Roman's law
ROMAN HERZOG, Germany's president, is in many ways a creature of Helmut Kohl, the chancellor. The two even look alike; Mr Herzog is often taken for the chancellor. The difference is that Mr Kohl holds power but the president, as head of state, a ceremonial office, in theory holds none. So some people claim to be puzzled by the quiet talks the easy-going president has started with the heads of the country's main political parties. A presidential power grab? If this were not Germany, some might suspect as much.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Roman's law”
From the March 22nd 1997 edition
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