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But I think there will be agreement and in less then thirty days there will be a new president.
So no cultural imperialism, please!
Th stern, for example has a list:
http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/kandidaten-fuer-die-wulff-nachfolge-wer-soll-bundespraesiden t-werden-1788056.html
1. Gauck 2.Lammert
OTOH, Merkel's probably still pissed off over the Gauck nomination last time, von der Leyen still has a political future and everyone's forgotten who Klaus Töpfer was. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
As things develop, we will have results on sunday or so.
But we already knew that...
Schaüble for fuck's sake?? Or is this another Schaüble I don't know about? It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
"If it's all about party politics then it's an exceedingly poor way to select a head of state."
Yes. Could never happen in other countries.
And I have no idea why the SPD or Grünen would contribute to electing a CDU partisan. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
In most countries (I'm open to counter-examples) a president is expected to be above the fray of party politics. If picking a sitting minister is a serious possibility, then it's clearly not a consideration in Germany
We would expect them to switch to presidential mode the moment they are elected. If they don't manage that, we could try to force them to resign. By the way, all our presidents with only one exception were catastrophes.
And I have no idea why the SPD or Grünen would contribute to electing a CDU partisan
Because they can't dream of a majority without Die Linke. And a coalition with Die Linke is impossible because all members of that party are dirty and stink, and are stalinists, and eat babies for breakfast. So, Greens OR SPD can form a coalition with the CDU but not with each other.
That would be Heinemann?
On the other hand, I have no idea if the amnesia of both father and son was a deliberate ploy, or a shared state of denial.
When I say it makes no difference to the case, I meant the case whether Richard von W should be president again. He shouldn't (quite apart from his advanced age).
In most countries a president is picked put of a number of party politicians with a long political career. It is true that the politician is then supposed to be able to rise about party politics.
"If picking a sitting minister is a serious possibility, then it's clearly not a consideration in Germany."
Mostly partisan alingment and fitness to act as above parties are both taken into consideration. Scheel did go directly from minister to president, Weizsäcker from state prime minister to president. Others like Rau had some time without office, but that is not considered as necessary.
"And I have no idea why the SPD or Grünen would contribute to electing a CDU partisan."
Because they have no majority of their own in the assembly electing the president.
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