Two candidates for Bundespräsident

And away you go.

What does the bloody Bundespräsident actually do? He's more like a democraticish version of a King or Queen, no? A bit of show, lots of paid traveling, no impact, no power.
So ultimately: Who cares?

The BP is the head of state, represents Germany officially, determines Germany's main policies, signs laws and confirms or dismisses the Bundeskanzler. After WW II, when people began coming to their senses, they realized that the strong position of the Reichspräsident had facilitated Hitler's advancement and rise to absolute power so they curtailed the head of state's sphere of influence and installed certain control mechanisms to prevent another such career.

The CDU/CSU are now howling like a fretful baby because the SPD has its own candidate, stirring the mud in the grand coalition's cesspool and trying to define a stronger profile. Thank goodness something is happening, all this fluffy scratch my back I'll scratch yours and then showing your claws and ripping each others' throats out was getting on my nerves. The right-wingers are afraid that Schwan will be elected with votes from Die Linke, the far-left truly socialist party, thus possibly rendering them a small but effective political power. And those of us who remember the rise of the Greens 25-ish years ago can lean back in the rocking chair on the porch, suck our corn cob pipe and say, "Nothing new under the sun".

She looks like yer typical "Putzfrau" - a joke... The country is going down the tubes...

Gesine's head reminds me of the thing I use to wash my car.

Doesn't he/she follow the Federal government rather than the other way round?

Far as i am concerned he is just a public head figure.No power at all just like a foreign ambassador.Spouts off but has no power

He can refuse to sign a law he considers incongruent with German policies. Then it has to go back to the Bundesrat for further debates and amendments. Not that it happens very often, but a good example would be if the Bundestag decides to send troops to Irak and Köhler refuses to ratify the law as it is not compatible with the German Civil Code (Grundgesetz).

...and indeed Köhler refused to sign a smoking ban at federal level.
[withstands urge to comment further]

Im having doubts about her motives. Gesine Schwan seems to be a very ambitious person. As others already said, the "Bundespräsident" hasnt much influence and cant really change anything. So her ambitions cant be to improve the situation of this country and it´s people. Im afraid she just wants to prove to herself that she can do it. But maybe she is able to change my mind.

Köhler did a decent job. Although he is isnt big on presentation (probably the worst speaker of all Bundespräsidenten we had), he acted and spoke honest and without a political agenda. He surprised me when he critiziced bankers for their failing in the mortgage crisis. Afterall he worked for the financial sector for 20 years (last post before becoming president, being the director of the IWF).

Some examples

Constitution, then.
Anyway, Schwan was up for the job last time around but Köhler was given preference. Dunno why, as mentioned he was a finance expert, never had much to do with politics. Schwan is the president of the pretigious Viadrina University in Frankfurt/Oder, is multilingual and has a PhD and professorship in political science. Yeah, she may look like a cleaning woman. Köhler looks like an insurance salesman. Which profession would you trust at first sight? I think that Schwan would do a good job, considering her background of international experience, involvement in political organizations and mostly her views on higher education which would surely influence the crusty educational structures on lower levels as well.
I cannot recall one single remarkable action by Köhler in the last four or five years.

It was in the SZ today that for the Bavarian Landtag elections in September the CSU are going to run the campaign that voting for them is the only way to stop "the communists" determining the head of state.

Köhler's favourite dish is Gaisburger Marsch, so he can't be all bad.