Deputy To The Federal President
Article 57 of the Basic Law provides that:
- If the Federal President is unable to perform his duties, or if his office falls prematurely vacant, the President of the Bundesrat shall exercise his powers.
If the Federal President is outside of the country, or the position is vacant, the President of the Bundesrat fills in as acting head of state. While doing so he or she does not continue to exercise the role of chair of the Bundesrat. If the president dies, or is removed from office, a successor is elected within thirty days. This has occurred twice recently, when Jens Böhrnsen acted as head of state after the resignation of Horst Köhler in June 2010 and again when Horst Seehofer filled in for Christian Wulff in February 2012.
If the Federal President is abroad on a state visit the President of the Bundesrat does not assume all of the Federal President's responsibilities but may "deputise" for him or her, performing on the Federal President's behalf merely those tasks that require his or her physical presence, such as the signing of documents.
Read more about this topic: President Of The German Bundesrat
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