Germany’s Greens re-elect leadership duo after electoral wins

And with the party polling at 20 percent or more, they made it clear they were aiming for a place in government.

The 800 delegates gathered for their annual congress at Bielefeld, western Germany, voted overwhelming to keep Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck in place — with 97.1 and 90.4 percent respectively.

Both scores were significantly higher than the January 2018 votes that initially appointed them.

The charismatic pair have been given the credit for the subsequent electoral performances, raising hopes in the party that they get to play a greater role in national politics in the future.

The Congress still has to decide on who will be its named candidate for next year’s legislative elections.

That is expected to be between 49-year-old Habeck and Baerbock, who is 10 years younger.

Both are seen as part of the more pragmatic, centrist part of the party, which is in constant tension with the more uncompromising radicals.

The party’s recent strong showings are at least in part due to growing concern about climate change, which many in Germany regard as a climate crisis.

Article source: https://www.thelocal.de/20191117/germanys-greens-re-elect-leadership-duo-after-electoral-wins