Frank-Walter Steinmeier has shown that he wants to act as a bridge-builder and mediator, as someone who seeks dialogue in times of crisis. Who exactly is Germany's newly reelected president?
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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited people from all walks of life and across political divisions for talks. In early 2022, the topics for such discussions were the pros and cons of compulsory vaccination.
In his opening statements, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: "As federal president, I will not take a position for or against a general vaccination obligation."
This was seen as typical for him: Once again he had failed to make a bold statement that the republic could argue about. Instead, Steinmeier moderated the round in a routine manner, not wanting to cause a stir, not wanting to provoke. It was representative of his first term in office.
German president calls for solidarity during pandemic
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Stepping into the limelight
Frank-Walter Steinmeier experienced the high point of his political career at the beginning of 2017. In February, he was elected to the office of president for the first time after one round of voting. He smiled his trademark broad, mischievous Steinmeier smile, and was visibly pleased. Then, he outlined what would be his main areas of focus in office: to prevent Germany forgetting its history, and to fight modern right-wing populism.
Without explicitly mentioning the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which had just seen resounding success in elections on all levels, Steinmeier said in his inaugural speech: "We must not only talk about democracy, we must learn to fight for it!"
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Steinmeier's masterpiece
His first test in the new post came a few months later. Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democrats emerged victorious from a general election in the fall of 2017. They sought to form a coalition with the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the environmentalist Greens, but party leaders were unable to hammer out a deal. Fresh elections seemed the only option. At the time, Steinmeier's party, the SPD, was determined not to enter into another "grand coalition" with the conservatives, as they had identified that previous alliance as the reason for their own poor performance in the election.
Steinmeier appealed to his own partyto consider joining the conservatives to form a functioning government — and proved successful. In March 2018, the new Merkel government took shape with the participation of the SPD. In the history of post-war Germany, such an intervention by a president was unique.
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A president from a humble background
Fittingly for his party —the SPD, which was founded to represent the working class— Steinmeier himself is the son of a carpenter and a factory worker from the small town of Detmold in western Germany. He graduated from high school, studied law and later earned a doctorate. In 1975, Steinmeier joined the SPD. At university, he met his future wife, Elke Büdenbender, also a lawyer. They have one daughter.
Steinmeier won the sympathy of the German public with a very private decision: In 2010, he donated a kidney to his wife. Steinmeier said at the time that it was not "a heroic act".
Unobtrusive, discreet, loyal, selfless — that's how friends and coworkers described Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Supporter and friend: Gerhard Schröder
Frank-Walter Steinmeier's political talents were discovered early on by future ChancellorGerhard Schröder (SPD), who appointed Steinmeier to head the state chancellery when the latter was still premier of Lower Saxony. When the SPD won power in 1998 with Schröder at the helm, Steinmeier moved to the center of power in Berlin, first as state secretary and later as head of the chancellery. He took over the foreign ministry for the first time in the first grand coalition under Chancellor Merkel in 2005.
In the 2009 federal election, he ran against Angela Merkel as candidate for chancellor — and failed miserably. The SPD achieved only 23%, their worst polling since the end of the war. "The result is a bitter day for German social democracy," Steinmeier admitted at the time.
Germany's postwar presidents
Germany's president serves as the head of state, but the role is mainly ceremonial. Here is a look back at the 13 individuals who have been the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany since its founding in 1949.
Image: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa/picture alliance
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (2017-current)
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a former foreign minister and chancellor candidate for the Social Democrats (SPD), was supported in his first election by the grand coalition of his party and Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Image: Michael Sohn/AP Photo/picture alliance
Joachim Gauck (2012-2017)
A former Lutheran pastor, Gauck came to prominence as an anti-communist civil rights activist in East Germany. A political independent, after German reunification he was in charge of the archives of East Germany's Stasi secret service and tasked with investigating communist crimes. As son of a Soviet Gulag survivor, his political life was formed by his own family's experiences with totalitarianism
Image: Tim Brakemeier/dpa/picture alliance
Christian Wulff (2010-2012)
Christian Wulf (CDU) was Germany's youngest president to date. He is remembered for a high-profile speech he delivered in which he said that Islam "belongs to Germany" just as do Christianity and Judaism. The former State Premier of Lower Saxony stepped down in the face of corruption allegations, of which he was subsequently cleared.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Horst Köhler (2004 - 2010)
A trained economist, Horst Köhler served as president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before becoming German president. He stepped down over backlash against comments he made about Bundeswehr missions abroad, which he acknowledged also served to secure trade with Germany's partners.
Image: Harry Melchert/dpa/picture-alliance
Johannes Rau (1999 - 2004)
Johannes Rau (SPD) served as premier of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, for ten years. As president, in times of heated political discussion, he urged the nation to open up to foreigners. "I want to be the president for all Germans and the partner for all people who live and work here without a German passport," he said.
Image: Regina Kuehne/KEYSTONE/dpa/picture-alliance
Roman Herzog (1994 - 1999)
The former Supreme Court judge is best known for a speech in 1997 demanding Germans pull themselves together and break the vicious circle of resignation, reform blockade. He is also remembered for asking Poland for forgiveness for the suffering inflicted by Germany in WW2, and declared the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, as Germany's official day of remembrance.
Image: Andreas Altwein/dpa/picture-alliance
Richard von Weizsäcker (1984 - 1994)
In 1985 the CDU politician articulated Germany's responsibility for the crimes of Nazism. He defined May 8 as a "day of liberation" and challenged the idea that many Germans did not know about the Holocaust. "We Germans must look truth straight in the eye – without embellishment and without distortion. [...] There can be no reconciliation without remembrance," he said.
Image: picture-alliance / dpa
Karl Carstens (1979 - 1984)
Karl Carstens (CDU) was born in Bremen, the son of a commercial school teacher, who had been killed before his birth in WWI. Carstens studied law and political science and served in the air force during WWII. In 1940 he joined the Nazi Party, which made him a controversial choice for president. During his term in office he used his love of hiking to tour the country and meet the people.
Image: Heinrich Sanden/dpa/picture-alliance
Walter Scheel (1974-1979)
Scheel was born in Solingen, the son of a handyman. He trained at a bank before he was conscribed by Hitler's Wehrmacht in 1939. After the war, Scheel worked as an economic consultant and joined the neoliberal FDP, which he moved towards an alliance with the SPD. Scheel was seen as jovial and is remembered for landing a hit with his recording of the German folk song "Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen."
Image: dpa/picture alliance
Gustav Heinemann (1969 -1974)
Gustav Walter Heinemann (SPD) served as mayor of Essen, as well as interior and later justice minister before becoming president. He established the tradition of inviting ordinary citizens to the president's New Year's receptions, and in his speeches, he encouraged West Germans to overcome submissiveness to the authorities, to make full use of their democratic rights and to defend the rule of law.
Image: dpa/picture-alliance
Heinrich Lübke (1959 - 1969)
Heinrich Lübke (CDU) is remembered for a series of embarrassing lapses that may have resulted from health issues. Lübke resigned three months before the scheduled end of his second term amid a scandal around his involvement with the Nazi regime during World War II.
Image: Kurt Rohwedder/dpa/picture-alliance
Theodor Heuss (1949-1959)
The liberal Theodor Heuss (FDP) beat Social Democrat leader Kurt Schumacher to become West Germany's first postwar president. Before becoming a politician he was a political journalist. West Germans widely appreciated Heuss for his cordial nature.
Image: Deutsche Post
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Steinmeier II
At age 66, Steinmeier is entering his second term in office. Tirelessly, he has traveled the country and represented it abroad almost a hundred times.
He enjoys a wide range of support. In a poll conducted in mid-January, 86% said that he "does his job well." 81% said he should remain in office. His composure is his strength. Steinmeier's skills as a mediator and moderator are now well-honed, and he will now have another five years in office to put them to use.
This article was originally written in German.
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