Germany's climate-focused Greens elect new leadership duo

Germany’s Greens party has elected a new leadership team that has vowed to continue fighting for the party’s core issues, especially combating climate change, as it adjusts to its role in Germany’s new governing coalition

VIENNA -- Germany’s Greens party elected a new leadership team Saturday that vowed to continue fighting for the party’s core issues, especially combating climate change, as it adjusts to its role in Germany’s new governing coalition.

Omid Nouripour, 46, and Ricarda Lang, 28, will serve as the party’s co-leaders. They are replacing Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck, who had led the party since 2018 but have both taken ministerial posts in Germany’s new government. Baerbock is the country's new foreign minister while Habeck is a vice chancellor and minister for economics and climate.

In December, the three-party coalition between the center-left Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats took office under Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The government marks a new era after 16 years of Angela Merkel’s leadership, and the Greens' first time in government since 2005.

The Greens traditionally have two leaders on the national level, one woman and one man. Lang ran unopposed while Nouripour had two challengers but won easily.