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Does the German President have real power?

The President of Germany (German: Bundespräsident) is the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany and represents Germany both internally and externally.

The main duties of the Federal President are: to sign and publish, without veto power, laws and decrees passed by the German Bundestag (Bundestag) and the German Bundesrat (Bundesrat) and signed by the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler) and the relevant federal government ministers; Appoint and remove the Federal Chancellor according to the decision of the Bundestag, appoint and remove the ministers of the federal government according to the nomination of the Federal Chancellor; preside over national ceremonial activities, etc. The federal president is only the head of state, but does not directly lead the federal government and does not enjoy actual executive power, while the federal prime minister is the head of the government and decides the country’s major policies.

Presidential powers

The Federal President of Germany exercises the following functions as head of state:

Representing Germany internally and externally (participating in national, social and cultural activities, visiting federal states and cities, conducting state visits in foreign countries, receiving guests from foreign countries); representing the German people in the sense of international law, concluding treaties with foreign countries in the name of the Federation, However, treaties regulating federal political relations or involving federal legislative matters shall be in the form of federal laws, with the consent of the federal legislature; issue credentials and send German envoys to foreign countries, accept foreign credentials and receive foreign envoys in Germany.

The Federal President also exercises the following powers:

Propose the candidate for the Federal Chancellor and submit it to the Bundestag for election; appoint the Federal Chancellor elected by the Bundestag; appoint ministers of the federal government nominated by the Federal Chancellor; in the event of a motion of no confidence in the Federal Chancellor, dismiss the Federal Chancellor at the request of the Bundestag, or The Federal Chancellor’s proposal dissolves the Bundestag; appoints and removes federal judges, federal civil servants, military officers and junior officers; signs and promulgates laws passed by the Bundestag; exercises the power of pardon on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Election term

The Federal President is elected by discussion in the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung). Anyone in Germany who is over 40 years old and has the right to vote in the Bundestag can run for election. The Federal Assembly consists of members of the Bundestag and an equal number of state deputies elected by the state legislatures based on proportional representation. The Federal Assembly is convened by the President of the Bundestag.

The federal president serves a five-year term and can only be re-elected once.

The Bundestag or the Bundesrat may file a petition for impeachment with the Federal Constitutional Court for intentional violations of the German Basic Law or other federal laws by the Federal President. The Federal Constitutional Court may, upon confirmation, declare the Federal President incapacitated.

When the Federal President is unable to exercise his functions or resigns early, his functions and powers are exercised by the President of the Bundesrat.

Current president

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was born on January 5, 1956 in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, a member of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). An important figure, former German foreign minister. On February 12, 2017, he was elected as the new President of Germany. On March 19, 2017, outgoing President Gauck and incoming President Frank-Walter Steinmeier held a symbolic handover at the Presidential Palace in Berlin. On March 22, 2017, Steinmeier was officially sworn in as President of Germany.

Other dignitaries

Chancellor Angela Merkel was born in Hamburg on July 17, 1954. PhD in Physics. From 1978 to 1990, he worked in the Institute of Physical Chemistry Center of the GDR Academy of Sciences. Joined the CDU in August 1990. In 1991, he was appointed vice-president of the CDU Federation. From 1991 to 1994 he was the Federal Minister of Women and Youth. From 1994 to 1998, he was Minister of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety. From 1998 to 2000, he served as general secretary of the CDU.

In April 2000, he served as the chairman of the CDU, and from September 2002 to November 2005, he also served as the chairman of the parliamentary group of the Alliance Party. He stepped down as chairman of the CDU party in December 2018. On November 22, 2005, she became Germany’s first female chancellor and the youngest chancellor in German history. He was re-elected three times on October 28, 2009, December 17, 2013, and March 14, 2018.

President of the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, was elected on 18 October 2005 and re-elected on 27 October 2009.