Editing President of Germany (section)

==Politics and influence==
[[File:Daniela-schadt-joachim-gauck-29-06-2013.jpg|thumb|Former President [[Joachim Gauck]] and his partner [[Daniela Schadt]]]]
Though candidates are usually selected by a political party or parties, the president nonetheless is traditionally expected to refrain from being an active member of any party after assuming office. Every president to date, except [[Joachim Gauck]] (who was an [[Independent politician|independent]]), has suspended their party membership for the duration of their term. Presidents have, however, spoken publicly about their personal views on political matters. The very fact that a president is expected to remain above politics usually means that when they do speak out on an issue, it is considered to be of great importance. In some cases, a presidential speech has dominated German political debate for a year or more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bpb.de/publikationen/FTTV7M,3,0,Das_Amt_des_Bundespr%E4sidenten_und_sein_Pr%FCfungsrecht.html#art3 |title=''Das Amt des Bundespräsidenten und sein Prüfungsrecht'' |date=3 April 2008 |language=de |publisher=Bpb.de |access-date=22 November 2012}}</ref>