BERLIN (AP) — Germany's interim president has taken over his duties, as Chancellor Angela Merkel searches for a candidate to become the new head of state after President Horst Koehler's surprise resignation Monday.
Jens Boehrnsen, head of the Upper House of parliament and therefore constitutionally Koehler’s interim replacement, said Thursday he will cover only the most necessary duties before a new president is elected on June 30.
He says he canceled trips to Burkina Faso and South Africa that Koehler had planned.
Merkel was to meet party officials and state governors later Thursday to decide on a candidate for the largely ceremonial position. The race appears to be still open, as speculation about an early favorite, Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen, has subsided.
