About six weeks before the Federal Assembly there is broad support for a second term in office for Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. After the SPD, FDP and the Greens, the Union is also behind the former foreign minister. The presidia of the CDU and CSU decided that unanimously, said the CDU chairman Armin Laschet after joint consultations between the two parties. “We support a second term.”
“In the past few years as Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been passionate about strengthening our democracy and solidarity in our country,” said Laschet. At the head of the state there is a need for “a credible voice that unites and does not exclude”. Steinmeier is a staunch European and represents Germany excellently abroad. “The Federal President can also build bridges internationally if he is supported by all parties.”
The Union waived its own candidate, said Laschet. The common good always takes precedence over the party-political good. The Federal President should be kept out of “party political hiccups”.
Steinmeier showed a serious, integrative and non-partisan administration, said CSU boss Markus Söder. Steinmeier is supported with a “clear conscience”. The Union consciously made the decision not only not to nominate a candidate, but even to recommend Steinmeier’s election.
The three traffic light parties SPD, Greens and FDP represent more than 775 of the 1472 electoral men and women in the Federal Assembly, which meets on February 13, so they do not depend on votes from other parties such as the CDU and CSU for an absolute majority for Steinmeier to reach.
In the Union there had recently been considerations to set up a female opponent to Steinmeier. For a majority in the Federal Assembly, however, the CDU and CSU need the support of other parties. Speculations about a green-black candidate were considered unrealistic after the green recommendation for Steinmeier.
The Greens had long hesitated to stand at Steinmeier’s side again. The party has been calling for a woman to head the country for years. In addition, the three highest offices in the state – the Federal President, the President of the Bundestag and the Federal Chancellor – are now occupied by the strongest ruling party, the SPD. This is not really to the taste of the Greens. However, no applicant could be found who could be serious competition for Steinmeier. In addition, the Greens would have jeopardized the coalition peace if they had spoken out against SPD man Steinmeier.
Steinmeier rarely interferes in day-to-day politics – but then clearly
The Federal President will be 66 years old this Wednesday. He has been in office since 2017. At that time, with votes from the SPD, Union, Greens, FDP and SSW, he was elected to succeed Joachim Gauck.
As Federal President, Steinmeier rarely interfered in day-to-day politics, for example when he asked the SPD to hold coalition talks with the Union after the 2017 federal election. In the 2018 debate on refugees and immigration, Steinmeier criticized the “intransigence” and “excessive severity” with which the CDU and CSU argued, “as if there were no more tomorrow”. Steinmeier also became clear in the Corona crisis: In April 2021, he reprimanded the politically responsible, spoke of a “crisis of trust” and, in view of the constant quarrels, said the expectations of the citizens of those in power were clear: “Get together.”
Before his time as Federal President, the SPD politician was head of the Federal Chancellery under Gerhard Schröder from 1999 to 2005. In terms of programming, he played a major role in the development of Agenda 2010. In the grand coalition under Angela Merkel, he was a popular foreign minister from 2005 to 2009 and from 2013 to 2017. In 2009, Steinmeier led the SPD as a candidate for chancellor in the federal election, but failed and then became the leader of the opposition in parliament as leader of the SPD faction.