Steinmeier voted president of Germany

Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected to the post of President of the Federal Republic of Germany on Sunday, Feb. 13. Steinmeier won the post with 931 out of 1,260 votes in the German parliament. He assumes the post on Mar. 19.

James Hydzik: The election of Steinmeier was a called foregone conclusion based on coalition politics and the lack of competition. The process completes the political shuffling ahead of the election of the Chancellor on Sep. 24, 2017. While Steinmeier is one of Germany’s most popular politicians, he has also been called “boring” in Süddeutsche Zeitung, and while the article points to this as an advantage in turbulent times, other commentators are warning that this consensus and blandness may create the conditions under which the new-found and forward nationalism of other countries could endanger German politics.

With Merkel now understood as the standard bearer for liberal democracy – and with it the stand against Russian aggression on several fronts – the outcome of the election will be of the utmost importance for Ukraine. For now, though, with Merkel in power for the next several months at least and her Christian Democrat coalition partners still with a grip on the foreign ministry, we foresee little change in the near future regarding Ukraine coming from Germany.