Germany elects 'anti-Trump' candidate

[struggle4progress]

Samuel Osborne
5 hours ago

A German parliamentary assembly has elected Frank-Walter Steinmeier to become the country’s next president by an overwhelming majority.

Mr Steinmeier, Germany’s former foreign minister, strongly criticised Donald Trump during the US election campaign.

When asked in August about the rise of right-wing populism in Germany and elsewhere, Mr Steinmeier criticised those who “make politics with fear”.

He cited the nationalist Alternative for Germany party, the promoters of Britain’s exit from the European Union, and “the hate preachers, like Donald Trump at the moment in the United States” ...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frank-walter-steinmeier-elected-german-president-donald-trump-angela-merkel-sdp-a7576056.html

[Ezior]

1. Wants to talk to Trump, Putin

Steinmeier announced that he is prepared to talk to "difficult dialog partners" like Trump and Putin.
http://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2017-02/bundespraesident-frank-walter-steinmeier-donald-trump-wladimir-putin

POTUS and Putin mentioned in the same context would have been completely unreal 2 years ago, and still satirical just a few months ago. So sad.

(BTW I'm not sure if Steinmeier is welcome in DC, after calling Trump a "hate preacher" during the 2016 US campaign.)

The major anti-Trump candidate's party (Martin Schulz, SPD) is currently leading over Angela Merkel's party in some polls for the 2017 Bundestag elections (chancellor is elected by the Bundestag).