In the second setback for Angela Merkel in the last few days, Frank-Walter Steinmeier Set for German Presidency against the chancellor's wishes.

Steinmeier is a Social Democrat, not a member of Merkel's CDU/CSU alliance.

Angela Merkel, German chancellor, has suffered a political setback by accepting that foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a candidate from the rival Social Democrat party, should be the country's next president.

Mr Steinmeier is likely to be voted into the largely honorary post with reluctant backing from the chancellor's conservative CDU/CSU alliance, which has failed to find a suitable candidate.