Politics of Baden-Württemberg


The Politics of Baden-Württemberg takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Baden-Württemberg. Since 1948 politics in the state has been dominated by the rightist Christian Democratic Union. However, in the 2011 election the CDU lost its majority in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg and a green–red coalition government was established.

Minister-presidents since 1952

Since the creation of the state in 1952, the state's Minister-presidents have been:
PeriodMinister-presidentPartyCoalition
1952–53Reinhold MaierFDPFDP–SPD
1953–58Gebhard MüllerCDUCDU–SPD–FDP
1958–60Kurt Georg KiesingerCDUCDU–SPD–FDP
1960–66Kurt Georg KiesingerCDUCDU–FDP
1966–72Hans FilbingerCDUCDU–SPD
1972–78Hans FilbingerCDUCDU
1978–91Lothar SpäthCDUCDU
1991–92Erwin TeufelCDUCDU
1992–96Erwin TeufelCDUCDU–SPD
1996–05Erwin TeufelCDUCDU–FDP
2005–10Günther OettingerCDUCDU–FDP
2010–11Stefan MappusCDUCDU–FDP
2011–16Winfried KretschmannGreensGreens–SPD
2016-Winfried KretschmannGreensGreens–CDU

State parliament since 1952

For election results split by party, see Elections in Baden-Württemberg.

Earlier history

The Minister-Presidents of Baden-Württemberg's predecessor states were:
StatePeriodMinister-PresidentParty
Württemberg-Hohenzollern1945–47Carlo SchmidSPD
Württemberg-Hohenzollern1947–48Lorenz BockCDU
Württemberg-Hohenzollern1948–52Gebhard MüllerCDU
Württemberg-Baden1946–52Reinhold MaierDVP, then FDP
South Baden1946–52Leo WohlebCDU

Prior to the Second World War and the regime of Nazi Germany from 1933, the largest party in both the Republic of Baden and the Free People's State of Württemberg was the Catholic Centre Party.
The leaders of the government of the Republic of Baden:
PeriodMinister-PresidentParty
1918–20Anton GeißSPD
1920–21Gustav TrunkCentre
1921–22Hermann HummelDDP
1922–23Adam RemmeleSPD
1923–24Heinrich Franz KöhlerCentre
1924–25Willy HellpachDDP
1925–26Gustav TrunkCentre
1926–27Heinrich Franz KöhlerCentre
Feb 1927 – Nov 1927Gustav TrunkCentre
Nov 1927 – 1928Adam RemmeleSPD
1928–30Josef SchmittCentre
1930–31Franz Josef WittemannCentre
1931–33Josef SchmittCentre

The leaders of the government of Württemberg 1918 – 1933:

Latest election

In the 27 March 2011 state assembly election, the ruling CDU/FDP coalition lost its majority of seats. The Alliance '90/The Greens party more than doubled its vote and its number of seats, whereas the Free Democratic Party was reduced to less than half its former result. The Greens and SDP jointly achieved a 4-seat majority over the former coalition partners. On 12 May 2011, after 58 years of CDU dominance, the new assembly elected Winfried Kretschmann as the first Green minister-president.