Baden-Württemberg is unique. It is the first federal state to have a Minister-President with a migrant background: Cem Özdemir. The state parliament elected him as head of government on 13 May. His party, the Greens, and the CDU had decided to form a coalition following lengthy negotiations.
Cem Özdemir describes himself as an “Anatolian Swabian”. The 60-year-old was born in Bad Urach. His parents came to Germany from Turkey in the early 1960s to work. Before Özdemir succeeded Winfried Kretschmann, he was also the first federal minister with immigrant ancestors from 2021 to 2025.
Final year of nursery school: free and compulsory
The Green-CDU state government under Özdemir’s leadership has adopted the motto “Out of responsibility for the state – Strong together in turbulent times” for its coalition agreement. The economy is set to be a key priority over the next five years. The coalition also plans to introduce a free, compulsory final year of nursery school.
Özdemir is the tenth Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg. The Deputy Minister-President is Manuel Hagel (CDU). In addition to Özdemir, the state government comprises eleven ministers – five from the Greens and six from the CDU. One of them is 38-year-old Manuel Hagel, who, as Minister of the Interior, is also responsible for digitalisation. In addition to the ministers, there are several state secretaries.
Further information:
https://stm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/presse/meldung/pid/cem-oezdemir-ist-neuer-ministerpraesident
https://www.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/regierung/mitglieder-der-landesregierung
The coalition agreement as a PDF for download:
https://stm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/fileadmin/redaktion/dateien/PDF/260506_Koalitionsvertrag_GrueneBW_CDUBW_2026-2031.pdf
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