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.
