The Greens party was the most voted party this Sunday in southern Germany, with 32% of the votes, closely followed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 29%, according to the first polls after the polls closed. In third position was the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) with 17.5%, followed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 5.5%, indicates the exit poll by the German public broadcaster ARD.
The environmentalists manage, if the data is confirmed, to remain in power in a federated state that until 2011 had traditionally been in the hands of the CDU, with which they now govern in coalition.
The great popularity of the federal president of the party from 2008 to 2018 and former Minister of Agriculture of Germany (2021-2025), although far from his predecessor Winfried Kretschmann, was decisive in a very close election campaign in recent weeks that was focused on the economy, since it is a region highly dependent on exports and affected by the crisis in the automotive industry.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has traditionally never had much support in this State, while the AfD has taken its toll on being embroiled in the final stretch in new accusations of nepotism against its candidate, Markus Frohnmaier, after it came to light that his wife, his father and his sister work or have worked for other AfD deputies. It was also not well received that he withdrew from the final campaign rally.
The environmentalists will continue to govern a State in which they made history in 2011 by managing for the first time to place one of their candidates at the head of one of the countries Germans. more focused on the economy than on climate protection and who in recent times has advocated for a stricter immigration policy than his party at the federal level, has governed for 15 years in the region, neighboring Bavaria.
At 77 years old, after three terms of coalition government – the first with the social democrats and the next two with the conservatives – and with high approval ratings, which at times reached 84%, he decided not to run for re-election.
Baden-Württemberg has a lot of weight in Germany. It is the third largest state in area, with 11.2 million inhabitants, and registered a gross domestic product (GDP) of around 650 billion euros in 2024, according to the Federal Statistical Office, which represents more than 15% of Germany’s total economic performance. Large companies such as the car manufacturers Mercedes and Porsche, the automotive supplier Bosch or the software company SAP have their headquarters in this State, whose capital is Stuttgart.
It is also known for its network of small and medium-sized companies with numerous global leaders in specialized sectors and market niches. Furthermore, while the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 4.8%, is well below the federal average of 6.6%, it is the highest level of unemployment since 2007, almost 20 years.
These elections, in which 7.7 million people were called to the polls – the highest census after lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 – are the starting signal for a year with a total of six regional elections. Elections will be held in Rhineland-Palatinate in two weeks, and in September in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
