photo: EPA-EFE

During his first presidential term he earned a reputation as a moral compass for the nation, urging people to get coronavirus vaccinations and speaking out against extremism and violence.