Germany to elect new president

Former German foreign minister Frank Walter Steinmeier is today expected to be elected as the country’s next president.

The new head of state – who’ll have little executive power – will take over from 77-year-old Joachim Gauck, who ruled out running for a second term because of his age.

The president is picked by a special parliamentary assembly, made up of 1,260 members.

Steinmeier – a Social Democrat – has the backing of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “grand coalition” of centre-right and centre-left parties.

Merkel could not find an appropriate conservative who wanted to run for the post.