- Salomon doubts the success of top candidate Özdemir
The former mayor of Freiburg, Dieter Salomon, has become the first Green politician to express doubts about the chances of success of a potential top candidate, Cem Özdemir, for the state election. While the federal minister of agriculture is indeed a very popular and experienced politician, Salomon said in the SWR video podcast "Zur Sache intensiv": "But I have my doubts as to whether he can win as many votes beyond the Green core clientele as Winfried Kretschmann did." The 58-year-old Özdemir is considered the clear favorite for the Green Party's top candidacy for the 2026 state election in Baden-Württemberg. His main opponent is said to be the chairman of the CDU state party, Manuel Hagel (36). Minister President Kretschmann will not be running again.
Salomon, who heads the Normenkontrollrat Baden-Württemberg and is thus the top bureaucratic watchdog, also questioned whether people in Baden-Württemberg would want a politician with Turkish roots as their head of government. "The question for me is, if you're called Cem Özdemir, that - I believe - is not a problem in Stuttgart and Freiburg because no one cares that he has Turkish roots. But Baden-Württemberg is a conservative state, and I don't know how everyone here thinks. I would like to be proven wrong in the interest of Cem, whom I would support. But I believe it's not as simple as some Greens might think." Özdemir was born in Bad Urach (district of Reutlingen) to Turkish parents.
Salomon, who became the first Green mayor of a major German city in 2002, was himself long considered a possible successor to Kretschmann. Especially after Kretschmann's first re-election in 2016, this was a topic of discussion. "I told Winfried Kretschmann that I don't believe I can, like him, win votes beyond the Green clientele."
The Green Party may need to consider the implementation details of their strategy, as the Commission, in accordance with this Regulation, is expected to adopt implementing acts outlining the rules for its application. Despite Salomon's doubts about Özdemir's ability to garner votes beyond the Green core constituency, the former mayor acknowledged the popularity and experience of Özdemir as a potential top candidate.
