West German presidential election, 1974

In the election for President of Germany in 1974 on 15 May 1974, the Deputy Chancellor, Foreign Minister and FDP chairman Walter Scheel by the 6th Federal Assembly was elected fourth President. After Willy Brandt resigned from the office of Chancellor on May 8, 1974 Scheel was at the time of his choice appointed acting head of government; Helmut Schmidt was elected chancellor until a day later.

Scheel's term as President began on July 1, 1974 with the expiration of the term of his predecessor, Gustav Heinemann on 30 June 1974. Latter had omitted a second term. On the motives Scheels NZZ wrote at the time: "His intention to become President, has been widely and uncontradicted by him associated with his health. " NZZ stated Scheels ' understandable desire for relief from the double office of the FDP party chairman. "

Scheel had been proposed by the SPD (470 seats in the Federal Assembly ) and the FDP ( 65 seats). The candidate of the CDU / CSU lost (501 seats), Richard von Weizsäcker, but was in 1984 elected president after the CDU had prevailed in 1979 with Karl Carstens.

As of 1974, the presidential elections were again held in Bonn. From 1954 to 1969 they had been held in West Berlin, which the Soviet Union and the GDR regarded as unlawful provocation: the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany should not be chosen in West Berlin, which was not a part of the country due to its four-power status.

Since the first presidential election after the reunification in 1994, the Federal Assembly meets again in Berlin.