Page "President of Germany" Paragraph 20

Though usually chosen as the candidate of a political party or parties, the president nonetheless is expected to be non-partisan after assuming office.

Every president to date has let his or her party membership rest dormant during his term of office.

Although the formal powers of the president are limited, the president's role can be quite significant depending on his or her own activities.

The very fact that the president usually doesn't interfere with day-to-day politics means that if he or she does choose to speak out on an issue, the event is perceived as one to take note of.

There have been a number of occasions when certain presidential speeches have dominated German political debate for a year or more.