Environmental politician Cem Özdemir called on his party to make Baden-Württemberg a role model. “We must critically ask why we are still suspected of lecturing people or knowing everything better,” the former Federal Minister of Agriculture told the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”. “We, the Green Party in Baden-Württemberg, do not want to regulate every area of life, but rather change things together with society.”
He was lucky because he didn’t quit the traffic light government like everyone else. “This may also have something to do with my background in Baden-Württemberg: sensitivity to economic well-being is part of our DNA,” continues Özdemir. Regarding climate protection, the first thing to consider is public acceptance.
The 59-year-old ran for the Green Party as the top candidate in the state election in Baden-Württemberg on 8 March 2026. Incumbent Winfried Kretschmann (Green Party) did not seek re-election after three terms.
For the CDU, state and parliamentary group leader Manuel Hagel is vying to replace Kretschmann. Surveys have long shown that the CDU is far superior to the Green Party.
