Germany Picks Anti-Trump President as Trans-Atlantic Bonds Fray
- Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier elected in first round
- Merkel, SPD chose Steinmeier to avoid election-year dispute
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Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the former German foreign minister who was a vocal critic of Donald Trump during the U.S. campaign, was elected as the country’s 12th postwar president.
The Social Democrat, who served two stints as foreign minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel, emerged as her governing coalition’s candidate last November as the parties sought to avoid a political spat over the appointment in an election year. With the support of Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc and the Social Democrats in a special assembly on Sunday, Steinmeier was elected in the first round to the mostly ceremonial post.