A senior Green party official, Sven Giegold, has called for the party to reassert its left-green positions and move away from a perceived shift to the right.
According to an interview with the online news portal T-Online, Giegold stated that the Greens’ rightward shift has not been successful, adding that green politics should not constantly be presented in a rightward direction. He emphasized that Green politics can be communicated in a green way without being too extreme.
Giegold urged the party to become more vibrant, robust and sharp, saying that the Greens need to be “alive and strong and sharp.” While acknowledging that the party could potentially attract voters who previously supported Angela Merkel or the FDP, Giegold emphasized that a crucial voter potential lies with the critical civil society, who care about the substance rather than the packaging.
These individuals, he said, want to be clearly addressed with their values and the Greens need to cover this entire breadth at the top level. Giegold believes that this has not been adequately achieved in recent years.