Horst Köhler will remain president of Germany for a second five-year term after obtaining a paper-thin majority at Saturday's presidential election, earning chancellor Angela Merkel a symbolic victory four months before she launches her own re-election bid.

The 66-year-old Mr Köhler, a former director of the International Monetary Fund, obtained 613 of the 1,223 ballots cast by the Federal Assembly, the parliamentary body that elects the German head of state - the absolute minimum required for his re-election.