Dossier: Electing Germany’s next president

Members of Germany's electoral college elected incumbent Horst Koehler as President for a second term on the 23 May 2009.

Under Germany's constitution, the head of state is chosen by a 1,224-member electoral college called the Federal Assembly. The panel comprises all 612 members of the Bundestag lower chamber and 612 public figures, a few of them sports heroes and television actors, nominated by Germany's 16 federal states.

• Primary Source

Spiegel Online International, 20.5.09: Germany's President of the People Stands for Re-Election http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,626069,00.html

Deutsche Welle, 23.5.09: Horst Koehler wins second term as German president http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4273385,00.html

Spiegel Online International, 25.5.09: President Köhler 'Makes People Feel Good' http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,626677,00.html

Wikipedia: German presidential election, 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_presidential_election,_2009

IFES Election Guide: Germany: Presidential, 23 May 2009 http://www.electionguide.org/elections/id/2101/

Robert Schuman Foundation: European Elections Monitor: Germany, Presidential Election 2009 http://www.robert-schuman.eu/oee.php?num=567

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