President of Germany them to the President of the Bundesrat. If the president dies, resigns or is otherwise removed from office, a successor is to be elected within thirty days. Horst Köhler, upon his resignation on May 31, 2010, became the first president to trigger this re-election process. Jens Böhrnsen, President of the Senate and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and at the time President of the Bundesrat, assumed the powers and duties of head of state. Similarly, when Christian Wulff resigned in 2012, it was Horst Seehofer, Minister-President of Bavaria, as President of the Bundesrat, who assumed the powers
President of East Germany pardon on behalf of the Republic. In this function he was advised by a committee of the "Volkskammer". Whenever the President of the Republic is unable to attend to his office, he is represented by the President of the "Volkskammer". If such incapacity is expected to continue for a protracted period, a substitute will be appointed by (a specific) law. Whenever the presidency is terminated prematurely, the same rule applies until the election of a new President. President Pieck was already at an advanced age when elected and did not play a major role in the dominant state party, SED