The turbulent party conference of the Saar Greens last weekend caused a political tremor in the party. Several board members, including the newly elected state chairman Ralph Rouget and assessor Ute Kirchhoff, have since resigned.
The candidate for second place on the list and deputy national chairwoman, Irina Gaydukova, has resigned from the party according to information from the SR. She had difficulties answering questions about the content at the Saar-Greens party convention on Sunday and was therefore harshly criticized on social media. The state chairwoman Barbara Meyer-Gluche justified the content-related dropouts of her colleague with nervousness and nervous flutter in the situation. The candidate in third place on the list, Astrid Hilt, is said to have withdrawn.
Ulrich wants to continue
Hubert Ulrich, who was elected the party’s top candidate for the federal election last week, is sticking to his candidacy despite the wave of resignations. He told the SR that he had been elected in a secret, democratic vote with a two-thirds majority and saw no reason to withdraw.
Ulrich described an appeal from the federal executive to the state executive to reverse the state list as an inconceivable process and a massive encroachment on the autonomy of the state association.
Ulrich and Meyer-Gluche regret their resignation
Ulrich was surprised by Rouget’s resignation – he found it “a shame”, he told the SR. Meyer-Gluche also announced that she regretted Rouget’s resignation. “The resignation is not related to the way we work together or our personal relationship,” she said. She wanted to comment on the consequences of this resignation on Monday.
Audio [SR 3, Carolin Dylla, 25.06.2021, Länge: 03:10 Min.]
The mixed situation with the Saar Greens
Internal party dispute over women’s status
The placement of Hubert Ulrich at number one on the list for the Bundestag election had previously caused a lot of criticism, as this place is actually reserved for a woman according to the women’s statute of the Greens.
Among other things, Ute Kirchhoff had given this handling of the women’s statute as a reason for her resignation. Ralph Rouget himself has not yet been reached for comment.
Demand for consequences
Most recently, among other things, the chairman of the Green Youth in Saarland, Jeanne Dillschneider, said that she considered the state executive elected on Sunday to be no longer sustainable. In the SR interview, she called for new elections. The promise of the new state leadership to build bridges has not been kept.
Dillschneider appealed to the state executive and top candidate Ulrich “not to split the party any further.” At Ulrich’s address she said: “It is clear that his behavior is currently causing massive damage to us as a party.” To run for Bundestag.
Tressel shares criticism
The former state chairman and Green member of the Bundestag Markus Tressel also shares the criticism of the youth of the party. “After the rapid and complete failure of this state executive, a complete new start is needed. It is tragic that Hubert Ulrich apparently does not recognize what he has done to the detriment of the party,” Tressel told the SR.
The Saarland Green politician and former federal chairman Simone Peter made a similar statement. She welcomes the pressure from the federal executive committee on the Saar-Greens from Berlin. In addition, she joins the demand “to join forces in the country for a new beginning”. The signal that went out from the party congress last weekend was “backward-looking”.
Local chapters withdraw support
The Greens in Rehlingen-Siersburg have announced that they do not want to support Ulrich in the election campaign. This had driven a wedge through the party with a power plot. The district board of the Saarlouis Greens also accuses Ulrich of behavior that is harmful to the party.
more on the subject
The dispute over the Ulrich election
List of the Greens
Male candidate despite women’s status – how it came about
Actually, the first place on the list of the Greens is reserved for women. Nevertheless, the Saar Greens have put up a man with Hubert Ulrich. How it came about and how resistance is now forming against it.
The SR radio news reported on this topic on June 25th, 2021.