The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has congratulated Herr Frank-Walter Steinmeier on his election, on Sunday, February 12, 2017, as the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s former foreign minister, was elected as the country’s new president, the 12th person to hold the largely ceremonial post in the post-war era.
Out of 1,260 valid votes cast by the members of the Federal Assembly, he won 931. He will succeed Joachim Gauck, a 77-year-old former pastor and East German pro-democracy activist.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 13, 2017, President Akufo-Addo recalled with fondness “our time as Foreign Affairs Ministers of our respective countries, and the good collaboration and partnership we forged, which enabled our two countries develop further areas of co-operation for the benefit of our two peoples.”
President Akufo-Addo wished President Steinmeier and the German people the very best of luck throughout the course of his tenure of office, and in the years to come.
“It is my hope that the strong relations between Germany and Ghana will be deepened, and grow from strength to strength,” the statement ended.
The Social Democrat, 61, is one of Germany’s most popular politicians.
The post is largely ceremonial, but the president represents Germany abroad and is seen as carrying moral weight.