Quick Info
| Profession | Politician; President of Germany |
|---|---|
| Nationality | German |
| Date of Birth | 05/01/1956 |
| Age | 70 years |
| Birthplace | Detmold, Lippe district, Germany |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Latest News about Frank-Walter Steinmeier
During his China trip, Steinmeier delivered a speech at Peking University in Beijing. The visit formed part of his ongoing diplomatic engagement with Beijing.
Steinmeier made a state visit to China in late October 2026, during which he toured the Volkswagen Group China Technology Company in Hefei, Anhui Province. He used the visit to praise China-German cooperation, saying that the partnership between the two countries is worthwhile.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner ordered the 18th Federal Convention to be held on 30 January 2027 to elect Steinmeier's successor. Steinmeier cannot seek a third consecutive term under the German constitution, so his current term will end without him standing for re-election.
Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, made a state visit to the United Kingdom from 3 to 5 December 2025, meeting King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It was the first state visit by a German president to the UK in 27 years.
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Bio/Wiki
| Summary | German Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician who has served as the Federal President of Germany since March 2017 and was re-elected for a second term in February 2022. |
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| Previous offices |
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Educational Qualification(s)
| Secondary | Abitur from grammar school in Blomberg |
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| University | Law studies at Justus Liebig University Giessen, begun in 1976 |
| State examinations |
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Personal Life
| Military service | Two years of military service after school (1974-1976) |
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| Nickname | Friends call him Frank |
Relationships & More
| Spouse | Elke Büdenbender |
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Family
| Spouse | Elke Büdenbender (married 1995) |
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| Children | One daughter |
Career
| Early career | Desk officer for media law and policy at the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony, Hanover (from 1976) |
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| Head of office to Gerhard Schröder, Minister-President of Lower Saxony | |
| State Secretary at the Federal Chancellery and Federal Government Commissioner for the Federal Intelligence Services | |
| 1999-2005 | Head of the Federal Chancellery |
| 2005-2009 | Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| 2007-2009 | Vice Chancellor of Germany |
| SPD candidate for Chancellor in the federal election | |
| 2013-2017 | Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs (second term) |
| 2017-present | President of Germany; elected 12 February 2017 with about 74-75% of votes; took office 19 March 2017 |
| Re-elected for a second term on 13 February 2022 | |
| 2025-2026 foreign travel | Led a state visit to the United Kingdom in December 2025 and a state visit to China in October 2026 |
Style Quotient
| Public image | Regarded as a reform-minded moderate within the SPD and as a figure above day-to-day party conflict |
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Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. He was elected president on the first ballot of the Federal Convention in 2017. | |
| 2. He is reported to have supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign. | |
| 3. He was chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag during Angela Merkel's first government, serving as her opposition counterpart. |
