The New Year in Germany got off to a sour start with an immediate front page story which worried politicians and vexed their voters.

The unfolding drama surrounding President Christian Wulff and some financial transactions in which he was engaged before he assumed the Presidency — including receiving a hefty loan from the wife of a millionaire friend and a generous home loan − immediately dominated the headlines and has escalated in the last few days. Efforts by President Wulff to put out the political fire, including a special televised interview on Jan 4, did not work and the public seems to be both surprised and irritated by the whole affair, with half the country believing Wulff should resign.

Such an outcome is the last thing the Chancellor needs right now. She has enough on her plate as it is with the Euro crisis still looming large. Since Wulff only assumed office in June of 2010, an early exit would be both embarrassing for him and for the Chancellor who essentially steered him into the office.

How this drama plays out over the next few weeks is not clear. It is probable that Wulff will hold on to his job, and with the Chancellor’s help, wait out the media barrage now washing over him. Some might argue that this largely ceremonial position is not important enough to command long-term attention. Wulff has apologized for his missteps and requested that the public give him a pass. It is not the only time a president — and there have been ten of them since the founding of the Federal Republic in 1949 — has been caught up in some questionable activities in earlier positions. Johannes Rau was accused of taking free flights while he was Minister President of North Rhine Westphalia. Yet Rau outlived that during his presidential term. Wulff will likely survive his current trial, assuming no further surprises occur.

This spotlight on the President also raises questions about the role of the office itself. The basic law, or Grundgesetz, does not say a lot about the role of the President. In many ways, the ten presidents have essentially shaped the office in their own individual ways, through the force of their personalities and rhetorical styles. The President does have the authority to play the role of umpire in some legislative matters, and does participate in the executive process. (AICGS Spotlight on the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany). Yet in the main, the ten presidents have essentially shaped the office in their own individual ways, through the force of their personalities and rhetorical styles.

Given the public platform provided by the office, the president acts as a national non-partisan figure, ideally above parties and politics. This is in fact a challenge for those who become the President, as all of them — with one exception — have emerged from the political field as veterans of political parties and known well by the Chancellor who in fact proposes them as candidates. Yet the job comes with an oath of office which says: …I will dedicate my efforts to the well-being of the German people, promote their welfare…and do justice to all”. This has come in line with a deeply seated desire for consensus building in German politics.