Six days before the presumed end of his term, Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg (Greens), paid a farewell visit to federal chancellor Friedrich Merz’s offices in Berlin on Thursday. Photos released by the Federal Press Office showed the 77-year-old Kretschmann arriving in high spirits and being greeted by the host, who is seven years his junior. The specific topics of their discussion were not initially made public.
Kretschmann has served as the Minister-President since 2011, a historic achievement as the first and only Green party leader governing a German federal state. He also holds the distinction of being the oldest serving minister-president in Germany. On Friday, he is also scheduled to make a final public appearance in the Bundesrat.
In the state election held in March, Kretschmann did not run for re-election. Instead, his party colleague, Cem Özdemir, secured a relative majority and is forming a coalition with the CDU. Özdemir is expected to be elected the new Minister-President on May 13th.
