Small party congress of the Greens: a lot of tailwind

The Greens want to be part of the government – even if it won’t be easy. The party leaders Baerbock and Habeck made that very clear again today. The enthusiastic delegates promised full support. There was a lot of praise for Baerbock in particular.

The Greens want to participate in government, that is clear. And they’re pretty sure it will come to that, too. Party leader Robert Habeck put it this way: “If we don’t act completely stupid, we will not only support this government in the next four years, but also have a significant say in it.”

The small party congress of the Greens strengthened the back of the negotiating team – above all Annalena Baerbock, the first Green candidate for Chancellor. It was celebrated despite an election result that fell short of expectations. The Greens had their historically best result in a federal election with 14.8 percent, but actually wanted to be the strongest force.

Standing ovations for the candidate

When Federal Managing Director Michael Kellner thanked Baerbock for her candidacy, there were standing ovations for minutes: “To enter the race for the Chancellery, that was the right thing to do. Your candidacy, Annalena, was historic. The first green candidate for Chancellor. Many thanks for that,” said Kellner.

Afterwards, other delegates thanked Baerbock – including Jürgen Trittin, the former parliamentary group chairman and Federal Environment Minister of the Greens, who is also part of the expanded exploratory team: “You have come through our claim to change this society, even at the cost of defaming yourself,” he praised veteran greens.

Words that obviously did Baerbock good. Together with co-party leader Habeck, she got the party in the mood for difficult negotiations:

The whole thing, and you have to be honest – and that is why we are now taking small, responsible steps – is complex. This awakening that we can create is not only historical in socio-political terms, it is also historical in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. There has never been a triple constellation in this country.

Formation of government by Christmas?

Whether it goes in the direction of the three-party constellation with the SPD and FDP or more in the direction of the three-party constellation with the Union and FDP – the Greens still do not want to commit themselves. Baerbock explained: “You can spend hours arguing about color games. But if we want to take responsibility, then for us the clear benchmark is to create the new beginnings, the renewal for climate protection, for a liberal society, for real social cohesion. And that means to go into conversation openly. “

But regardless of the constellation – it won’t be easy, added Habeck:

That will not be possible without debates, without unreasonable demands, without efforts. So we are entering four exhausting years. Because from now on – or maybe from Christmas onwards – every crisis is our crisis, every challenge is our challenge. We can no longer solicit or demand reporting from others. We will have to decide for ourselves and justify ourselves for the decisions.

The members have the final say

In the end, the small party congress approved the key proposal with only one abstention and no dissenting vote. The ten-person exploratory team of the Greens is now officially deployed, as is an expanded exploratory team that is supposed to provide support. A party congress is to vote on entering into coalition negotiations. And at the end of the day, the Greens members should decide in a ballot about a possible coalition agreement and the personnel board envisaged by the Greens. But there could still be a long way to go before then.