Baden-Württemberg: Greens and CDU Agree on Ministry Distribution After Intense Talks

The Greens and the CDU in Baden-Württemberg reached a preliminary agreement on departmental allocation late Tuesday, with the Greens securing six ministries including the Finance portfolio, while the CDU claimed six posts including the Interior Ministry and the position of Deputy Minister-President. The deal followed weeks of exploratory talks that repeatedly stalled over the CDU's sweeping demands for control of the state government's most powerful departments. Cem Özdemir, the Greens' designated Minister-President, held firm on retaining Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz in his post, drawing a clear line against CDU ambitions in that area. The agreement came after a new Allensbach Institute survey showed the Greens rising to 32 percent in voter intentions while the CDU fell to 26 percent, below its March 8 election result.

The Baden-Württemberg state election on March 8, 2026, produced a narrow Greens victory, with the party receiving 30.2 percent of the vote against the CDU's 29.7 percent. The Greens have led the state government in Stuttgart for over a decade, with the CDU serving as junior coalition partner. Danyal Bayaz has served as Baden-Württemberg's Finance Minister since May 2021. Nicole Razavi has held the Ministry for Regional Development and Housing since May 2021 as well. The AfD finished as the third-strongest party in the March election with 19 percent, making it the largest opposition bloc in the state parliament.

CDU entered talks demanding seven of twelve ministries The CDU entered the exploratory talks with demands that observers described as disproportionate to its second-place finish. According to reporting by the Frankfurter Allgemeine, the party sought seven of the twelve ministries in addition to the State Ministry, along with the transfer of core competencies from Green-led to CDU-led departments. The CDU also pushed, contrary to standard procedure, to fix the cabinet structure and departmental distribution during the exploratory phase rather than waiting for formal coalition negotiations. Within CDU circles, ambitions circulated for the Finance Ministry, which Bayaz has led since 2021, as well as for the Interior, Education, and Economy portfolios. The Greens described the CDU's posture as an attempt to "occupy all the key departments," according to Die Welt, and felt compelled to send what sources described as a "stop signal" toward the end of last week. The talks were so focused on power distribution that participants within the negotiation groups referred to them as "premature coalition negotiations."

6 (ministries per side) — each party receives equal share of cabinet posts

Greens: 32, CDU: 26, AfD: 22

Hagel set for Interior Ministry, Strobl eyed for parliament presidency Manuel Hagel, the CDU's state parliamentary group chairman and lead negotiator, is being considered for the post of Deputy Minister-President and Interior Minister, replacing his predecessor Thomas Strobl. Strobl, according to Die Welt, is being considered for President of the State Parliament, a post previously held by the Greens. The Greens agreed to this arrangement specifically because it allowed them to keep Bayaz at the Finance Ministry, a position the CDU had coveted. The ten-page exploratory paper produced by the two sides was described by Die Welt as already reading like the essence of a coalition agreement. The CDU's side of the cabinet will cover Europe, Interior, Education, Economy, Transport, Justice, and Agriculture, while the Greens retain the State Ministry, Finance, Science, Environment, Social Affairs, and Construction. The distribution gives the CDU a respectable result, though Die Welt noted it falls short of the party's initial expectations.

Baden-Württemberg cabinet allocation: CDU demands vs. outcome: CDU ministry count demanded (before: 7 of 12 (plus State Ministry), after: 6 of 12 (plus Deputy Minister-President post)); Finance Ministry (before: CDU demanded control, after: Retained by Greens under Danyal Bayaz); Interior Ministry (before: Held by Thomas Strobl (CDU), after: Manuel Hagel (CDU) designated as successor)

Özdemir collected sympathy points as CDU unrest grew internally The prolonged negotiations generated visible tension within the CDU's own ranks, with unrest over Hagel's conduct of the talks spreading among party members, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine. The new Allensbach survey, showing voters would punish the CDU rather than the Greens for the delay, appeared to inject a dose of realism into the CDU's negotiating position. The Frankfurter Allgemeine noted that voters primarily desired swift government formation and smooth coalition cooperation, and that Özdemir had been the main beneficiary of public goodwill during the weeks of talks. Nicole Razavi, the CDU's current Minister for Regional Development and Housing, had accused the Greens three weeks after the election of having deprived the CDU of victory through what she called a "smear campaign," a sign of how difficult the party found it to accept its narrow defeat. A majority of both CDU and Green supporters, according to the Allensbach survey, expressed a wish for a joint state government between the two parties. Formal coalition negotiations are expected to follow the exploratory agreement, with Özdemir on course to be elected Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg.