Editing Renate Künast (section)

===Career in state politics===
Since 1979, Künast has been a member of the [[German Green Party]] (''Bündnis 90/Die Grünen''), first in the Alternative List in [[West Berlin]]. In the 1990s she was member of parliament and chairwoman of the Green Party's group in the [[Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin|state parliament]] of Berlin. During that time, she won cross-party respect for her leading role in drafting a new democratic constitution for the reunified city-state.<ref>[http://www.politico.eu/article/germanys-urban-cowgirl/ Germany's urban cowgirl] ''[[European Voice]]'', 31 January 2001.</ref> Künast eventually became the party's spokeswoman for legal issues. In 1998, she re-assumed the floor leadership post alongside [[Michaele Schreyer]].<ref>[http://www.politico.eu/article/germanys-urban-cowgirl/ Germany's urban cowgirl] ''[[European Voice]]'', 31 January 2001.</ref>

In national politics, Künast came to be known as a tough negotiator for her work in drafting the national red-green coalition agreement after the [[1998 German federal election|1998 federal parliamentary elections]]. In October 1999, she was the Green' front-runner in Berlin's [[1999 Berlin state election|state elections]].

From June 2000 to March 2001, Künast served as co-chair of ''Bündnis 90/Die Grünen'' on the national level, together with [[Fritz Kuhn]].