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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| German president wins re-election | German president wins re-election |
| (3 days later) | |
| German President Horst Koehler has been re-elected for a second five-year term. | German President Horst Koehler has been re-elected for a second five-year term. |
| Correspondents say Mr Koehler's re-election is a symbolic victory for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of national elections in September. | Correspondents say Mr Koehler's re-election is a symbolic victory for Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of national elections in September. |
| Federal and state parliamentarians re-elected Mr Koehler over a strong challenge from Gesine Schwan of the centre-left Social Democrats. | Federal and state parliamentarians re-elected Mr Koehler over a strong challenge from Gesine Schwan of the centre-left Social Democrats. |
| The post of president is largely ceremonial but carries considerable moral authority. | The post of president is largely ceremonial but carries considerable moral authority. |
| Mr Koehler, 66, is a former head of the International Monetary Fund and a member of the chancellor's Christian Democratic Union. | Mr Koehler, 66, is a former head of the International Monetary Fund and a member of the chancellor's Christian Democratic Union. |
| Parliament President Norbert Lammert said Mr Koehler won 613 votes from the special parliamentary assembly in the Bundestag to achieve a slim majority. | Parliament President Norbert Lammert said Mr Koehler won 613 votes from the special parliamentary assembly in the Bundestag to achieve a slim majority. |
| The 1,224-member assembly comprises lower-house politicians and delegates nominated by Germany's 16 state legislatures. | The 1,224-member assembly comprises lower-house politicians and delegates nominated by Germany's 16 state legislatures. |
| The closest challenger was Gesine Schwan of the centre-left Social Democrats, who won 503 votes. |