GERMAN PRESIDENT Horst Köhler was elected for a second five-year term on Saturday, handing chancellor Angela Merkel an important victory four months before the general election.
Mr Köhler (66), former head of the International Monetary Fund, was the Christian Democrat (CDU) candidate at a secret ballot of federal and regional representatives in the Reichstag.
Outside, a huge street party was already under way – not for the president, but a 60th birthday party for Germany itself.
Six decades after the birth of West Germany, with the coming into effect of the postwar constitution or Basic Law, a quarter of a million people gathered in perfect weather at the Brandenburg Gate to wave flags and down beers – it was the scene of a nation comfortable in its own skin.
It wasn't always that way: at the 20th anniversary in 1969 president Gustav Heinemann, asked if he loved his country, replied drily: "I love my wife." A decade later the Frankfurter Allgemeinenewspaper used the anniversary to coin the term "Verfassungspatriotismus" or constitutional patriotism. For decades this cerebral term was the acceptable definition of West Germans' relationship with their country.
For many, the weekend party was a reminder of what in hindsight was the turning point: the 2006 World Cup, when the enthusiasm of millions of visitors for their host country helped dispel lingering shadows over German identity. Germany has regained “the status of a respected nation,” said Mr Köhler.“Today we have friends all over the world. We are admired for our economic achievements and political reliability – for always being prepared to help others and fostering peace in the world.”
According to a new survey three quarters of Germans now feel that, despite their history, “the time has come to be able to be proud of Germany once more”.
