Page:The Bonn Constitution (Basic Law FRG 1949).pdf/25

 Bundesrat and its committees. They must be heard at any time. The Bundesrat must be kept currently informed by the Federal Government on the conduct of federal affairs.

THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT

(1) The Federal President shall be elected, without discussion, by the Federal Convention. Every German who is eligible to vote in elections for the Bundestag and has reached the age of 40 years shall be eligible for election.

(2) The term of office of the Federal President shall be five years. Immediate re-election shall be admissible only once.

(3) The Federal Convention shall consist of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of members elected by the popular representative bodies of the Laender according to the principles of proportional representation.

(4) The Federal Convention shall meet not later than thirty days before the expiry of the term of office of the Federal President, in the case of premature termination not later than thirty days after this date. It shall be convened by the President of the Bundestag.

(5) After the expiry of the electoral period, the time limit of paragraph (4), sentence 1,shall begin with the first meeting of the Bundestag.

(6) The person who has received the votes of the majority of the members of the Federal Convention shall be elected. If such majority is not obtained by any candidate in two ballots, the person who receives most votes in a further ballot shall be elected.

(7) Details shall be regulated by a federal law.

(1) The Federal President may be a member neither of the Government nor of a legislative body of the Federation or a Land. Rh