Friday, 24/03/2017 19:34 (GMT+7)
Former German Prime Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was sworn in as the new German President on March 22nd.
New German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Photo: AP)
The Social Democrat (SPD) politician was elected as the 12th president of the federal republic by parliament on February 12th, after his predecessor, Joachim Gauck, declined to take on a second term due to his advanced age of 77.
He took the oath of office at a joint session of both houses of parliament before giving his inaugural speech.
Steinmeier was born in January 1956 in Detmold, the son of a carpenter. In 1976 he entered the University of Justus Libera in Hesse, where until 1982, he studied law, and then political science.
He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, and as Vice Chancellor from 2007 to 2009. He was chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2016./.
Compiled by BTA