Greens elect leader and prepare for Merkel talks

Katrin Göring-Eckardt, 47, who stood alongside Jürgen Trittin as the Green’s chancellor candidate in the elections on September 22nd, was this week elected leader of the group in the German Parliament.

She won the contest by 41 votes to 20 against Kerstin Andreae. Her co-leader will be Anton Hofreiter, 43.

One of her first tasks will be to meet Merkel’s CDU/CSU union on Thursday which comfortably won the elections but did not gain a majority, meaning they must now find a coalition partner.

Eight leading members of the Green Party will meet Merkel’s union for preliminary talks about a possible coalition. The Union has also opened negotiations with Germany’s second biggest party, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

But to the disappointment of some CSU and CDU members, the Greens are bringing along their failed chancellor candidate Jürgen Trittin, described as “yesterday’s man” by CSU General Secretary Alexander Dobrindt. He called on the Greens to make a fresh start without him.

And there is also hostility on the side of the Green’s who believe Bavaria‘s conservative CSU has no interest in forming a government with them. But Chancellor Merkel has pledged to take the talks seriously.

READ MORE: Green Party warms up to Merkel coalition

DPA/The Local/tsb

Follow us on Twitter @thelocalgermany

Like The Local Germany on Facebook