Congratulations, Frank-Walter

[Arneb]

..Steinmeier. He became the nex President of the Federal Republic of Germany today, as if you didn't know. As you are no doubt keenly aware, he has been holding that same office for the past five years as well. He will be inaufgurated on May 23rd, the day the Grundgesetz went into effect.

The German Preisdent is elected by a very peculiar body: The Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung), whose only job it is to perform this election, without prior discussion. A max. of three rouds of voting - an absolute majority is required in the first two, in the third, you only need a plurality. The Bundesversammlung consist of all the members of the Bundestag plus an equal number of delegates from the 16 States. The relative stregth of the State delegations is equivalent to their population relative to the country's population, and the delegation's party allegiance is proportional to the party's representation in the respective State Parliaments. So everything is very proportional and balanced. The parties frequently take the opportunity to nominate celebreties or people who made a name for themselves as delegates: This year we had, among others, the German National Football manager, a Bayern München football International, the longest-serving German astronaut, a lawyer who represented the families of immigrants killed during the horrible "NSU" killing spree, the mother of a young German of Turkish decent murdered by a Nazi madman, the widow of Germany's most influential (and deeply evil) newspaper mogul. We also had Angela Merkel, who five years ago suggested Steinmeier for the office.

Steinmeier (1045 votes) prevailed over Frank Otto (140), a right-wing Christian Democrat whore who allowed himself to be nomiated by Germany's new Nazi party, the "Alternative for Germany"; Gerhard Tabert (96), a General Practitioner and extraordinary colleague, serving the unseen German poor with free mobile medical services and engaging in refugee projects, nominated by The Left; and Stefanie Gebauer, an astrophysicist nominated by the few Independents in the German Parliamentary landscape. Remarakbly, Germany's default governing party, the Christian Democratic Union, now in opposition, did not field a candidate of their own. There was now point: They are still in fetal posture after their humiliation at the polls in September, and they had suggested and voted for Steinmeier the first time around as well, so they just went along with it.

[Arneb]

One correction: the President was inaugurated right away. He was asked, directly after the announcement of the results, by the President of the Bundestag, "Mr. Steinmeier, do you accept the election". "Frau Präsidentin, ich nehme die Wahl an". "Congratulations, Herr Bundespräsident!" Oath, end of story.

In his first speech, he said something I like a lot: "The future is open. And to that openness, nobody, no autocrat and no ideology, has a better anwer than democracy. Let the authoritarians build their ice palaces and their golf resorts. None of that is stronger, none of that shines brighter than the idea of freedom in the hearts and minds of the people."

Nice one, eh?