President of West Germany
| President of the Federal Republic of Germany Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland |
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| Style |
His/Her Excellency (in international relations only) |
| Residence |
Schloss Bellevue (Berlin) Villa Hammerschmidt (Bonn) |
| Appointer | Federal Convention |
| Term length | Five years Renewable once, consecutively |
| Constituting instrument | Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |
| Precursor | The Reichspräsident |
| Formation | 13 September 1949 |
| First holder | Theodor Heuss |
| Website | www |
The President of Germany, officially the President of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is the head of state of Germany.
Germany has a parliamentary system of government in which the Chancellor is the nation's leading political figure and de facto chief executive. However, the President has a role which, while not an executive post, is more than ceremonial. Presidents have extensive discretion regarding the way they exercise their official duties. The President gives direction to general political and societal debates and has some important "reserve powers" in case of political instability (such as those provided for by Article 81 of the Basic Law). Under Article 59 (1) of the Basic Law (German Constitution), the President represents the Federal Republic of Germany in matters of international law, concludes treaties with foreign states on its behalf and accredits diplomats. Furthermore, all federal laws must be signed by the President before they can come into effect, but usually he or she only vetoes a law that he/she believes to violate the constitution.
The President, by his or her actions and public appearances, represents the state itself, its existence, its legitimacy, and unity. The President's office involves an integrative role and the control function of upholding the law and the constitution. It is a matter of political tradition – not legal restrictions – that the President generally does not comment routinely on issues in the news, particularly when there is some controversy among the political parties. This distance from day-to-day politics and daily governmental issues allows the President to be a source of clarification, to influence public debate, to voice criticism, offer suggestions and make proposals. In order to exercise this power, he/she traditionally acts above party politics.
The current officeholder is Joachim Gauck who was elected on 18 March 2012. On 12 February 2017, Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected as Gauck's successor. He will assume office on 19 March 2017 at midnight.
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Wikipedia