Germany's upper house of parliament elects Wüst as its leader

The state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, was elected on Friday as the new president of the German Bundesrat, or upper house of parliament.

Wüst was elected unanimously by all state representatives in the Bundesrat and accepted the election. He will take up the post on November 1, succeeding Bremen Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte.

Wüst is a fellow conservative of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and was widely tipped as a possible successor to the unpopular German leader amid slumping ratings and poor election results earlier this year.

The Bundesrat presidency rotates among Germany's 16 federal states. The role is mainly representative.

The president invites members to the plenary sessions of the Bundesrat and chairs them. He or she also represents the chamber at events at home and abroad.

If Germany's federal president - currently Frank-Walter Steinmeier - is incapacitated or leaves office early, the Bundesrat president takes over his powers.