The Federal Assembly of Germany composed of 630 members of the Bundestag, and 630 representatives of federal territories, elected former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier for president of Germany. 931 deputies voted for him. The choice of Steinmeier strengthens the position of the German Social Democratic Party in the upcoming elections for chancellor of Germany.
This makes a fourth term of Angela Merkel even more problematic. Moreover, her rival in the Bundestag elections in autumn 2017, will be the former chairman of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, who on January 24, 2017 was elected to the post of chairman of the German Social Democratic Party.
Schultz popularity among German voters is constantly growing and in recent days has reached 32%. Unlike Merkel, Steinmeier favors a more moderate course in German – Russian relations.