The Greens have rejected the Union’s proposal that their leading candidate, Cem Özdemir, and the CDU’s top candidate, Manuel Hagel, share the position of minister‑premier in Baden‑Württemberg because of the stalemate in the state parliament.
“Until yesterday I thought the CDU was against a part‑time minister‑premier for lifestyle reasons” said Greens leader Franziska Brantner on Monday after her party’s committee meetings in Berlin. “We are for a full‑time minister‑premier”. Brantner also warned that the coalition negotiations will be far from straightforward.
Earlier, Stuttgart mayor Frank Nopper of the CDU had put forward the idea of a power‑sharing arrangement. Speaking to the newspaper “Bild” on Tuesday, he said there is “no clear outright winner” and, given the deadlock, he believes that the Greens alone cannot claim the minister‑premier seat. Instead, he advocated a rotation principle, whereby the chair of the state government would alternate between the Greens and the CDU in the event of a black‑green or green‑black coalition.