Status: 10/01/2021 4:18 a.m.
For a long time, harmony dominated the Green Top. But the tough election campaign also left its mark on Baerbock and Habeck. The roles of the two seem to be shifting. Just part of a plan?
Nobody knows how a one-to-one conversation between the two party chairmen Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck works. But the assumption is obvious, not quite as harmonious as it was a year or two ago. That is not surprising, the tough weeks of the election campaign, the mistakes of the Chancellor candidate Baerbock and the fakenews to which the Greens were exposed have left their mark. Perhaps more surprising is how long Baerbock and Habeck managed to maintain the harmonious image, at least on the outside. In politics – and with a view to other parties – this is rather unusual.
Power poker with the Greens?
But it is also clear that if one of two people in power, under whose joint leadership the Greens have experienced a little-known upswing, has to step into the second row, then stay a little behind. When Habeck announced Baerbock’s nomination as the first Green Chancellor candidate in the party’s history in April, it was obvious how difficult it was for him. And he made no secret of it either.
He had to shake himself first, Habeck said in an interview with the ARD capital studio. But Habeck obviously didn’t just give in when he made the decision. Anyone who knows him knows that it wouldn’t suit him. Was the agreement on Baerbock as candidate for chancellor, which both met together, possibly linked to a deal? For example: If things don’t go as hoped, Habeck should become vice chancellor, not the chancellor candidate, in the event of government participation.
A compromise?
It would be a compromise. But no one officially confirms that. Behind the scenes one can hear from the Greens that this is quite possible. But what the party needs least at the moment are staff discussions – the Union shows how devastating they can be. And so Habeck tried this week to recapture the discussion.
“The question of who will be Vice Chancellor is completely irrelevant,” stressed Habeck at a first meeting of elected and outgoing members of the parliamentary group. The party stands in 120 percent unity behind the federal executive board and behind Baerbock as a person. His statement had not been announced beforehand, but had been agreed. Habeck looked almost snotty. And he gave the impression that he had to justify himself to his own party. It is quite possible that he received pressure from there.
Missed target
And yet: The role relationship between Baerbock and Habeck seems to be shifting. The Greens got their historically best result in a federal election with 14.8 percent, but they wanted to go to the Chancellery. They clearly failed to achieve this goal. The result is disappointing in the end. And everyone knows that Baerbock contributed a lot with his own mistakes. As a candidate for chancellor, she bears a special responsibility, even if nobody knows whether things would have gone better with Habeck.
During the election campaign, he would probably have wanted to bite the table top in anger at times. The polls for the Greens and their candidate for chancellor continued to decline. Sometimes Habeck seemed slightly annoyed, at public appearances rather cool in dealing with Baerbock. Nevertheless, he has strengthened her back, stood loyally behind her. Now both want to – they emphasize again and again – explore exploratory and coalition talks with a team of ten Greens.
If the deal between Baerbock and Habeck actually happened, it might even have been a smart move in the end. Both knew what they were getting into. The harmony from the beginning may be gone, but they have clarified the situation – at least among themselves.