Franziska Brantner, chair of the Greens, rejected the Union’s proposals for a rotating leadership arrangement at Villa Reitzenstein. “There will be no part‑time Minister President in Baden-Württemberg” she told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” on Wednesday. “We abolished the rotation about forty years ago. I also thought the Union was against a part‑time lifestyle”.
She referred to the upcoming talks about forming a government as a chance: “It won’t be easy, but it can also be an opportunity to tackle the country’s big questions together”. Brantner expressed strong confidence that Cem Özdemir will succeed.
Brantner denied accusations that the Union ran a “campaign” against CDU candidate Manuel Hagel over his remarks about students. “It was not a campaign; it was just a television interview the Union apparently overlooked. Nothing private” she said. “I’ve been in politics for a long time, and my experience is that when women talk about these topics, they end up being criticized”.
She also agreed with Özdemir when he said anyone can make a mistake. “That settles it for us”. She added that if the Union relies solely on that one video for its campaign analysis, it will not achieve better results in the future.
On lessons from the Greens’ campaign for future state elections, Brantner stressed that not everything can be copied. “We know the country comes before the party. Citizens find that especially important in these times. An idea should be judged not by its origin but by its merit”. She added, “Our mission, neatly summed up by an old Volksbank slogan, is to clear the way so that, for example, entrepreneurs can bring their ideas to life more easily and quickly. We are here to help people realise their potential”.