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Wulff, Christian

Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff

b. 19 Jun 1959, Osnabrück, Lower Saxony

Title: Bundespräsident (Federal President)
Term: 30 Jun 2010 - 17 Feb 2012
Chronology: 30 Jun 2010, elected, session of the Bundesversammlung (Federal Assembly), Reichstagsgebäude, Berlin [1]
  30 Jun 2010, commencement of term immediately upon the declaration of acceptance of election by the President of the Bundestag (in accordance with Art. 10 of the Law on Election of the Federal President by the Federal Assembly), session of the Federal Assembly, Reichstagsgebäude, Berlin [1][2]
  2 Jul 2010, took an oath of office as Federal President, joint session of the Bundestag and Bundesrat, Reichstagsgebäude, Berlin [3]
  17 Feb 2012, public announcement of the resignation with immediate effect, Großer Saal, Schloss Bellevue, Berlin [4]
Biography:
Raised in a Roman Catholic family; attended public school and gymnasium in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony; enrolled in the University of Osnabrück where he studied law and economics; joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich Demokratische Union, CDU) in 1975; served as the chairman of the CDU-affiliated School Students Union of Germany (1978-1980) and a member of the board of the Junge Union (1979-1983); chairman of the Junge Union in Lower Saxony (1983-1985); in 1984 he was elected a member of the CDU executive board in Lower Saxony; elected a member of the city council of Osnabrück (1986-2001), serving as a leader of the CDU group (1989-1994); passed final state examinations in law in 1990; practised law in Osnabrück (1990-1994); elected to the Landtag of Lower Saxony (1994-2010), representing the constituency of Osnabrück-West; chaired the CDU executive board in Lower Saxony (1994-2008) and CDU parliamentary group in the Landtag of Lower Saxony (1994-2003); was elected one of the four deputy federal chairmen of the CDU (1998-2010); elected Minister-President of Lower Saxony (4 Mar 2003 - 30 Jun 2010) and formed a coalition government composed of the members of CDU and Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP); member of the Bundesrat (2003-2010); was elected Federal President (30 Jun 2010).
Elections:

Candidate (party) 1st vote (30 Jun 2010) 2nd vote (30 Jun 2010) 3rd vote (30 Jun 2010)
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff (CDU/CSU) 600 615 625
Joachim Wilhelm Gauck (SPD/Green) 499 490 494
Lukrezia Luise Jochimsen, geb. Schleußinger (Left Party) 126 123 -
Frank Rennicke (National Democratic Party) 3 3 -
abstentions 13 7 121
invalid 1 1 2
total votes cast 1,242 1,239 1,242
total votes/absolute majority: 1,244/623 1,244/623 1,244/623
Source of electoral results: 14. Bundesversammlung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Berlin, Mittwoch, den 30. Juni 2010 (H. Heenemann GmbH & Co., Buch- und Offsetdruckerei, 2010).

[1] 14. Bundesversammlung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Berlin, Mittwoch, den 30. Juni 2010 (H. Heenemann GmbH & Co., Buch- und Offsetdruckerei, 2010)
[2] Bundesgesetzblatt, Teil I, 1959, Ausgegeben zu Bonn am 29. April 1959, Nr. 15. S. 230-231: "Gesetz über die Wahl des Bundespräsidenten durch die Bundesversammlung. Vom 25. April 1959. <...> § 10 Das Amt des Bundespräsidenten beginnt mit dem Ablauf der Amtszeit seines Vorgängers, jedoch nicht vor Eingang der Annahmeerklärung beim Präsidenten des Bundestages."
[3] Verhandlungen des Deutschen Bundestages, 17. Wahlperiode, S. 5503-5511.
[4] Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin, Sonnabend, 18. Februar 2012 / 68. Jahrgang / Nr. 21 249, p. 1.