2022 German presidential election
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An indirect presidential election (officially the 17th Federal Convention) will be held in Germany no later than thirty days before the sitting President's term ends, as mandated by the German Constitution, the Grundgesetz, unless the presidency falls vacant prematurely. On 19 March 2017 Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was elected by the 16th Federal Convention on 12 February 2017, entered office and started his first five-year-term as president. Therefore, the next Federal Convention will convene no later than 16 February 2022. The Bundestag's council of elders has scheduled the 17th Federal Convention for 13 February 2022.[1] If Steinmeier's term ends prematurely, the Federal Convention will meet no later than thirty days after the start of the vacancy and the President of the Bundesrat will become acting president in the interim.[2]
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high number of delegates, the meeting will take place in the Paul-Löbe-Haus, spread over several floors, unlike usual in the plenary hall of the Bundestag.[3]
Composition of the Federal Convention
The Federal Convention consists of all the members of the current Bundestag (736 members) and an equal number of state electors, that is distributed on the sixteen states of Germany in proportion to the states respective population. The state electors are elected by the state parliaments.[2]
The composition assuming there will be no snap elections on federal or state level:[4]
| |||||
| Party | Bundestag members | State electors | Total electors | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPD | 206 | 185 | 391 | 26.56% | |
| CDU | 152 | 199 | 351 | 23.84% | |
| Grüne | 118 | 115 | 233 | 15.83% | |
| FDP | 92 | 62 | 154 | 10.46% | |
| AfD | 80 | 72 | 152 | 10.33% | |
| CSU | 45 | 49 | 94 | 6.39% | |
| Die Linke | 39 | 32 | 71 | 4.82% | |
| FW | 0 | 18 | 18 | 1.22% | |
| SSW | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.14% | |
| LKR | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.07% | |
| Other | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.34% | |
| Total | 736 | 736 | 1472 | 100% | |
As is common for the state nominated delegates of the constitutional convention, a number of non-politicians - some of them celebrities - are nominated by various parties for similar reasons as the Dutch Lijstduwer phenomenon. This time virologists Sandra Ciesek and Christian Drosten are both among the members as is infectiologist Marylyn Addo, all of whom came to broader public prominence in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Baden Württemberg SPD and FDP (both in opposition at the state level) agreed to nominate a joint list with 13 members proposed by the SPD and 12 by the FDP.
Candidates
Every member of the Federal Convention (members of the Bundestag and state electors, once they are elected by their respective state parliament) can propose candidates for the presidency. It is required that the President be a German citizen and at least 40 years old. Every candidate has to declare their consent to running. Candidates can be proposed before the Federal Convention and (theoretically) during the convention before every ballot. If the president-elect is a member of a legislature or a government at the federal or state level, they have to resign from that office before the start of their term. A sitting president is not allowed to run for a third consecutive term.
Declared candidates
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD), President of Germany (since 2017), former Vice Chancellor of Germany (2007–2009), former Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs (2005–2009 and 2013–2017), will be constitutionally eligible for reelection; on 28 May 2021 he declared his candidacy for a second term. The leaders of SPD, Alliance 90 / The Greens, FDP, CDU/CSU and SSW have all expressed their support for Steinmeier.
- Gerhard Trabert (independent, nominated by The Left), Professor of Social Medicine/Social Psychiatry at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences (since 2009). As yet, he has not received any endorsement other than that of The Left.
- Max Otte (CDU, nominated by AfD), economist, publicist, political activist, and former Professor of quantitative and qualitative business analysis and diagnosis at the University of Graz (2011–2016). As yet, he has not received any endorsement other than that of AfD. In reaction to Otte accepting the nomination, the CDU suspended his party membership.[5]
Notes
- ^ Max Otte has no support from his party
References
- ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Wahltermine in Deutschland".
- ^ a b Grundgesetz: Art. 54 De Jure
- ^ Hackenbruch, Felix (2022-01-05). "Bundesversammlung wird nicht im Reichstagsgebäude stattfinden". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
- ^ "Wahlen in Deutschland". www.election.de. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Germany's far-right AfD names member of CDU as presidential candidate | DW | 25.01.2022". DW.COM. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
