German presidential election, 2010
Encyclopedia
An indirect
presidential election was held in Germany
on 30 June 2010 following the resignation of Horst Köhler
as President of Germany
on 31 May 2010. Christian Wulff
, the candidate nominated by the three governing parties, the Christian Democratic Union
, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
and the Free Democratic Party
, was elected President in the third ballot. His main contender was the candidate of two opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party
and the Alliance '90/The Greens
, independent
anti-communist human rights activist Joachim Gauck
.
(CDU), the incumbent Premier of Lower Saxony
, was nominated as the candidate of the government parties (CDU, CSU, FDP). Prior to this, Federal Minister of Labour Ursula von der Leyen
(CDU) had been considered the front-runner for the nomination of the government parties.
Because the Constitution of Germany forbids the President to hold other offices, Christian Wulff resigned from his seat in the Landtag
of Lower Saxony on 11 June 2010 and announced to leave the supervisory board
of Volkswagen
the following week. He resigned from his post as Premier of Lower Saxony upon being elected as President on 30 June.
and the Greens
, nominated independent Joachim Gauck
, an anti-communist civil rights activist from East Germany and the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives, as their presidential candidate.
In the days following the official nominations, several FDP and CDU politicians expressed their support for Gauck, among them former Brandenburg
CDU chairman Jörg Schönbohm
and Oliver Möllenstädt, chairman of Bremen's
FDP. Gauck is viewed as a liberal conservative, enjoying respect across political parties.
Also Bavaria's
Free Voters
, who send 10 delegates to the Federal Convention, said they would not nominate a candidate of their own, expressing sympathy for Gauck.
Philipp Freiherr von Brandenstein (CSU) argued that the election of Joachim Gauck would prevent any cooperation between SPD, Greens and the Left Party
for years to come: "Gauck has likely made it perfectly clear to Gabriel
that he will never appoint any of the apologists of the communist tyranny as government members".
While co-chairman of the Left Party Klaus Ernst
initially indicated that his party might support Gauck in a possible second or third ballot, Gregor Gysi
, chairman of the Left's parliamentary group in the Bundestag
and Oskar Lafontaine
, former co-chairman of the party, voiced their opposition to voting for Gauck, criticizing his support of the War in Afghanistan
and the Hartz welfare reforms
. Katja Kipping
, a member of parliament for the Left Party, claimed Gauck was a "man of the past". Kipping lauded Gauck's role in investigating Stasi
injustice but criticized "equating Hitler-fascism and the GDR", which she perceives as a "trivialisation of fascism". Klaus Ernst subsequently retracted his statements, stating that the Left will not vote for Gauck. Gauck himself warned the SPD and Greens against cooperating with the Left. Sigmar Gabriel
, the SPD chairman, described Lafontaine's reaction as "bizarre and embarrassing", stating that he was "shocked" the party would declare Joachim Gauck their main enemy due to his investigation of communist injustice. Gabriel also said that the "reform forces" in the Left Party should stop "backing down" and "start enforcing their views".
nominated Luc Jochimsen
, a member of parliament and former editor-in-chief of public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk
. After her nomination, Jochimsen opined that the German Democratic Republic was, according to the legal definition of the term, not a "state of injustice", despite "committing inexcusable injustice towards its citizens". She withdrew after the second ballot, and urged her party members to abstain in the third ballot.
The far-right NPD nominated nationalist singer-songwriter Frank Rennicke
. He withdrew after the second ballot.
Parties do not only send politicians as delegates, but also celebrities, among them Olympic champion Georg Hettich
. The Greens sent Hildegard Hamm-Brücher
, the libertarian FDP's candidate in the 1994 presidential election, as one of their delegates.
{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:150px;" colspan="2"|Candidate
! rowspan="2"|Nominating Party/ies
! colspan="2"|Round One
! colspan="2"|Round Two
! colspan="2"|Round Three
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
!Votes
!Percentage
!Votes
!Percentage
!Votes
!Percentage
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor="" width="2"| || style="text-align:left;"| Christian Wulff
||align="left"| CDU
, CSU
, FDP
|| 600 || 48.3 || 615 || 49.7 || 625 || 50.2
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor=""| || style="text-align:left;"|Joachim Gauck
||align="left"| SPD
, Grüne
|| 499 || 40.2 || 490 || 39.6 || 494 || 39.7
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor=""| || style="text-align:left;"|Luc Jochimsen
||align="left"| Linke
|| 126 || 10.1 || 123|| 9.6 || colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| withdrawn
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor=""| ||align="left"| Frank Rennicke
||align="left"| NPD
|| 3 || 0.2 || 3 || 0.2
|- style="text-align:right;"
| colspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Abstentions || 13 || 1.0 || 7 ||0.6 || 121 || 9.7
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
! colspan="3"| Valid votes || 1241 || 99.8 || 1238 || 99.5 || 1240 || 99.7
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
! colspan="3"| Turnout || 1242 || 99.8 || 1239 || 99.6 || 1242 || 99.8
|}
and Joseph Stalin
sparked controversy and drew critique from Greens politician Renate Künast
. Dehm subsequently apologized for his choice of words. Künast also stated that any future cooperation with the Left was "miles away", particularly in light of the party's rejection of Gauck. The SPD and Greens also blamed The Left for the election of Christian Wulff. Gysi, on the other hand, blaimed the SPD for the failed cooperation and again pointed out differences in political positions between Gauck and the Left.
On 2 July 2010 Wulff was sworn into office as President of Germany.
Indirect election
Indirect election is a process in which voters in an election don't actually choose between candidates for an office but rather elect persons who will then make the choice. It is one of the oldest form of elections and is still used today for many upper houses and presidents...
presidential election was held in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 30 June 2010 following the resignation of Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...
as President of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
on 31 May 2010. Christian Wulff
Christian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
, the candidate nominated by the three governing parties, the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
and the Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
, was elected President in the third ballot. His main contender was the candidate of two opposition parties, the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and the Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
, independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
anti-communist human rights activist Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck is a German politician, journalist and theologian. After a brief political career during Die Wende in Eastern Germany, the co-founder of the New Forum was elected member of the People's Chamber for the Alliance 90 in 1990...
.
Christian Wulff (CDU, CSU and FDP)
On 3 June 2010, Christian WulffChristian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
(CDU), the incumbent Premier of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, was nominated as the candidate of the government parties (CDU, CSU, FDP). Prior to this, Federal Minister of Labour Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician of the conservative Christian Democratic Union.Since 30 November 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Second Cabinet Merkel. In the First Cabinet Merkel , she served as Federal Minister of Family...
(CDU) had been considered the front-runner for the nomination of the government parties.
Because the Constitution of Germany forbids the President to hold other offices, Christian Wulff resigned from his seat in the Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
of Lower Saxony on 11 June 2010 and announced to leave the supervisory board
Supervisory board
A supervisory board or supervisory committee, often called board of directors, is a group of individuals chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and supervise the executive directors and CEO.Corporate governance varies...
of Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
the following week. He resigned from his post as Premier of Lower Saxony upon being elected as President on 30 June.
Joachim Gauck (SPD and Greens)
On 3 June 2010, the Social Democratic PartySocial Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and the Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
, nominated independent Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck is a German politician, journalist and theologian. After a brief political career during Die Wende in Eastern Germany, the co-founder of the New Forum was elected member of the People's Chamber for the Alliance 90 in 1990...
, an anti-communist civil rights activist from East Germany and the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives, as their presidential candidate.
In the days following the official nominations, several FDP and CDU politicians expressed their support for Gauck, among them former Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
CDU chairman Jörg Schönbohm
Jörg Schönbohm
Jörg Schönbohm is a German politician and a retired Lieutenant General. He was the first commander of the Bundeswehr Eastern Command in 1990, which supervised the absorption of the East German National People's Army into the Federal German armed forces...
and Oliver Möllenstädt, chairman of Bremen's
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
FDP. Gauck is viewed as a liberal conservative, enjoying respect across political parties.
Also Bavaria's
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
Free Voters
Free Voters
Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the...
, who send 10 delegates to the Federal Convention, said they would not nominate a candidate of their own, expressing sympathy for Gauck.
Philipp Freiherr von Brandenstein (CSU) argued that the election of Joachim Gauck would prevent any cooperation between SPD, Greens and the Left Party
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
for years to come: "Gauck has likely made it perfectly clear to Gabriel
Sigmar Gabriel
Sigmar Gabriel is a German politician currently chairing the Social Democratic Party of Germany .On 15 December 1999, after the resignation of Gerhard Glogowski, who had succeeded Gerhard Schröder in office, Gabriel became Minister-President of Lower Saxony and served until 4 March 2003...
that he will never appoint any of the apologists of the communist tyranny as government members".
While co-chairman of the Left Party Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst
Klaus Ernst is a left-wing German politician and was a leading member of the Labour and Social Justice Party and now The Left...
initially indicated that his party might support Gauck in a possible second or third ballot, Gregor Gysi
Gregor Gysi
Dr. Gregor Gysi is a German attorney and key politician of the socialist left-wing political party The Left . He played an important role in the end of communist rule in East Germany in 1989, and was a main figure in the post-reunification Party of Democratic Socialism...
, chairman of the Left's parliamentary group in the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
and Oskar Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine
Oskar Lafontaine is a German politician, former German finance minister, former chairman of the Social Democratic Party and former Minister-President of the state of Saarland. Since 2007 he was co-chairman of The Left...
, former co-chairman of the party, voiced their opposition to voting for Gauck, criticizing his support of the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and the Hartz welfare reforms
Hartz concept
The Hartz concept is a set of recommendations that resulted from a commission on reforms to the German labour market in 2002. Named after the head of the commission, Peter Hartz, it went on to become part of the German government's Agenda 2010 series of reforms, known as Hartz I - Hartz IV...
. Katja Kipping
Katja Kipping
Katja Kipping is a German politician. The daughter of a teacher and an economist, she went to school from 1984 to 1996, then she made her Abitur at a gymnasium in Dresden until 1997...
, a member of parliament for the Left Party, claimed Gauck was a "man of the past". Kipping lauded Gauck's role in investigating Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
injustice but criticized "equating Hitler-fascism and the GDR", which she perceives as a "trivialisation of fascism". Klaus Ernst subsequently retracted his statements, stating that the Left will not vote for Gauck. Gauck himself warned the SPD and Greens against cooperating with the Left. Sigmar Gabriel
Sigmar Gabriel
Sigmar Gabriel is a German politician currently chairing the Social Democratic Party of Germany .On 15 December 1999, after the resignation of Gerhard Glogowski, who had succeeded Gerhard Schröder in office, Gabriel became Minister-President of Lower Saxony and served until 4 March 2003...
, the SPD chairman, described Lafontaine's reaction as "bizarre and embarrassing", stating that he was "shocked" the party would declare Joachim Gauck their main enemy due to his investigation of communist injustice. Gabriel also said that the "reform forces" in the Left Party should stop "backing down" and "start enforcing their views".
Minor candidates
The far-left party The LeftThe Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
nominated Luc Jochimsen
Luc Jochimsen
Lukrezia Luise "Luc" Jochimsen, née Lukrezia Schleussinger , is a German sociologist, television journalist and politician of the The Left party.-Professional career:...
, a member of parliament and former editor-in-chief of public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk
Hessischer Rundfunk
Hessischer Rundfunk is the public broadcaster for the German state of Hesse. The main offices of HR are in Frankfurt am Main. HR is a member of the ARD.- Studios :...
. After her nomination, Jochimsen opined that the German Democratic Republic was, according to the legal definition of the term, not a "state of injustice", despite "committing inexcusable injustice towards its citizens". She withdrew after the second ballot, and urged her party members to abstain in the third ballot.
The far-right NPD nominated nationalist singer-songwriter Frank Rennicke
Frank Rennicke
Frank Rennicke is a German singer-songwriter from Braunschweig in Lower Saxony. He is linked with the far right political scene in Germany, and describes himself as a "national bard"....
. He withdrew after the second ballot.
Electoral assembly
| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... /Christian Social Union of Bavaria Christian Social Union of Bavaria The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany... |
496 |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
333 |
| Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
148 |
| Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
129 |
| The Left The Left (Germany) The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag.... |
124 |
| Free Voters Free Voters Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the... |
10 |
| National Democratic Party National Democratic Party of Germany The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"... |
3 |
| South Schleswig Voter Federation South Schleswig Voter Federation The South Schleswig Voter Federation is a regional political party in Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany... |
1 |
| 1,244 | |
| Source: wahlrecht.de | |
Parties do not only send politicians as delegates, but also celebrities, among them Olympic champion Georg Hettich
Georg Hettich
Georg Hettich is a German nordic combined skier and Olympic medalist....
. The Greens sent Hildegard Hamm-Brücher
Hildegard Hamm-Brücher
Hildegard Hamm-Brücher is a prominent liberal politician in Germany. She held federal state secretary positions from 1969 to 1972 and from 1977 to 1982...
, the libertarian FDP's candidate in the 1994 presidential election, as one of their delegates.
Results
After the first two ballots, Christian Wulff led vote totals but could not win an absolute majority of 623 votes. It was notable that 45 delegates belonging to the governing coalition either voted for Gauck or abstained altogether during the first round. Thus, the vote went to a decisive third round, where only a plurality of votes was required to win. The election is the third to require three ballots since the current system was introduced in 1949.{| border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:150px;" colspan="2"|Candidate
! rowspan="2"|Nominating Party/ies
! colspan="2"|Round One
! colspan="2"|Round Two
! colspan="2"|Round Three
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
!Votes
!Percentage
!Votes
!Percentage
!Votes
!Percentage
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor="" width="2"| || style="text-align:left;"| Christian Wulff
Christian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
||align="left"| CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
, FDP
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
|| 600 || 48.3 || 615 || 49.7 || 625 || 50.2
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor=""| || style="text-align:left;"|Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck
Joachim Gauck is a German politician, journalist and theologian. After a brief political career during Die Wende in Eastern Germany, the co-founder of the New Forum was elected member of the People's Chamber for the Alliance 90 in 1990...
||align="left"| SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, Grüne
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
|| 499 || 40.2 || 490 || 39.6 || 494 || 39.7
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor=""| || style="text-align:left;"|Luc Jochimsen
Luc Jochimsen
Lukrezia Luise "Luc" Jochimsen, née Lukrezia Schleussinger , is a German sociologist, television journalist and politician of the The Left party.-Professional career:...
||align="left"| Linke
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
|| 126 || 10.1 || 123|| 9.6 || colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| withdrawn
|- style="text-align:right;"
|bgcolor=""| ||align="left"| Frank Rennicke
Frank Rennicke
Frank Rennicke is a German singer-songwriter from Braunschweig in Lower Saxony. He is linked with the far right political scene in Germany, and describes himself as a "national bard"....
||align="left"| NPD
National Democratic Party of Germany
The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"...
|| 3 || 0.2 || 3 || 0.2
|- style="text-align:right;"
| colspan="3" style="text-align:left;"|Abstentions || 13 || 1.0 || 7 ||0.6 || 121 || 9.7
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
! colspan="3"| Valid votes || 1241 || 99.8 || 1238 || 99.5 || 1240 || 99.7
|- style="background:#e9e9e9;"
! colspan="3"| Turnout || 1242 || 99.8 || 1239 || 99.6 || 1242 || 99.8
|}
Aftermath
A day after the election, a statement by Left Party polician Diether Dehm comparing the choice between Wulff and Gauck to a choice between Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
sparked controversy and drew critique from Greens politician Renate Künast
Renate Künast
Renate Künast is a German politician who is chairwoman of the Alliance '90/The Greens Bundestag parliamentary group. She was the Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture from 2001 to 2005...
. Dehm subsequently apologized for his choice of words. Künast also stated that any future cooperation with the Left was "miles away", particularly in light of the party's rejection of Gauck. The SPD and Greens also blamed The Left for the election of Christian Wulff. Gysi, on the other hand, blaimed the SPD for the failed cooperation and again pointed out differences in political positions between Gauck and the Left.
On 2 July 2010 Wulff was sworn into office as President of Germany.