The opposing candidates of the incumbent Federal President have no chance.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Actually, it should be a high mass of democracy. The 17th Federal Assembly with its 1472 representatives will elect the Federal President in a festive atmosphere on Sunday. There has never been such a superlative based solely on the number of people who determine the future head of state. But nothing more than busy routine will arise when Frank-Walter Steinmeier comes to the highest office in the state for the second time.
There are several reasons why the majority of the population is probably unaware of this choice. There are the opposing candidates of the incumbent Federal President. They are purely counting candidates because they are nominated by parties that have no weight in the vote. You don’t stand a chance.
The Union, as the largest opposition party, also votes for Steinmeier. The loud announcements that a woman would be presented as a candidate were followed by a quiet retreat. There were even CDU grandees who initially rejected Steinmeier, only to then become his most ardent fans.
That is why there was no election campaign and large parts of the population will wake up on Monday without noticing that a federal assembly has taken place in the meantime.
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The debate in the traffic light coalition was similarly lukewarm. There was one male and one female candidate among the Greens who would have liked to have held the office. On the one hand, the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann. He even had the goodwill of CDU leader Wolfgang Schäuble. On the other hand, the Bundestag Vice President Kathrin Göring-Eckardt. The fact that nothing came of her candidacy led to an audible sigh of relief even in parts of her party.
FDP played the decisive role
Steinmeier owes his office not least to the FDP. Its chairman Christian Lindner spoke out in favor of him early on. The FDP gets along well with the social-liberal Steinmeier, and he has always been a reliable partner for the liberals.
Steinmeier himself acted strategically brilliantly. Even before the general election, he had gone on the offensive and said publicly that he was ready for a second term. The SPD was thus established – and is now in the comfortable position of providing both the chancellor and the federal president.
But therein lies the problem of the office. Olaf Scholz adopts the presidential style of government of his predecessor Angela Merkel almost seamlessly. As a result, the political leeway for the man in Bellevue Palace is becoming ever smaller.
In any case, the office is not endowed with large formal competencies. If there is still a quasi-substitute president in the chancellery, one can ask oneself: Isn’t the office of federal president superfluous?
Presidential chancellors limit the freedom of the head of state
This discussion is not new. There has always been criticism that Germany does not need to afford a better public notary. On the other hand, there were strong and powerful Federal Presidents.
Think, for example, of Theodor Heuss, the first Federal President, or of Steinmeier’s direct predecessor, Joachim Gauck. They explored the limits of their office and were very popular with the population.
>> Also read: Book review: Frank-Walter Steinmeier: In search of the strong republic
The latter is also Steinmeier. But rhetorical fireworks are not to be expected from the SPD man from Lower Saxony. In all the offices that he held, from the head of the chancellery and parliamentary group leader to the foreign minister, he always saw himself as a servant of the state. A good and also rare quality, but for the office of Federal President quite a few wish that he is not only the state notary.
Should the President be elected by the people?
Before almost every presidential election there is a debate as to whether there should not be direct elections by the people. The argument is: This would give the office and its holder greater authority.
But even this discussion was canceled this time because everything had already been decided in the back rooms. These agreements would be settled in a direct election. Unless something fundamentally changes about this, politicians will find it difficult to maintain acceptance for the office.
So far, people have been upset about the lavish equipment of the federal presidents when they are off duty. Fortunately, there is still no question as to whether you have to afford a lock with attached administration.
More: Second Term. Steinmeier plays at risk