Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected as Germany’s new president yesterday, marking a big victory for the centre-left Social Democrats ahead of critical parliamentary elections later this year.

The choice of the country’s former foreign minister, a top SPD figure, to the largely ceremonial post comes at a time of renewed optimism in the party’s ranks following the appointment of Martin Schulz, former president of the European Parliament, as its new leader.

Polls suggest Mr Schulz could give Angela Merkel, long the dominant force in German politics, a real run for her money as she seeks a fourth term as chancellor. An Emnid survey in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper has the SPD on 32 per cent — its best result in 10 years — and Mr Schulz on 46 per cent. That puts him six percentage points ahead of Ms Merkel.