Berlin's Greens stuck in stagnation as Baden-Württemberg thrives
Berlin's Greens are struggling to regain their footing in the capital's political landscape. Despite a strong showing in 2011 under Renate Künast, the base party has seen little growth since then. Meanwhile, their counterparts in Baden-Württemberg just secured over 30 percent of the vote—a stark contrast to Berlin's stagnant polling numbers.
In 2011, the Greens in Berlin achieved their best result to date, winning 17.6 percent of the vote under Renate Künast's leadership. Since then, however, their support has barely shifted, rising by just 0.8 percentage points in state elections. The party's left-leaning approach in Berlin has failed to attract broader support, leaving them competing with the SPD and the Left Party for the same voter base. This strategy has effectively handed the centrist, middle-class electorate—a demographic the Greens could target—to the CDU.
The contrast with Baden-Württemberg is striking. Cem Özdemir's campaign there took a different path, adopting a pragmatic, Volkspartei style. He distanced himself from the national party, worked with figures from across the political spectrum, and even included folk music in his events. His approach, which tested traditional party lines on issues like migration and the combustion engine phase-out, turned a double-digit CDU lead into a landslide victory on March 8, 2026.
Berlin's Greens, however, locked in their election programme three weeks ago, leaving no room for last-minute adjustments. Their left-wing stance has also made potential coalitions tricky, particularly with the Left Party, whose associations with antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric pose a challenge. Meanwhile, the party's polling numbers remain at barely half the level of Baden-Württemberg's Greens—a gap that has persisted for over a year.
The Greens in Berlin face an uphill battle with limited room for manoeuvre. Their current strategy has failed to expand beyond a narrow voter base, while Baden-Württemberg's success shows an alternative path. Without a shift in approach, the party risks remaining a minor player in the capital's politics.
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