Federal President Frank Walter Steinmeier is applying for another term of office.

The head of state announced on Thursday.

Steinmeier said in Berlin that these were "eventful times" with many unanswered questions - one of which he wanted to give an answer to "promptly and transparently".

He wanted to run for a second term, said the Federal President: "I would like to accompany our country into a future, a future that is finally in sight after Corona".

Peter Carstens

Political correspondent in Berlin

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    He wants to build bridges in society and in the world and "ask for new trust".

    He wanted people to “know where their Federal President is”.

    "There is no certainty in a democracy"

    Steinmeier said that he knew that he could not hope for a majority from the outset, but that he was not running out of convenience, but out of conviction.

    Because out of deep conviction he made democracy his main theme.

    "There is no certainty in democracy, not even in the election of a federal president." But that is not a flaw, but the strength of democracy.

    He is looking forward to "an open, fair trial," said Steinmeier in Berlin.

    The election by the Federal Assembly will take place in spring 2022, the term of office is five years. 

    Steinmeier, 65 years old, is adding to a heated discussion about his prospects for a second term in office.

    Both FDP politicians and representatives of the left had promised support for Steinmeier.

    The former SPD politician was elected Federal President in May 2017.

    A few months after taking office, the former parliamentary group chairman and foreign minister had made significant contributions to the creation of a further coalition between the Union and the SPD after the FDP suddenly broke off long-term coalition talks with the Greens and the Union.

    Steinmeier had particularly influenced the SPD and its chairman Martin Schulz to live up to its state political responsibilities.

    Does the Union want to push through its own candidate?

    In the Corona crisis, Steinmeier worked tirelessly for social cohesion and European solidarity. He is widely respected and recognized. However, it is not unlikely that a new coalition would like to look for "their" Federal President after the federal election, for example a politician from the Greens or someone from the ranks of the Union. Even when Joachim Gauck, Steinmeier's predecessor, was elected, she was unable to bring her own candidate to the highest state office.