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Summary
Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative candidate Christian Wulff was elected as Germany's 10th post-war president on Wednesday after rebels in the ruling coalition forced three rounds of voting before he won.Chancellor Merkel was left scrambling to collect last minute support for Wulff from her Christian Democrats (CDU) after malcontents within her alliance defied the party whip in two initial rounds of nail-biting voting and voted against him or abstained. Wulff had to go three rounds to secure the vote by the Federal Convention, a body which includes the entire parliament but also other representatives, and never managed to secure an absolute majority during the nine-hour marathon. Despite Wulff's win, it was seen as an embarrassing setback for Merkel and her nine-month-old coalition, beset by disagreements and a slump in its popularity. Wulff won 600 votes in the first round and 615 in the second, short of the absolute majority he needed. He scraped 625 in the third and final round, 19 short of Merkel's notional majority in the assembly. His rival Joachim Gauck, a former East German dissident and Protestant pastor who had the support of the majority of the public, secured 494 votes. He fought back tears as the result was announced and he received a standing ovation from the opposition who had backed him.
