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Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat who has openly criticized President Trump for what he says are fear-mongering political tactics, was elected Germany's new president in a landslide victory on Sunday. 

A special assembly made up of 630 members of the parliament's lower house and an equal number of representatives from Germany's 16 states elected the former foreign minister, awarding him 931 of the 1,260 total votes. He will take over from Joachim Gauck, a 77-year-old East German pro-democracy activist who did not seek a second term. 

The president of Germany holds very little executive power. But it is nonetheless an influential position, as he or she is seen as a moral authority and figurehead of sorts for the country, and bears the responsibility of hosting visiting dignitaries. According to protocol, Mr. Steinmeier will be considered Mr. Trump's German counterpart, despite the disparity in political and policymaking power between the two.

When asked in August about the rise of right-wing populism in Germany and around the world, Steinmeier responded by denouncing those who "make politics with fear," citing the nationalist Alternative for Germany party, supporters of Britain's exit from the European Union, and "the hate preachers, like Donald Trump at the moment in the United States." 

On Nov. 9, the day after Trump's election victory, Steinmeier openly expressed disappointment with the outcome. 

"The result is not what most German would have wished," he said, as reported by Bloomberg. "I don't want to sugarcoat anything. Nothing will be easier, many things will become more difficult." 

While European officials across the board lamented the failed candidacy of Hillary Clinton, Trump's election struck a uniquely worrisome chord for Germans, as Elizabeth Pond reported for º£½Ç´óÉñ on the same day: 

"If it can happen here [in America], it can happen anywhere," Ms. Stelzenmueller told the Monitor. "Certainly what sets Trump apart from any major US politician – let alone presidential candidate – in living memory is his overt, chilling contempt for the fundamental principles of the Constitution. That is familiar to a German in the worst possible way."

In his acceptance speech Sunday, Steinmeier spoke of Germany's responsibility to fight for stability around the world after having overcome its own dark history of wars and totalitarianism. 

"Isn't it actually wonderful, that this Germany, our difficult fatherland, that this country has become an anchor of hope in the world for many," he said. 

This report includes material from the Associated Press and Reuters.