Tags: Election.
An indirect presidential election was held in West Germany on 23 May 1974. Though not term limited incumbent Gustav Heinemann elected not to seek a second term. The government parties (SPD and FDP) nominated Vice-Chancellor Walter Scheel; the Christian Democratic Union nominated Richard von Weizsäcker. Scheel won the election by 32 votes on the first ballot. He served as president until 1979. Weizsäcker would later serve as president from 1984 to 1994.