The Özdemir cabinet is the 26th and the current state government of Baden-Württemberg. It took office on 13 May 2026 after Alliance 90/The Greens lead candidate Cem Özdemir, a former federal minister in the Scholz Cabinet and a former federal co-chair of the Greens, was elected as Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg by the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg with support from legislators from his own party and of the Christian Democratic Union, securing 93 of the 157 votes available.
The formation of the Özdemir cabinet extended the lifespan of the first (and to date the only) Green-led state government in Germany, commenced on May 12, 2011 by his predecessor Winfried Kretschmann. It was also the Greens' first successful transfer of party leadership while retaining government leadership. Composition The 2026 Baden-Württemberg state election concluded with the two governing parties remaining the two largest parties. While the Greens again secured the most votes, the CDU achieved substantial gains and tied the Greens on seat count. Together the two parties command a super-majority of over 70% of the seats in the state parliament. The two parties conducted coalition talk in late March and early April 2026, and formally entered into a 160-page long coalition agreement on May 11, 2026, continuing a decade-old governing kiwi coalition that started with the Second Kretschmann cabinet.
The Özdemir cabinet consists of equal numbers of members of the Alliance 90/The Greens and the Christian Democratic Union, reflecting the equal parliamentary strength of the two parties. The CDU gained control of the key eduacation portfolio from the Greens, cabinet rank with voting right for one of its state secretaries, and an additional political junior minister at the interior ministry headed by its party leader Manuel Hagel. Furthermore, the CDU traded the regional development ministry for the transport ministry, with incumbent regional development minister Nicole Razavi, a vocal supporter of the contentious Stuttgart 21 project and a harsh critic of retiring transport minister Winfried Hermann (who held the transport portfolio for the previous 15 years), assuming the transport portfolio in the new government. The CDU reportedly aggressively sought the finance portfolio, but Özdemir held firm in rebuffing the demand, preserving the portfolio for his key confidant Danyal Bayaz. In addition to relinquishing the education portfolio, the Greens also eliminated a state secretary position it previously held at the regional development ministry. In total, Green members heads five ministries plus the state chancellery while CDU members head six ministries. The two parties each hold seven junior ministerial position, with one CDU junior minister holding the rank of Ministerialdirektor (historically a lower rank than Staatsminister), a title usually held by the senior civil servant of a ministry.
At its formation, four Green ministers and three CDU ministers (which included all six women in the cabinet) were incumbent ministers who continued their service from the predecessor Third Kretschmann cabinet, with four of the seven ministers retaining their cabinet portfolios. Three CDU ministers (including party leader Manuel Hagel, the cabinet's youngest member) and one Green minister joined the cabinet with no previous cabinet or junior ministerial experience, though all four have served in either the federal parliament or the state parliament since at least 2021.
In addition to the 12 portfolio ministers, state secretaries Rudi Hoogvliet of the Greens (in the State Chancellery) and Siegfried Lorek of the CDU (in the Ministry of Justice) are also voting members of the cabinet and associate members of the German Bundesrat. Both served as state secretaries in the Third Kretschmann cabinet, with Hoogvliet having attained cabinet rank in the previous cabinet. The Özdemir cabinet eliminated position of State Councillor for Civil Society and Civic Participation, held previously by independent politician Barbara Bosch, and the two non-voting seats, each held by a state secretary from the two coalition partners.
Four of the seven Greens' state secretary were incumbent state secretaries, and one other having previously served in such a role. Of the seven CDU state secretaries, Lorek was the only one with previous ministerial experience.
The Özdemir cabinet is the first government in Germany to be led by a person of Turkish background. In addition to the Minister-President, finance minister Danyal Bayaz is of Turkish descent.
Ministers
Portfolio Minister Party Tenure State secretariesStart EndMinister-PresidentState Chancellery GRÜNE Incumbent Rudi Hoogvliet (State Secretary forMedia Policy and Representativeto the Federal Government)Florian Haßler (State Secretary for PoliticalCoordination and International Affairs)Jörg Krauss (Minister of State and Head of the State Chancellery)Deputy Minister-PresidentMinister for Interior, Digitalisation and Europe CDU Incumbent Cornelia von Loga (State Secretary forDigitization and Europe) Elmar Steinbacher (State Secretary forGovernment Coordination) Reiner Moser (State Secretary for police affairs and civil protection) Ronja Kemmer (Ministerial Directorand Chief Digital Officer) Minister for Finance GRÜNE Incumbent Andrea Lindlohr Minister for Education,Youth and Sport CDU Incumbent Andreas Deuschle Minister for Science,Research and Arts GRÜNE Incumbent Nese Erikli Minister for Environment, Climate and Energy Industry GRÜNE Incumbent Andre Baumann Minister for Economics,Labour and Tourism CDU Incumbent Thomas Dörflinger Minister for Social Affairs,Health and Integration GRÜNE Incumbent Petra Krebs Minister for Food, Rural Areasand Consumer Protection CDU Incumbent Sarah Schweizer Minister for Justice and Migration CDU Incumbent Siegfried Lorek Minister for Transport CDU Incumbent Raimund Haser Minister for RegionalDevelopment and Housing GRÜNE Incumbent
Vote in the Landtag + Stuttgart, 13 May 2026 – Total seats: 157 – Absolute majority required: 79 Ballot Candidate Vote type Count Share Nominated by 1st ballot Cem Özdemir(Greens) Yes 93 59.2% Greens–CDU No 26 16.6% Abstain 4 2.5% Manuel Hagel(CDU) Yes 34 21.7% AfD Cem Özdemir was thereby elected Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg.
References