It took three rounds of vote on Wednesday to elect Christian Wulff, a candidate proposed by the ruling coalition, to the post of the president of Germany. Wednesday's vote was largely seen as a test of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's authority. During the first two rounds, the 51-year-old deputy head of Merkel's conservative party, failed to gain the absolute majority he needed to win. But during the final round, when simple majority is sufficient, he secured the absolute majority of 625 votes in the 1,240-member Federal Convention. Wulff will be sworn in on Friday at a joint sitting of the Bundestag and the upper legislative chamber, the Bundesrat. The German constitution vests the president with vast powers, including the authority to appoint a chancellor. However, in practice, he usually acts as a ceremonial figurehead and follows the government's advice.