The Federal President: office and duties

In short: The Federal President is the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany. The office is mainly representative, but in certain situations it also has important constitutional powers.

In more detail: The Basic Law deliberately gave the office limited political power, partly as a lesson from the Weimar Republic. Day-to-day politics is decided by the Bundestag and the federal government.

In detail

• Election: The President is not elected directly by the people but by the Federal Convention. It consists of all members of the Bundestag and an equal number of members chosen by the state parliaments.
• Term of office: A term lasts five years; immediate re-election is possible only once. Any German aged at least 40 is eligible.
• Representation: The head of state represents Germany under international law, receives state guests, makes state visits and gives speeches on important occasions.
• Signing laws: Federal laws only come into force after they have been signed and promulgated. In doing so, the head of state checks whether they have come about in line with the constitution and can, in rare cases, refuse to sign.
• Forming a government: The President proposes a candidate to the Bundestag for election as Federal Chancellor, then appoints the person elected and, on their proposal, the federal ministers.
• Dissolving the Bundestag: Only in narrowly defined cases, such as when no chancellor majority can be found or a vote of confidence fails, can the President dissolve the Bundestag and thus allow new elections.
• Further powers: These include the right to pardon convicted persons in certain cases, the appointment of federal judges and federal civil servants, and the awarding of honours.
• Non-partisanship: Holders of the office usually suspend their party membership and are expected to stand above party politics. The official residence is Bellevue Palace in Berlin.
• Context: Together with the Bundestag, the Bundesrat and the Federal Constitutional Court, the office forms part of the constitutional structure (bundestag-aufgaben-und-arbeitsweise, bundesrat-die-laenderkammer, bundesverfassungsgericht-aufgaben-und-verfahren).