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Subscribe to RSSGerman lawmakers elected Joachim Gauck, a former Lutheran pastor and human rights activist from communist East Germany, as president of the European Union's largest country on Sunday by a large majority in a first round of voting.
Norbert Lammert, speaker of the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, said Gauck, 72, had won 991 votes in the federal assembly of national and regional lawmakers that is charged with choosing Germany's largely ceremonial head of state.
His main rival, former Nazi-hunter and journalist Beate Klarsfeld, won 126 votes.
Chancellor Angela Merkel reluctantly accepted Gauck for the mainly ceremonial post after her coalition ally joined opposition parties last month in backing him to replace Christian Wulff, who resigned in a scandal over financial favors.
Unlike Wulff, a former lawmaker from Merkel's ruling centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), the 72-year-old Gauck has no party affiliation. But he is known for speaking his mind - with the eloquence of a seasoned preacher - on controversial issues.
Eighty percent of Germans trust Gauck, a former Lutheran pastor and human rights activist, according to an opinion poll by Infratest published on Saturday.
Yet two thirds said they thought he would be an "uncomfortable" president for the country's political parties.
In Germany, the president is chosen not by voters but by a special federal assembly comprising all 620 members of the Bundestag lower house of parliament and an equal number of delegates from the country's 16 regions.
Gauck's election is assured as he has the support of the three ruling coalition parties including the CDU and of the opposition Social Democrats and Greens.
"We expect a big majority (for Gauck)," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, leader of the opposition Social Democrats.
His only opponent is Beate Klarsfeld, 73, an anti-Nazi activist endorsed by the small Left Party.
The German head of state has little executive power but is supposed to provide moral leadership, a role for which Gauck, a prominent figure in the peaceful protest movement that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, seems well-suited.
"The president of the federal republic must be the guardian of the soul of our nation," said Sunday's edition of the top-selling daily Bild which also backed Gauck for the job in 2010.
"Gauck's most important task is to restore dignity to this considerably tarnished office."
Merkel and Gauck both hail from formerly Communist East Germany where her father was also a clergyman. They are said to have a good personal rapport, but she blocked a bid to install him as president in 2010 in favor of the ill-fated Wulff.
Gauck has a rich life story shaped by the Cold War. When he was 11 his father was sent to the Siberian Gulag for alleged espionage and did not return for four years.
That experience fostered an abiding aversion to totalitarianism, and he has said freedom will be the leitmotif of his presidency.
After the fall of Communism and Germany's reunification, Gauck oversaw the archives of the dreaded Stasi, the East German secret police, earning recognition for exposing their crimes.
As a purely symbolic head of state, Gauck poses no threat to Merkel's domination of German politics. But his moral authority and rhetorical gifts may dim some of her luster on the public stage.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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We could use someone like that as the US President (oh well)...
bill,,,, Maybe you should learn something about the United States of America or move to Germany
Germany's leader is their PM, or head of State, their President is simply a figurehead is largely ceremonial. Germany has a parliamentary system of government
Jim: Our President is not directly elected either. Not necessarily a bad thing as Germany found out the hard way about directly elected presidents with unlimited powers (e.g. Paul von Hindenburg and his fateful handing the Reichkranzler post to Hitler)... hence, no more powerful president for Germany.
There is no comparison between their form of government & ours... They are totally different
Bill -- totally understanding the Constitution ... I still get your point.
Oh yes .. Jim.. our forms of government are NOT totally different.
BOTH are federal republics.
BOTH have three branches of government.
Of that BOTH have bicameral legislatures.
You can easily find that basic information on many sites if you care to look.
Additionally, the Basic Law is highly influenced by the Allied Forces, especially American, after WWII.
http://edale.typepad.com/constitutional_orders/2011/07/german-constitutional-history-the-genesis-of-the-basic-law.html
Joachim Gauck seems like the right man for the position. Good Luck! Long Life!
So in other words he is pretty much a do nothing politician who gets to run around making speeches telling people how to live their lives while collecting a paycheck from the government. What a gigantic waste of the taxpayers money. It really sounds like this office needs to be abolished since it has no real function or powers. The German taxpayers must not mind throwing money away if they support this absurdity.
That, in fact, is one of the main arguments of the British supporters of the abolition of the monarchy, as they have a constitutional head of state (the Queen) who has no real power. She has to give royal assent to all legislation passed in parliament for it to be enacted, but this is merely ceremonial as assent has never been refused.
The same ceremonial role is played by a Governor-General in Canada and other Commonwealth countries.
Other countries have a president and a prime minister (or equivalent), with one of the roles being largely diplomatic and ceremonial.
@JS in SD: the role of the President in Germany is about the same as the Vice-President in USA. The Chancellor has the same Power as POTUS. How much do you mind paying the VPs salary?
So the president of Germany would become Prime Minister if something happened to Merkel? This is Biden's primary role/responsibility, to take over and lead the nation in case something happens to the POTUS, such as when Kennedy was killed.
Nicholas M--the difference between the British Monarch (and other European ones, in smaller degree) is that the pomp and circumstance of it is a HUGE draw for England in the way of tourism.
Even the DEATH of one of them is a major money maker for the Brits.
I doubt if too many people go visit Germany to see its president., or his houses. ;}
Well that's democracy: A guy telling people how to live. If it is a wise man (or a wise women) it can be worth lots of money.
Former German president Herzog once held a speech, telling the audience, that they had to move their asses - in a polite way ("Durch Deutschland muss ein Ruck gehen"). It was this speech that marked the beginning of German inner reforms. So now Germany is the one European country still well off in spite of the American business crisis we are all suffering of.
@Nicholas -- The Queen's extensive knowledge and counsel is invaluable. Every PM who has served her has said they relied a great deal on her advise. Her assent is not automatic, she must grant it. Although she has never withheld it, it is an enormous power that could save the nation in a crisis. On the other hand, the German president brings nothing to his position. They would do well to bring back their monarchy.
JS must be a libertarian? It's only libertarians that whine about taxpayers dollars being wasted. Another countries at that! I like the monarchy in England, the President in Germany and the Vice President here. Stop ur damn whining.
and i bet msnbc has a big problem with that -- communism sucks thats why nobody watches msnbc and evryone watches fox there better than you
You could at least bother to use the right "they're", as in "they are" not as in "over there". Punctuation help too, if you wanted to know. We also have no idea if communism sucks because there has never been a true communist government, so far capitalism doesn't have the best track record though. I, for one, don't like our regular boom-and-bust cycle all that well, nor the system that pushes a few up and everyone else down.
lol..u must of been a school yard bully Chaz. Yes...PMSNBC sucks. But WTF does that have to do with the article. And Brooke must be a liberal..but she has no arguement..so she attacks ur spelling. U don't like how I use "ur" do u Brooke? or "u"? Awww........too f'king bad.
As I recall, Hitler himself was very anti-communist!
That's how bad communism is - even Hitler hated it.
So exactly what do you want to tell us? That you don't know any other political figure in european history?
Alexander Kraft,
"So exactly what do you want to tell us? That you don't know any other political figure in european history?"
No. Simply that being anti-communist does not in itself make one virtuous.
good morning lol
@ Mickey-1983943 & @ JS in SD: If you both would have just a dime of understanding for the German political system and society, you would not come up with such low-life comments. The German President is a very important and well respected institution and a guardian for the ordinary. This function as well puts some control over the lower hose of parliament... As for Mr. Gauck, a great choice indeed.
Observer27,
Thank you for that bit of information, but I do not recall having said anything at all about this German president. I was simply pointing out the fact that Hitler himself was very anti-communist, and that is a fact. Hitler may have been a "low-life", but there is nothing "low-life" about the fact that he was anti-communist. It's simply a fact.
Gauck was a focal point of resistance to the Stasi and the stalinist state before "die Maurer" came down. As such, he's really not afraid of any politicians which should be good for Germany.
actually, that is mostly myth. it is true that he was opposed to the regime, but he clearly states again and again that he was neither actively in the resistance movement or even a freedom-fighter, but these things get written about him a lot. he only really became active in the democratic movement as soon as they didn't have to fear repercussions anymore. he said so himself, just today.
but I agree that his way of not being afraid to tell the political class what he thinks about them might be a breath of fresh air.
Anything would be better then Nazi-hunter and journalist Beate Klarsfeld.
Amen to that.
have you lost the plot? that woman has tracked down and brought to justice some of the worst nazi criminals. you are aware that "nazi-hunter" does not mean "nazi who is also a hunter", right?
I think it might benefit some of you, e.g. JS is SD, to take 5 minutes and actually learn something about how the parliamentary system of government is constituted and actually functions before you make stupid criticisms.
I just had french toast. If it weren't for us; what would it have been called?
Since we are the only ones that call it "French Toast" and it really isn't French, it would probably still be called "French Toast."
Why havw this position if their People don't vote for it and it is symbolic?
BECAUSE it's non-political
Because, unlike our system, in many parliamentary systems, the President is the "Head of State" and the Prime Minister is the "Head of Government."
Don't figure does it? Our conservatives don't know the difference between Germany's form of government & America's
All they know is to hate both Obama & our Constitution which establishes our government
not sure what the toast would be called, but the usa would have been toast had it not been for the french and there support during this countries infancy. vive le france!
and thank you to the dutch as well, for there financial assistance and for being the first to acknowledge our flag. they payed a very dear price indeed, when was the last time you thanked them for that, sirlafalot? oh didn't know that did you?
For the most part, Germany has rejected its tragic past. Hitler came into power in Germany because he capitalized on the citizens desire to hate someone. Hitler was an extreme nationalist and was against anyone and any group who he labeled as a threat to that nationalist purity. He got support because he promoted hate against others. Hate has real value in uniting people. The general German society was downtrodden after the conclusion of WWI and Hitler gave them something they wanted in the form of feeling better than certain others.
Sound vaguely familiar?
Today most Germans have rejected the idea of unity based on hatred. Gauck is a good example of that. They are still a very proud people, but they aren't proud of their past. They realize that a "live and let live" society is much more conducive to success in the long run. They also have seen up close, the contrasts of a hierarchical communist structure and democracy. Today's Germany is a blend of socialist and democratic principles realizing that balance is the key to a well functioning society.
I am not suggesting that Germany is a model society that we should all look to and they still have both right and left wings in their governing parties. But we Americans could learn a lot if we looked closely at how Germany and Japan, for that matter, have changed since WWII. Both are societies that have learned some valuable lessons about their societies and have rejected the false values of the past in favor of progression into the future.
The more we all understand about just how their failed former selves came into being, the better off we would be. The very basic principles and psycological methods Hitler used to come into power are not so different than you see with some here in the US. Hitler was a flag waiver and promoter of a proud and powerful nation. He rejected any who were viewed as not being a part of that and saw them as a threat to the country. It didn't take very long before he started rounding up those "rejects" and took an inhuman attitude toward their treatment. Most of the German people at the time looked the other way and accepted it as necessary part of their rise to a great country again.
The Germans and the Japanese have shed some of their old "ideals" and have become much better societies because of it. Think about that when you hear people talking about moving backward in time and undoing the societal progress we have made, in favor of what they view as a "better" time.
New day--good points, all, HOWEVER, a good part of the successes of Germany and Japan rising from the ashes is the US recognizing our mistakes after WWI, and realizing that Germany and Japan needed STRONG economies to become well run nations.
We stripped Germany of everything (and I use the 'royal we' to mean the Allies) and the result was a devastated country (piled on by the depression) RIPE for a Hitler.
We learned that lesson well.
MOMaid,
You are indeed right that we helped post WWII Germany and Japan. What is really interesting about Japan is how they adapted to Demming after his ideas were essentially disregarded in the US. It was Japan's commitment to that philosophy that made them a manufacturing powerhouse. Sometimes I think we are very good teachers, but lousy students.
But I think one of the most interesting untold stories is where Hitler got the money from post WWI to create the industrial powerhouse that he did. No doubt the German public was ripe for Hitler and they bought it big time. The thing is though that it took a lot of money to quickly build what he did. A motivated society was very important and Hitler played to the German peoples emotions. But motivation of the masses wasn't enough by itself alone.
We did learn lessons after these wars, but in many ways we have forgotten them. Seems like the ones remembered by some today are the ones about motivating people to be against something or someone. People today are falling for the same things. The problem is that most people in the US really don't know history. If they did, they might see the fallacy of some of the rhetoric. The German and Japanese learned these lessons and for the most part the still teach them today. They are committed to not repeating past mistakes.
An Amazing history of the Nation of Germany, the Holyone has had to do many miracles to keep Germany going! Our Lord Jesus Christ stopped satan/death from stopping His Germatic People in many nations, from England to Norway to America! Who is it that our Lord Loves Revelation 3:9, who are the true Sons of Adam Deuteronomy 32:8, who are the false jew Rev:2:9 -- Amos 5:26 and Acts 7:42! Who brought forth then ended the war in Europe/Germany Ezekiel 27:1..... For Word on who God loves go to the website at Adam and Eve seed gathering ministry, and on the about page are words of discussion on the Children of God, and near the bottom of the same page are words on the finished Mystery of God Rev:10:7, from the home page to the Targum page to the Adam the first researcher page are many truths/proofs! Also for undeniable evidences go to the site at Adam and Eve in Action blog spot, literal films of the Holyone who hides no more Isaiah 45:15 for this epic generations destiny Matthew 25:34! Also on the Site of The Historian book store blog spot all three found at google search, are links to undeniable truths.... Much Respect to Germany and all God's seed/Adam's seed ........
Not soon enough. Otherwise, why the Holocaust?
May Germany prosper and live through the ages.
Germany reduces/eliminates many socialistic agenda's and the economy flourishes.
USA adds socialism and is floundering.
is there are parallel universe named germany you're referring to? actual german politics are way to the left of what's considered mainstream in the US. you think obama is a socialist? In germany he would be considered a conservative. but then again america seems to have a taste to use the term "socialist" for pretty much everything and everyone, in utter ignorance of the meaning of the word.
Heh, a charismatic and massively popular far-right religious German leader. What could POSSIBLY go wrong...?
I wonder what your definition of far right is, mate...
Anders M,
Toasty thinks that Democrats don't have religious nutcases too. Hello Toasty, the "bible belt" is filled to the brim with Democrats. Pass me the snakes please.
Inner cities are predominantly Democratic as well, and every low rent ex-party store is the "Chapel of Christs new day" or something of the sort. As well as a breeding ground for Islam.
Show my a dry county, and I'll show you a bunch of Democrats.
I don't think THAT has anything to do with the German president. I'm not too fond of him as a German (for a few reasons), but he is certainly far from being a far-right winger. if anything he's pretty much a middle of the road centrist.
Politics.....Politics.....Politics!!!! Where are you 21st century?????
Germany's economy is flourishing under NO socialist agenda's.
USA's economy is tanking under the socialist agenda.
Do you get it people?! Get your head's out of the propagandists rear.
Uh, Bump? I think you might have your economic systems mixed up...
European conservatives are closer to socialism than American "liberals". The great majority of Americans have no idea what socialism is.
Nearly every German president has been an enormous embarrassment. Bring back the Kaiser.
Bless him. And pray that he has Abraham's leadership and faith in God through the Lord Christ to lead Germany to be a more prosperous nation.
Lets hope he kicks the Muslims out of Germany.
It could be an example the rest of the non-Islamic world should follow.
Germany must focus on the recovery of ALL provinces ethnically cleansed and seized by the "Allies" after 1945..only a return to the ethnic boundaries of 1939 will bring the future that Europe will need to carve out for itself...especially once the Eisenhower era economy of America has collapsed..the final "recession"!!!
NO FREE TRADE WITHOUT FULL EMPLOYMENT!!