Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann of Baden-Württemberg, a member of the Greens, plans to maintain a connection with his party colleague Robert Habeck in politics. “I wish for him and for us that he leaves the door ajar for a potential return, just a crack” Kretschmann told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Wednesday edition).
“I regret that Robert Habeck is no longer available for a top position” the Minister-President said, but he also has “great respect for this step.” Habeck has “done incredibly much for the Greens” and has “opened the party up to the broader, socially centered middle ground with his idea of the alliance party.” As a minister, Habeck has “earned his place in Germany.” He has made the country “independent of Russian gas at record speed and has driven the expansion of renewable energy forward like no one before him” according to Kretschmann.
On Monday, the Greens’ chancellor candidate and Economy Minister Habeck announced that he will “no longer claim or strive for a leading role in the Greens’ personnel tables.