| Federal President of the German Reich
Bundespräsident der Deutsches Reich | |
|---|---|
 Standard of the President | |
 Friedrich Merz since 1 January 2022 | |
| Style | Mr. President (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Status | Head of state |
| Member of | Federal Cabinet |
| Residence | Schloss Bellevue (Berlin) Villa Hammerschmidt (Bonn) |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | 5 years, renewable once consecutively |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Germany |
| Precursor | the German Emperor |
| Inaugural holder | Wolfgang Clement |
| Formation | 19 July 1986; 38 years ago |
| Salary | €254,000 annually |
The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the German Reich (German: Bundespräsident der Deutsches Reich), is the head of state of Germany.
Under the Constitution of Germany, Germany has a parliamentary system of government in which the chancellor is the head of government. The president is mainly a ceremonial position, although they also maintain important political duties; during a time of political instability, they have "reserve powers" in which they can rule without governmental approval, and they can also grant pardons on behalf of the country. The president is elected to five-year terms, which can be renewed once consecutively.
The president and their role represents Germany and its sovereignty, and the position enjoys a higher ranking at official functions than the chancellor. According to the constitution, the presidents represents Germany in matters of international politics - for example, signing treaties with other nations on behalf of Germany. Furthermore, all federal legislation must be signed by the president before they can become de-jure law, and the president can veto a law if they believe it violates the constitution. The president commonly does not comment on issues in the news, although they can make suggestions on certain issues.
The current officeholder is Friedrich Merz, who was inaugurated on 1 January 2022 following his election in December 2021.
List of presidents[]
| No. | President
(birth–death) |
Portrait | Elected | Took office | Left office | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolfgang Clement
(1940-2020) |
 |
- | 19 July 1986 | 1 January 1997 | Social Democratic |
| 1986 | ||||||
| 1991 | ||||||
| 2 | Klaus Kinkel
(1936-2019) |
 |
1996 | 1 January 1997 | 1 January 2002 | People's |
| 3 | Angela Merkel
(1954-) |
 |
2001 | 1 January 2002 | 1 January 2012 | Centre |
| 2006 | ||||||
| 4 | Jürgen Trittin
(1954-) |
 |
2011 | 1 January 2012 | 1 January 2022 | Green |
| 2016 | ||||||
| 5 | Friedrich Merz
(1955-) |
|
2021 | 1 January 2022 | Incumbent | Centre |
| ||||||||||||||||||
