Baden-Württemberg Election 2026: Özdemir Wins, CDU Close Behind – Live Updates

Update, 10:03 PM: Baden-Württemberg’s CDU Chairman Manuel Hagel has offered his resignation following the close defeat in the state election. The offer was unanimously rejected, according to State Secretary General Tobias Vogt, as confirmed by a report from SWR.

Greens and CDU in Baden-Württemberg Must Form Government

Update, 5:47 PM: While the Greens and CDU in Baden-Württemberg are expected to form a government, tensions between the parties are high. Following the extremely close election result and discussions about a power-sharing arrangement for the state premiership, the CDU is now directly attacking the winning candidate, Cem Özdemir.

“This condescending arrogance of Özdemir’s statements is very surprising,” CDU State Secretary General Tobias Vogt told the German Press Agency. “It is essentially an extension of the questionable style of the Greens during the election campaign. That’s traffic light talk.”

Update, 5:13 PM: Following setbacks in the Baden-Württemberg state election, the CDU and SPD intend to maintain their course at the federal level. Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU emphasized Monday in Berlin that the initiated reforms should now be quickly continued. The SPD aims to position itself as a driving force for reforms within the coalition. The Greens perceive confirmed by their election success in Baden-Württemberg.

Speculation Surrounds Possible Ministerial Post for Palmer After Baden-Württemberg Election

Update, 4:10 PM: Green politician Cem Özdemir remains tight-lipped regarding speculation about a possible ministerial post for Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer, who is not a party member. When asked about Palmer’s future role in state politics, Özdemir stated, “I am constantly in talks with him.” While he undoubtedly will play a significant role, no positions are being assigned at this time.

Özdemir repeatedly spoke positively about his former party colleague. “I am very, very grateful to him. He contributed to me being here today.” This is undeniable. “Anyone who says otherwise should perhaps study the numbers.”

Greens Reject CDU’s Proposal for Rotating Premiership After Close Election in Baden-Württemberg

Update, 3:18 PM: Cem Özdemir, the winner of the Baden-Württemberg state election, has rejected the idea of dividing the office of state premier. At a press conference in Stuttgart on Monday, Özdemir explained that even with a one-vote lead, it is clear who should hold the office, in accordance with tradition. A dual leadership will also not happen. “We are pursuing mature politics; the situation is too serious for nonsense of any kind.” Özdemir emphasized that he is striving for a center-right coalition and intends to lead the government, calling for a swift government formation.

Update, 2:26 PM: Green Party Chairwoman Franziska Brantner has dismissed proposals for a rotation principle for the office of state premier in Baden-Württemberg. Referring to the CDU, Brantner said, “I thought you were against lifestyle part-time work. We are for full-time state premiers.” The Greens and CDU have the same number of seats in the new state parliament. This led some voices within the CDU to call for sharing the office of state premier between Manuel Hagel and Cem Özdemir.

The Green’s leading candidate in Baden-Württemberg was not present at the press conference in Berlin on Monday. “Mr. Özdemir is in Stuttgart, but was connected this morning,” Brantner explained. There was a “good, honest exchange” in Stuttgart, but no positions are being assigned at this time.

Results of the Baden-Württemberg State Election: Merz Also Criticizes Green Campaign

Update, 1:48 PM: Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz assessed the election in Baden-Württemberg at a press conference in Berlin. He said that the CDU was the only party of the political center to gain votes. The gains showed that the CDU is well-positioned in the political center in Baden-Württemberg. However, he acknowledged that they did not win the election.

“This comeback is primarily a personal victory for Cem Özdemir,” Merz continued. He distanced himself from his own party during the election campaign. Merz thanked Manuel Hagel for an “committed election campaign.” “This is the result we have to deal with.” There will be no blame game from Berlin to Stuttgart, or vice versa. With a view to the equal number of seats in the state parliament, Merz spoke of a “stalemate.”

Merz also addressed the last weeks of the election campaign. “There was a campaign from within the Greens against Manuel Hagel that extended into his family. These are the same people who then demonstrate against hate and incitement on the net. It would have been good if that had been avoided.” According to Merz, the CDU is a bourgeois and therefore a decent party.

Results of the Baden-Württemberg State Election: CDU Politician Calls for Rotation Principle for State Premiership

Update, 1:06 PM: Following the election in Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart Mayor Frank Nopper has challenged the Green’s claim to lead the government. Given the deadlock in the state parliament, Nopper sees “no clear winner” and is calling for a rotation principle for the office of state premier. “I advocate the introduction of a rotation principle and, in the event of a black-green or green-black coalition, the alternating occupation of the office of state premier by the Greens and then by the CDU,” Nopper told the Bild newspaper.

Green winner Cem Özdemir currently leads with 27,000 votes over CDU top candidate Manuel Hagel, but when first and second votes are combined, the Union received 480,000 more votes than the Greens. Both parties have the same number of seats in the state parliament. With a view to the “extremely unfair” election campaign of the Greens, Nopper demanded concessions for a coalition formation.

Update, 12:25 PM: According to TV station phoenix, a so-called “Israeli solution” was also discussed in CDU circles. This involves two parties sharing the office of state premier – for example, through a change after half of the legislative period. According to information from phoenix, however, this approach has been rejected for Baden-Württemberg. CDU top candidate Manuel Hagel made it clear on Sunday evening that the responsibility for forming a coalition lies with Özdemir and the Greens.

Results of the Baden-Württemberg State Election: CDU Accuses Greens of “Dirty Campaign”

Update, 11:37 AM: CDU Deputy Secretary General Christina Stumpp has accused the Greens in Baden-Württemberg of a “dirty campaign” during the election campaign. “The Greens claim to always want to avoid hate and incitement on the net, but they themselves stirred up hate and incitement on the net, the Greens in Baden-Württemberg,” Stumpp said in an interview with phoenix.

CDU top candidate Manuel Hagel even received death threats, which had nothing to do with a fair election campaign. “The trust has been somewhat destroyed,” Stumpp said – nevertheless, the ball now lies with the Greens to form a government.

Despite Setback in Baden-Württemberg Election: Dürr Wants to Continue as FDP Leader

Update, 11:12 AM: In Berlin, FDP leader Christian Dürr is addressing the microphones. The party leader thanks the state association in Baden-Württemberg for a campaign under “extremely difficult” conditions. Trust is not regained overnight, but in a “marathon,” Dürr continues. He intends to continue this process – the party leader does not appear to be considering resigning.

Update, 10:33 AM: Following the setbacks in the Baden-Württemberg state election, the SPD and CDU intend to maintain their course at the federal level. SPD Secretary General Tim Klüssendorf said Monday in Berlin that drawing conclusions from the election results was “not so simple.” “We have a fixed roadmap. We have major reforms this year ahead of us, which we must now also push through,” said the SPD General.

Klüssendorf pointed out that the governing coalition had just corrected the citizen’s allowance. Notably, 80 percent of voters indicated in analyses that they did not believe the federal government was doing a good job.

AfD Candidate Wants to Tear Down “Silly Firewall”

Update, 10:11 AM: AfD top candidate Markus Frohnmaier speaks at the press conference on Monday of a “very good result” for his party. He says they are the only relevant opposition force in Baden-Württemberg. Frohnmaier appeals to the CDU to tear down the “silly firewall” to the AfD and enter into a coalition with the AfD. Both the CDU and AfD were the only two parties to gain votes in the election on Sunday. “A mandate should emerge from this,” Frohnmaier concludes.

“The Greens are not a reliable partner,” Frohnmaier says with a view to the election campaign. “Hagel was thrown under the bus eleven days before this election, by the Greens,” he continues. The slight losses of the Greens of 2.4 percentage points, Frohnmaier interprets as a decision by voters against Green politics.

Update, 9:25 AM: Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has arrived at the CDU headquarters in Berlin this morning to discuss the results of the state election in Baden-Württemberg with the party officials. Baden-Württemberg’s top candidate Manuel Hagel will meet the Chancellor for a joint press conference at noon. Top candidates from the coalition partner SPD will also participate in the meetings. An internal discussion will take place before the joint appearance of Merz and Hagel.

Brantner on Baden-Württemberg State Election: “We Can Learn”

Update, 8:39 AM: The Greens’ success in Baden-Württemberg has sparked a debate within the federal party about direction and style. Party leader Franziska Brantner explained in Deutschlandfunk that lessons could be learned from the state election. “We can learn that we are ambitious in our goals, pragmatic in our approach, and that the well-being of the country should come before party interests.”

Co-leader Felix Banaszak sees the victory as proof that the Greens can win elections from the center. Özdemir proved this in Baden-Württemberg – a model that should now also be applied at the federal level: “We want the Greens to become a guiding force for broad sections of the population again,” Banaszak said in ARD’s morning magazine.

Update, 8:20 AM: Despite electoral reform, the proportion of women in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament remains almost unchanged: 33.8 percent of the 157 members of parliament are women – a hardly measurable improvement compared to the nearly 33 percent of the previous legislative period, reports dpa. The reform gave the parties more control over candidate selection via state lists in order to overcome the long-criticized “bosses” at the grassroots level. The Greens, CDU and SPD showed fully balanced on their top ten lists – the FDP occupied three of the first ten places with women, while the AfD only one.