Germany Election in Baden-Württemberg: Greens narrowly ahead of Christian Democrats
In the state election in the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg, the Greens and the Christian Democratic CDU are in a tight race for first place - with a wafer-thin lead for the Greens.
08.03.2026, 18:23
08.03.2026, 22:41
SDA
This is according to projections by ARD and ZDF. The Greens' leading candidate Cem Özdemir could thus follow in the footsteps of Minister President Winfried Kretschmann, the first and so far only head of government of the Greens in a German federal state. For months, the CDU with state leader Manuel Hagel had been clearly leading in the polls, but in the end the Greens made rapid progress.
The right-wing populist AfD doubled its result compared to the previous election five years ago and is heading for its best result in a state election in western Germany. In the federal election in February 2025, the party also doubled its share of the vote compared to the previous election - to 20.6%. It is the second largest parliamentary group in the Bundestag in Berlin.
The social democratic SPD, which is part of the German government as a coalition partner of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU, plummeted to a historic low in state elections and is just barely represented in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg. SPD top candidate Andreas Stoch drew the consequences and announced his resignation as state and parliamentary party leader.
The economically liberal FDP and the Left Party failed to reach the five percent hurdle to enter the state parliament. FDP state leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke also wants to resign from office.
According to the projections, the Greens have 30.3 percent (2021: 32.6 percent), with the CDU close behind with 29.7 percent (24.1). The AfD receives 18.7 to 18.8 percent (9.7). The SPD follows a long way behind with 5.5% (11.0). The FDP comes in at 4.4 percent (10.5), the Left Party also at 4.4 percent (3.6).
According to projections, the Greens will receive 57 seats in the state parliament (2021: 58), the CDU 56 (42). The AfD has 35 seats (17), the SPD 10 (19). This would give the Greens and CDU a combined two-thirds majority in the state parliament.
Özdemir offers CDU cooperation - Hagel congratulates
On the evening of the election, Özdemir called on the Christian Democrats to work together again and offered them a "partnership of equals". The CDU has been a coalition partner of the Greens in Baden-Württemberg since 2016. "The benchmark should be the last ten years and the successes we have achieved."
Hagel said that if the election result proves to be the case, the Greens will be in government. He congratulated the party and Özdemir on their result and at the same time categorically ruled out the possibility of being elected Minister President with votes from the AfD.
Minister President Kretschmann did not stand for re-election after 15 years. The 77-year-old is retiring.
The 60-year-old Green candidate Özdemir has been in politics for decades - he sat in the Bundestag and the European Parliament, was head of the Greens and also a federal minister. During the election campaign, Özdemir, who calls himself an "Anatolian Swabian", distanced himself from the federal Greens and adopted a more conservative profile.
Hagel raved about the "fawn eyes" of a schoolgirl
The 37-year-old trained banker Hagel has been CDU parliamentary group leader in the state parliament since 2021. During the election campaign, the devout Catholic and hunter was criticized for a video: In the eight-year-old clip, he raves about the "fawn eyes" of an underage schoolgirl.
SPD top candidate Stoch also put his foot in his mouth, as he himself put it: in a SWR portrait, he can be seen apparently telling his driver to buy pâté in neighbouring France after a visit to a store run by the food aid organization Tafel. Even though the purchase never happened, Stoch expressed his regret.
"Totally bitter evening" for the SPD
The historically poor SPD result in the south-west also shocked the federal SPD, where party leader and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil is facing important reforms to the pension and healthcare systems with the coalition partners of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU and CSU).
AfD: "A people's party in Baden-Württemberg too"
The AfD with its lead candidate Markus Frohnmaier is being monitored by the state's Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected right-wing extremist party; none of the other parties want to form a coalition with the right-wing populists. AfD federal leader Tino Chrupalla said on ZDF television that his party was the winner of the evening. "We are now a people's party in Baden-Württemberg too."
16 and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote for the first time
According to projections, voter turnout was 70.2 to 70.5 percent (2021: 63.8). A good 7.7 million eligible voters were able to cast their vote - more than ever before.
A new electoral law applied for the first time; 16 and 17-year-olds were also allowed to vote. In addition, citizens had two votes for the first time, as in the Bundestag elections. The second vote decides the balance of power in the state parliament, the first vote decides the direct candidate in the constituency.
Kick-off for the "super election year 2026"
The election is the first of five state elections in Germany in the "super election year 2026" and the first under the Merz government in office since May. The CDU and SPD are debating important reforms. The election results are therefore important for the mood.
The next state election is scheduled for March 22 in Rhineland-Palatinate. There, the SPD, which has been in power for 34 years, is threatened with losing the post of Minister President. In September, the eastern German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania go to the polls, where the AfD is polling at around 40 percent.
