This presidential election was prompted by the shock resignation of the previous president Horst Koehler

This presidential election was prompted by the shock resignation of the previous president Horst Koehler last month. He quit his job midway during his second term as president. He was head of the International Monetary Fund in Washington when he was first nominated for the post in 2004 by the conservative bloc. Although popular with the public, Koehler stepped down after a row over his remarks linking Germany's military campaigns to Germany's economic interests.