Steinmeier to seek second term as German president

Berlin, May 28 (EFE).- Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced Friday he will seek a second term as German President.

The head of state, a largely ceremonial position, will be elected by the Federal Assembly in February 2022.

“We are living difficult times, with important elections and new challenges brought by the pandemic,” said Steinmeier, elected into office in 2017 after two terms serving as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s minister of Foreign Affairs.

Steinmeier was a key mediator in coalition agreements between Merkel and SPD candidate Martin Schulz in 2017, and could be an essential piece after national elections next September 26.

The federal presidency serves a purely representative purpose and is a nonpartisan position, meaning that presidents are required to suspend their party memberships for the duration of their term.

The Federal Assembly meets every five years to elect a new president. It consists of all members of the German federal parliament and the same number of delegates from the federated states. EFE

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