The Berlin Green Party is currently undergoing a leadership shift, with the state delegates' conference in Berlin-Moabit set to elect a new executive board. suspended chairperson Susanne Mertens and Philmon Ghirmai, who were both elected in December 2021, will address the first results of the party's structural reform on this occasion. The discussion will also focus on a key motion titled "Transformation of the economy - new prosperity in a new era."
The upcoming election has sparked controversy, as Mertens, who belongs to the Realo wing of the party, did not gain full support and faced internal criticisms. Tanja Prinz, a representative of the Realo wing, announced her bid to run for the dual leadership alongside Ghirmai, but did not receive the necessary majority in a subsequent meeting.
Mertens subsequently announced that she would not stand again for the Board election, which leaves open the question of whether Prinz will gain a majority at the state delegates' conference and what the consequences may be. The Realos, who criticize the state executive and the course of the Berlin Greens and wish to form a stronger counterweight to the left, fear an increase in internal conflicts if Prinz succeeds.
Philmon Ghirmai, a Historian and district chairman of the greens in Neukölln, is expected to receive a majority at the conference. Despite the ongoing discussions, no other contenders have shown interest in running against him.
The key motion "Transformation of the economy - new prosperity in a new era" emphasizes the importance of climate and energy transformation and modernizing Germany's infrastructure. The Greens are pushing for a smoother transition to net-zero emissions and have suggested reforms to the debt brake to promote investment, while backing off on some of their earlier hardline climate policies.
The upcoming federal election on February 23, 2025, in Germany is highly contested, with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Friedrich Merz leading in the polls. The Greens, as part of the current coalition government with the SPD and the FDP, are in second place. Any internal conflicts within the Greens could potentially impact their performance in upcoming state and federal elections. The stability of their leadership, policy alignment, coalition dynamics, and electoral performance may all be affected.
