US EditionGerman Greens lead Chancellor Merz's conservatives in state election
The Greens won 30.2% of the vote, narrowly ahead of CDU's 29.7%, while the far-right AfD secured third place with 18.8%, and SPD barely passed the 5% threshold.
- On Sunday, March 8, 2026, the Greens led Baden‑Württemberg in early projections, ARD showing 30.4% to the CDU's 29.7% in the first of five state votes this year.
- Amid concerns about the economy, the Greens overtook the CDU late, helped by Cem Özdemir's popularity and established profile, as Jens Spahn highlighted Merz’s struggles.
- Voter turnout was 69.6%, and both the Greens and the CDU won 56 seats each, while the AfD finished third with 18.8% and the SPD barely cleared 5.5%.
- The result positions Cem Özdemir, Green lead candidate, to become premier if confirmed, continuing the Green–CDU coalition while Manuel Hagel, CDU candidate, accepted responsibility for the defeat.
- As the first of five state votes, this election could shape German federal politics and Chancellor Friedrich Merz's reform agenda, affecting Baden‑Württemberg's economy and Rhineland‑Palatinate's March 22 poll.
127 Articles
127 Articles
In the state election in Baden-Württemberg, the Greens are the winners of the square. This was also due to the lack of content in the election campaign, comments Christoph Ruf.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has lost a state election in Baden-Württemberg, which Merz himself has cited as a measure of his performance. His party only narrowly lost ground to the Greens, who have ruled the state for two terms, but it is still a major disappointment for the Christian Democrats, who have long had a landslide lead in the polls.
Associated Press News
Merz's party stumbles into a year of German state elections with a narrow defeat
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party has made a disappointing start to a year packed with German state elections, suffering a narrow defeat in an important industrial region after a prominent candidate powered the environmentalist Greens to a come-from-behind victory.
Sunday's election, the first in a series of five regional elections to be held in 2026, was a test for the Conservative government Friedrich Merz, in power in Berlin since May 2025.
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