In the run-up to the March 2026 state election in Baden-Württemberg, Cem Özdemir, the Green Party’s future top candidate, has announced his campaign focus on the economy and education.
Özdemir, a seasoned politician, plans to strengthen vocational training by introducing a master’s foundation premium and expanding the compulsory vocational training, thereby ensuring that young people without an apprenticeship placement will no longer be at risk of falling out of the training system. He emphasized, “I advocate for a combination of free master training with an increased master premium and a master foundation premium. This will increase the incentive to further qualify, become self-employed, or take over a business, as there is a huge demand for it.”
In the context of the crisis in the automotive industry, Özdemir is calling for Baden-Württemberg to be further developed as an international center for the production and research of battery cells. He believes it is incorrect to blame the electric drives for the crisis in the automotive industry, as the Union does. At the age of 59, Özdemir is set to be elected as the party’s top candidate at a state party convention in Heidenheim on Saturday. According to current opinion polls, the Greens would need to gain at least ten percentage points to maintain their position as the strongest faction and continue to hold the office of the minister-president.