President Steinmeier Decommissions Previous Government

BERLIN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 26: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hands acting Chancellor Angela Merkel her official decommissioning document at a ceremony at Schloss Bellevue on October 26, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. Germany held federal elections last September that are making way for a new government. While the previous government was decommissioned today, it will continue in a temporary role until a new government is formed. The German Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens Party and the Freed Democrats (FDP) are currently in coalition negotiations and say they are hopeful to create a new federal government coalition before Christmas. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)