Frank-Walter Steinmeier: All information about the Federal President - tasks, term of office, private matters

Created: 02/13/2022, 09:09

By: Jakob Koch

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

© Noah Wedel/Imago Images

Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been President of the Federal Republic of Germany at Bellevue Palace in Berlin for five years.

The private seldom reaches the public.

What few people know: he saved his wife's life.

Berlin - February 13, 2022 should be a relaxed day for Frank-Walter Steinmeier: When the 1,472 members of the Federal Assembly come together in Berlin's Paul-Löbe-Haus, Steinmeier's re-election as Federal President is practically certain: SPD, Greens, FDP and CDU /CSU have already announced the re-election of the 66-year-old in advance.

They make up a clear majority of the 736 members of the Bundestag and the people who send the 16 state parliaments.

You can also find all developments from election day in our ticker at

.

According to CSU boss Markus Söder, Steinmeier deserved his re-election because of his integrative and non-partisan leadership.

Steinmeier made a great contribution to the country in the first five years of his tenure.

“He has shown serious, integrative and non-partisan leadership.

He finds the right words in difficult times.

He has the compass and understanding for people, but also clear attitudes and clear views," said the Bavarian Prime Minister at the beginning of January 2022.

Criticism of Steinmeier, on the other hand, comes from Gesine Schwan (SPD), who believes that Steinmeier should be more courageous in addressing controversial issues.

"I think that would do him and his term of office very good and his reputation," said the candidate from 2004 and 2009 on

.

"This opportunity to address things that will be important in the future, which are uncomfortable, which are uncomfortable for all parties, which may also be uncomfortable for the citizens, actually only the Federal President has this chance," said the political scientist.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier hands over the certificate of dismissal to Chancellor Angela Merkel

At the end of October 2021, Steinmeier dismissed the outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel from office.

At the time, he emphasized that their reign had been "shaping for our reunited country and for the image of our country in the world" and also "shaping for a whole generation of young women and men, for whom they demonstrated a new, very own form of leadership". have.

At the same time, it was a time "that was not exactly short of crises and upheavals".

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Those are his tasks

In the office of Federal President, Steinmeier is regarded as the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany.

He represents the country both internally and externally - for example through his public appearances at events, speeches, or through visits to countries and communities.

The most important other tasks include:

• Proposal for the election of the Federal Chancellor

• Appointment and dismissal of the Federal Chancellor and Federal Ministers

• dissolution of the Bundestag

• Drafting (signing) and promulgation of laws

• Appointing and dismissing federal judges, federal officers, officers and non-commissioned officers

• right of pardon for the federal government

• Federal Order Law

Frank-Walter Steinmeier private: kidney donation to his wife Elke Büdenbender

Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been married since December 27, 1995.

He met his wife Elke Büdenbender during his studies, and in 1996 they had a daughter together.

Büdenbender is a judge at the Berlin Administrative Court specializing in social law.

What many do not know: Steinmeier donated a kidney to his seriously ill wife in 2010.

The state of health of his wife had acutely worsened in the weeks before, he said at the time.

Because of the long waiting times for donor kidneys, the family decided to make a living donation.

Steinmeier said years later: "We're fine and we're both happy that we made the decision.

It has been good for both of us.”

Frank-Walter Steinmeier: Ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder supported his comrade

Steinmeier started his political career rather unspectacularly: Shortly before studying law and later political science, he joined the SPD in 1975.

Steinmeier, who was born in Detmold (North Rhine-Westphalia), only really made an appearance in party politics in 1991: At that time he took over the office of consultant for media law and media policy in the Lower Saxony State Chancellery.

There he also met the future Prime Minister and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

He initially made Steinmeier his office manager, later the head of the Lower Saxony State Chancellery - and from 1999 also the head of the Federal Chancellery.

Foreign Minister, Chancellor candidate, Vice Chancellor: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, once a powerful SPD official

After the lost federal election in 2005, CDU hopeful Angela Merkel moved to the chancellery - and made Steinmeier federal foreign minister, after Franz Müntefering's resignation in 2007 he was also vice chancellor.

A year later, Steinmeier pushed his party political rise: after an interlude as acting SPD chairman, the SPD presidium decided to propose the then 52-year-old as chancellor candidate for the 2009 federal elections.

A special party congress chose him with a good 95 percent of the votes.

Like four years before, the SPD was unable to win the subsequent election: With almost 23 percent of the second votes, it ended up well behind the Union.

Steinmeier became chairman of the SPD parliamentary group and thus leader of the opposition.

From 2013 he took over the office of Federal Foreign Minister again for four years before being elected Federal President in 2017.

Here you can find out when a result can be expected on February 13th.