German president re-elected for second 5-year term

BERLIN • German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was re-elected yesterday for a second five-year term, said the country's Parliament Speaker.

Mr Steinmeier gained a reputation as a defender of democratic values at a time when far-right extremism and Covid-19 were putting them to the test.

The Social Democrat, 66, served twice as foreign minister in Dr Angela Merkel's Cabinet. He stepped back from his duties as Germany's top diplomat to take on a ceremonial role as head of state in 2017.

With his snowy white hair, round glasses and dimpled smile, the lawyer has become one of Germany's most popular and trusted politicians.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Steinmeier criticised Russia's military build-up near Ukraine. "I can only warn (Russian President Vladimir Putin)... Don't underestimate the strength of democracy."

There was "the danger of a military conflict... and Russia carries the responsibility for that".

He has repeatedly warned against the rising threat of right-wing extremism in Germany and criticised scenes at Kabul airport after the city's fall as "shameful for the political West".

Mr Steinmeier's time in office has been marked by the outbreak of the coronavirus in Germany, with him sometimes playing the role of a moral arbiter in public debates on health issues.

Earlier this year, he held a public debate between health experts and coronavirus vaccine sceptics, a vocal minority in the country that has increasingly taken to the streets to protest against coronavirus rules.

The presidential election, normally held in the Bundestag building, instead took place at Paul Loebe Haus, an office complex opposite the Chancellery in central Berlin, in order to meet safe distancing requirements.

Mr Steinmeier was voted for by the Federal Convention, a one-off assembly made up of MPs and an equal number of state delegates, taking the number close to 1,500.

Among the delegates are a number of public figures, including German national team footballer Leon Goretzka.

Presidents can run for a maximum of two terms in Germany, though Mr Steinmeier is only the fourth person to do so.

The president's role in Germany is mostly symbolic, with the office-holder acting as a constitutional counterpart to the head of government, currently Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat comrade.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE