Greens: Ricarda Lang criticizes the “elite project” image in her farewell speech

Shortly after the end of the traffic light coalition, the Greens gave themselves a new leader: Franziska Brantner and Felix Banaszak were elected at the party conference in Wiesbaden on Saturday. Brantner received around 78 percent of the vote, Banaszak almost 93 percent. Both swore the Greens in for the beginning of the election campaign: “We’re not going to cower when there’s a headwind,” Brantner called out to the delegates.

The 45-year-old works as a parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics. She is assigned to the Realo wing, the 35-year-old Bundestag member Banaszak to the left wing of the party.

They are taking over the top positions of the Greens in a difficult situation: the poll numbers are poor, and the Greens have recently had to cope with several disappointments in state elections. At the same time, the new leadership has to manage a federal election campaign at short notice after the coalition break.

In her application speech, Brantner assured that the Greens would accept the tasks “that our times set before us.” At the same time, she promised that “we Greens will stay the course” when it comes to climate protection. These are difficult times, said Brantner, referring, among other things, to the end of the traffic light coalition and the election of Donald Trump as US President. “But we don’t run away when things get difficult.”

Banaszak said that many people are currently afraid, for example of Russian President Vladimir Putin, of the “gas bill at the end of the month” or of the “walk home at night.” The right response to this is empathy and listening, Banaszak emphasized in his application speech. “Let us be a force of confidence in these times,” he called to the delegates.

The new Green Party leader was also open to discussions within the party. A party that doesn’t debate in the current situation “would be a dead party,” he said. “I want to be the chairman of a lively, lively party.”

For him, the whole party is a team, Banaszak continued. “And this team is now heading out” into the election campaign – “we’re going out, we’re taking to the streets.” The Green politician admitted that an election campaign in the winter would be challenging, but: “When I see you here like this and when I feel your energy here, then I can’t imagine anything more beautiful and then that’s exactly what I want.”

Brantner and Banaszak follow Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour. Like the rest of the Greens’ federal executive board, they resigned in September after disappointing state election results and were ultimately only in office as acting members.

The election of other members of the Federal Executive Board was also on the party conference program on Saturday. Pegah Edalatian, who was previously party vice-president, was appointed as the new political managing director in the afternoon.

After the traffic light coalition broke up, the Greens had to adapt the plans for their party conference at short notice – it now forms the starting point for the election campaign before the new Bundestag elections on February 23rd. A key proposal for this was passed on Friday. On Sunday, Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck will also be chosen as the candidate for chancellor. The Greens want to adopt their election program in January.