Manuel Hagel, the CDU’s top candidate in Baden‑Württemberg, said after the state election that the initiative for coalition talks should first go to the Greens. “The responsibility for forming a government now rests with Bündnis 90/Die Grüne if their numbers hold up” he told ARD on Sunday evening. “The ball is now in the Greens’ field”.
Hagel added that, in the coming days, the CDU will discuss the next steps “with clear heads” within its state board and parliamentary faction. He remarked that a possible deputy prime minister position for him is not yet a question at this stage.
According to the latest exit‑poll calculations from ARD and ZDF, the Greens are expected to average 31.4 percent, putting them ahead of the CDU’s 29.8 percent. If the green‑black coalition continues, Cem Özdemir, the Greens’ candidate for premier, is likely to become prime minister. While the CDU could technically partner with the AfD, which is projected to get 18.2 percent, the Christian Democrats reject that option. The SPD’s result was poor, with only 5.5 percent, and both the FDP and the Left are excluded from the state parliament, each receiving 4.4 percent.
