1949 West German presidential election

An indirect presidential election (officially the 1st Federal Convention, Bundesversammlung) was held on 12 September 1949 by the Federal Convention which is composed of all members of the Bundestag plus an equal number of delegates selected by the state legislatures which had been elected earlier. Thus 820 voters assembled in the Bundeshaus in Bonn, but only the votes of 804 (West)Germans counted, (West)Berlin delegates were only advisory.

The first Bundestag had been elected on 14 August 1949, and had convened on 7 September. The CDU/CSU, lead by future chancellor Konrad Adenauer, formed a federal government coalition that included FDP, and German Party (DP). These parties agreed on supporting FDP leader Theodor Heuss as candidate for the first federal president of West Germany. As they only had about 395 votes altogether, they needed at least 8 votes from the several dozen members of other parties. Heuss got elected in the second round.

Adenauer was elected three days later when the Bundestag convened again, and was accordingly appointed by the President on 20 September 1949, together with his First Adenauer cabinet. Thus, the Federal Republic of Germany had established itself as far as the Allied occupation statute permitted.