Felix Banaszak, co‑chair of Germany’s Green Party, dismissed Jens Spahn’s proposal to split the term of the Minister‑President of Baden‑Württemberg on the basis of the narrow election result, calling it “nonsense”. On Monday, in the ntv program “Pinar Atalay”, Banaszak explained that elections are a matter of either winning or losing; someone will be ahead, and a half‑percentage‑point difference truly matters. He recalled that Gerhard Schröder had won against Edmund Stoiber with an even smaller margin, and that there was no possibility for Stoiber to assume the federal government after two years.
Following the Greens’ electoral victory, the party’s youth wing has urged Spitzenkandidat Cem Özdemir to exclude the controversial former‑Green mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer, from the cabinet. Banaszak added that he would not issue Berlin‑based cabinet suggestions to Özdemir or dictate who could or could not join.
He stressed that in the coming days the Greens and the Union must develop a working relationship. “I agree with what Cem Özdemir said today, that we should work on an equal footing” Banaszak said. “The election results were very close, and a government only functions well when both partners find common ground. Eventually ministries will be allocated according to portfolios, and then the Greens will decide which members will take those posts”.