BERLIN, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - An emergency meeting of the Social-Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) decided on Monday to nominate its own candidate for the largely ceremonial role of federal president.
The SPD will put forward Gesine Schwan, a 65-year-old university professor, to run against the incumbent Horst Koehler at an election scheduled for May 23, 2009.
Koehler, a Christian Democrat, will run for a second five-year term.
Schwan nearly won the post five years ago, but lost out to Koehler, a former head of the International Monetary Fund.
Koehler is backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, whose members have expressed regret that the SPD will be challenging with its own candidate. The parties share power in a left-right coalition.
The move is seen as having the potential to split the coalition ahead of federal elections.
