"Kretschmann Critiques Greens over 'Juicy Loss'"

Political Get-Togethers - "Kretschmann Critiques Greens over 'Juicy Loss'"

Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, has called out his party's course following the Greens' disastrous performance in the European elections. He spoke in Stuttgart on Tuesday, admitting that the loss left him feeling hurt and referring to it as a "juicy defeat." The Greens were unable to break away from the trend in the Bundestag, he said, emphasizing the intensifying negativity that's tearing them apart.

The CDU emerged as winners in Baden-Württemberg in the European election on Sunday with a clear lead, while the Greens struggled, getting just 13.8% of the votes. Meanwhile, the AfD rose to become the second strongest force in the state, despite negative press concerning potential links between the party and Russia and China.

Kretschmann blamed the poor outcome on the work of the traffic light coalition and the changed political landscape, along with rising doubts about whether the Greens still offered the appropriate responses to current societal issues, like migration. The Greens would need to decide between following the path of a coalition party or an environmental party, according to Kretschmann, who opted for the former.

For the Greens to be successful, they must be pragmatic, achieve clear goals, and maintain a national consensus while aligning with the majority of society without confronting the economy, he suggested.

Despite his encouragement of a coalition-minded approach, the Greens in Baden-Württemberg themselves faced a 9.5 percentage point drop compared to the 2019 European election, a situation Kretschmann found upsetting.

When asked why the party was hit so hard in Baden-Württemberg, Kretschmann responded, "I'm not at the election." He pointed out that the European Parliament was the issue, not his local politics. He didn't believe his policies in Baden-Württemberg would have caused such a poor result in the European elections. Regardless, if the party made poor choices, it was his responsibility. However, Kretschmann acknowledged that the trend couldn't be ignored - he would only remain in office for two more years and wouldn't be running for state elections.

Kretschmann acknowledged that the strengthening of the CDU was cause for concern regarding his government, but maintained that they would continue to work reliably together. He is, however, worried about the substantial decline in young people's approval for the party, stating that they would need to analyze the results extensively. The pressure to do so is significant.

Read also:

1. The Government in Baden-Württemberg, led by Winfried Kretschmann, expressed concerns about the Greens' performance in the European elections, which saw them suffer a "juicy defeat."
2. The Green Party in Germany, including Alliance 90/The Greens, faced significant challenges in the European elections, with notable defeats in countries like Baden-Württemberg.
3. Despite the defeat, Kretschmann suggested that the Greens needed to adopt a more pragmatic approach and align with the majority of society to regain lost support.
4. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) emerged as the winner in the European elections in Baden-Württemberg, while Alternative for Germany (AfD) also made gains, placing second.
5. The European elections highlighted the intensifying negativity within the Green Party, with Kretschmann admitting that it was tearing them apart and affecting their ability to break away from election trends in the Bundestag.
6. Cretschmann also criticized the principled approach of the traffic light coalition, which he believed had contributed to the Greens' poor performance in the elections.
7. Russia and China also received negative press surrounding potential links with the AfD, yet this did not appear to impact their electoral success in the European elections.
8. The results of the European elections will likely force the Green Party to reconsider their political strategy, with Kretschmann urging them to focus on achieving clear goals and maintaining a national consensus.

• Tough return to normality in snow and ice
• Steinmeier joined a moment of silence - a legal battle over an AfD protest.
• German national soccer team on their way to participate in the European Championship qualifying matches.
• The flooding has lessened, but the aftermath of mud remains.