1949 West German presidential election
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| Nominee | Theodor Heuss | Kurt Schumacher | Rudolf Amelunxen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | FDP (supported by): CDU/CSU, DP |
SPD | Centre |
| Electoral vote | 377 (1st round) 416 (2nd round) |
311 (1st round) 312 (2nd round) |
28 (1st round) 30 (2nd round) |
| Percentage | 51.7% | 38.8 | 3.7 |
Karl Dönitz (as President of the German Reich at the end of World War II)
NSDAP
An indirect presidential election (officially the 1st Federal Convention) was held on 12 September 1949, following the first Bundestag election of 14 August 1949 and coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU, FDP, and German Party (DP).
The FDP leader Theodor Heuss was elected the first federal president of West Germany with the support of the CDU/CSU.[1] He was elected by the Federal Convention (composed of all members of the Bundestag and an equal number of delegates selected by the state legislatures).
Background
[edit ]Under the 1949 Basic Law, the new office of the Federal President was given substantially reduced powers when compared with the preceding office of Reich President, which was subject to the abuse of emergency powers under Nazi Germany.
This was the first German presidential election in post-war Germany and the second indirect election since 1919 that elected Social Democrat Friedrich Ebert as Germany's first President.
Results
[edit ]Heuss assumed a largely ceremonial role upon his election as Federal President in the second round. Federal President Heuss took the oath of office in front of Bundestag and Bundesrat the same day of his election, 12 September 1949. Heuss's duties notably included the nomination of the first Federal Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer of the CDU, who took office on 15 September 1949.
| Candidate | First Round | Second Round | Party | Supporting party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voters | % | Voters | % | |||
| Theodor Heuss | 377 | 46.9% | 416 | 51.7% | FDP | FDP, CDU/CSU, DP |
| Kurt Schumacher | 311 | 38.7% | 312 | 38.8% | SPD | |
| Rudolf Amelunxen | 28 | 3.5% | 30 | 3.7% | Zentrum | |
| Hans Schlange-Schöningen | 6 | 0.7% | 2 | 0.2% | CDU | |
| Karl Arnold | 1 | 0.1% | CDU | |||
| Josef Müller | 1 | 0.1% | CSU | |||
| Alfred Loritz | 1 | 0.1% | WAV | |||
| Valid votes | 725 | 100% | 760 | 100% | ||
| Abstention | 76 | 9.5% | 37 | 4.6% | ||
| Invalid | 2 | 0.2% | 3 | 0.4% | ||
| Total votes | 803 | 100% | 800 | 100% | ||
References
[edit ]- ^ Turner, Henry (1982). "4. Two Decades of Christian Democratic Leadership in the Federal Republic". Germany from Partition to Reunification. Yale University Press. pp. 104–147. doi:10.12987/9780300191301-006.