http://www.euronews.com/
East German former Lutheran pastor Joachim Gauck is Germany's new
president, after reluctantly being backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Winning with an overwhelming majority, he got 991 votes, to his closest opponent, Beate Klarsfeld's 126.
The 72-year-old is Germany's third president in two years and its first one from the former communist East.
Addressing
a gathering at the Bundestag, Gauck said: "I accept this mandate with
the infinite gratitude of a person who has finally and unexpectedly
found a home country after a long meander through the political deserts
of the 20th century."
"It is encouraging and uplifting for me to
see how many people in the country have encouraged me to accept this
candidacy," Gauck said, speaking of poll results that show 80 percent of
Germans trust him.
Known for being a pro-democracy activist
allied to no specific party, Merkel only supported Gauck after her
coalition partners chose him.
Gauck has been voted in on the
same day as the first free election in the former GDR 22 years ago,
where the decision was made to reunify Germany