Editing Alliance 90/The Greens (section)

===2005–2021: In opposition===
[[File:Bundestag 2009 Buendnisgruene.svg|thumb|250px|right|Map showing Alliance 90/The Greens vote in each of the German constituencies at the [[2009 German federal election]]]]
For almost two years after the federal election in 2005, the Greens were not part of any government at the state or federal level. In June 2007, the Greens in [[Bremen]] entered into a coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) following the [[2007 Bremen state election]].
[[File:Greens in Government G-Coordination.png|thumb|Professionalization of G-Coordination since 2007]]
In April 2008, following the [[2008 Hamburg state election]], the Green-Alternative List (GAL) in [[Hamburg]] entered into a coalition with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the first {{interlanguage link|Schwarz-grüne Koalition|de|lt=such}} state-level coalition in Germany. Although the GAL had to agree to the deepening of the [[Elbe]] River, the construction of a new [[coal-fired power station]] and two road projects they had opposed, they also received some significant concessions from the CDU. These included reforming state schools by increasing the number of primary school [[educational stage]]s, the restoration of trams as public transportation in the [[city-state]], and more [[Pedestrian zone|pedestrian-friendly]] real estate development. On 29 November 2010, the coalition collapsed, resulting in [[2011 Hamburg state election|an election]] that was won by SPD.

Following the [[2009 Saarland state election|Saarland state election]] of August 2009, The Greens held the balance of power after a close election where no two-party coalitions could create a stable [[majority government]]. After negotiations, the Saarland Greens rejected the option of a left-wing 'red-red-green' coalition with the SPD and [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] ({{Lang|de|Die Linke}}) in order to form a centre-right state government with the CDU and [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP), a historical first time that a [[Jamaica coalition (politics)|Jamaica coalition]] has formed in German politics.

In June 2010, in the first state election following the victory of the [[CDU/CSU]] and FDP in the [[2009 German federal election|2009 federal election]], the "black-yellow" CDU-FDP coalition in [[North Rhine-Westphalia]] under [[Jürgen Rüttgers]] lost its majority. The Greens and the SPD came one seat short of a governing majority, but after multiple negotiations about coalitions of SPD and Greens with either the FDP or The Left, the SPD and Greens decided to form a [[minority government]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,701274,00.html |title=Krafts Machtplan: Rot-Grün plant Minderheitsregierung in NRW |newspaper=Der Spiegel |date=17 June 2010 |publisher=Spiegel.de |access-date=3 June 2012|last1=Brandt |first1=Andrea |last2=Medick |first2=Veit }}</ref> which was possible because under the [[constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia]] a plurality of seats is sufficient to elect a [[Minister-President|minister-president]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://recht.nrw.de/lmi/owa/br_text_anzeigen?v_id=2320020927105939563#det364590|title=Gesetze und Verordnungen – Landesrecht NRW|author=Ministerium für Inneres und Kommunales des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Referat|work=nrw.de|access-date=13 October 2016}}</ref> So a red-green government in a state where it was defeated under [[Peer Steinbrück]] in 2005 came into office again on 14 June 2010 with the election of [[Hannelore Kraft]] as minister-president ([[Cabinet Kraft I]]).

The Greens founded the first international chapter of a German political party in the U.S. on 13 April 2008 at the [[Goethe-Institut]] in Washington D.C. Its main goal is "to provide a platform for politically active and green-oriented German citizens, in and beyond Washington D.C., to discuss and actively participate in German Green politics. [...] to foster professional and personal exchange, channeling the outcomes towards the political discourse in Germany."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gruene-washington.de/about-us/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928072416/http://gruene-washington.de/about-us/|url-status=dead|title=Grüner Ortsverband Washington: About us|archive-date=28 September 2009}}</ref>

In March 2011 (two weeks after the [[Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster|Fukushima nuclear disaster]] had begun), the Greens made large gains in [[2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election|Rhineland-Palatinate]] and in [[2011 Baden-Württemberg state election|Baden-Württemberg]]. In Baden-Württemberg they became the senior partner in a governing coalition for the first time. [[Winfried Kretschmann]] is now the first Green to serve as [[Minister-President]] of a German State ([[Cabinet Kretschmann I]] and [[Cabinet Kretschmann II|II]]). Polling data from August 2011 indicated that one in five Germans supported the Greens.<ref name="nytgrowth">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/world/europe/02greens.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |title=Greens Gain in Germany, and the World Takes Notice |last=Kulish |first=Nicholas |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1 September 2011 |access-date=2 September 2011}}</ref> From 4 October 2011 to [[2016 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election|4 September 2016]], the party was represented in all state parliaments.

Like the Social Democrats, the Greens backed Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] on most bailout votes in the German parliament during her second term, saying their pro-European stances overrode party politics.<ref>Tony Czuczka and Patrick Donahue (24 September 2013), [Merkel's Cold Embrace Leaves SPD Wary of Coalition Talks] ''[[Bloomberg News]]''.</ref> Shortly before the elections, the party plummeted to a four-year low in the polls, undermining efforts by [[Peer Steinbrück]]'s Social Democrats to unseat Merkel.<ref>Patrick Donahue (11 September 2013), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-11/germany-s-greens-slump-dimming-spd-chances-of-unseating-merkel.html Germany's Greens Slump, Dimming SPD Chances of Unseating Merkel] ''[[Bloomberg News]]''.</ref> While being in opposition on the federal level since 2005, the Greens have established themselves as a powerful force in Germany's political system. By 2016, the Greens had joined 11 out of 16 state governments in a variety of coalitions.<ref name="Jungjohann-2017">{{Cite web|url=https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/greens_in_government.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019170632/https://eu.boell.org/sites/default/files/greens_in_government.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2018 |url-status=live|title=German Greens in Coalition Governments. A Political Analysis|last=Jungjohann|first=Arne|date=2017|website=eu.boell.org|publisher=Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union and Green European Foundation|access-date=14 January 2019}}</ref> Over the years, they have built up an informal structure called G-coordination to organize interests between the federal party office, the parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and the Greens governing on the state level.<ref name="Jungjohann-2017" />

The Greens remained the smallest of six parties in the Bundestag in the [[2017 German federal election|2017 federal election]], winning 8.9% of votes. After the election, they entered into talks for a [[Jamaica coalition (politics)|Jamaica coalition]] with the CDU and FDP. Discussions collapsed after the FDP withdrew in November.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Paun |first1=Carmen |title=Angela Merkel Ready to Move Forward with Jamaica Coalition |url=http://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-ready-to-move-forward-with-jamaica-coalition/ |date=7 October 2017 |publisher=[[Politico]] |access-date=9 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=FDP bricht Jamaika-Sondierungen ab|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/eilmeldung/eilmeldung-3173.html|publisher=tagesschau|date=20 November 2017|access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref>

After the federal election and unsuccessful Jamaica negotiations, the party held elections for two new co-leaders; incumbents Özdemir and Peter did not stand for re-election. [[Robert Habeck]] and [[Annalena Baerbock]] were elected with 81% and 64% of votes, respectively. Habeck had served as deputy premier and environment minister in [[Schleswig-Holstein]] since 2012, while Baerbock had been a leading figure in the party's Brandenburg branch since 2009. Their election was considered a break with tradition, as they were both members of the moderate wing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/annalena-baerbock-robert-habeck-german-greens-elect-new-leadership-duo/|title=German Greens elect new leadership duo|date=27 January 2018|publisher=[[Politico]]}}</ref>

The Greens saw a major surge in support during the [[2018 Bavarian state election|Bavarian]] and [[2018 Hessian state election|Hessian]] state elections in October 2018, becoming the second largest party in both.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45835795|title=Bavaria election: German conservatives lose their fizz|publisher=bbc.com|date=14 October 2018|access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46012098|title=Germany election: Further blow for Merkel in Hesse|publisher=bbc.com|date=28 October 2018|access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> They subsequently rose to second place behind the CDU/CSU in national polling, averaging between 17% and 20% over the next six months.<ref name="pollofpoll">{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/germany/|title=Poll of Polls – Germany|date=15 February 2022|publisher=pollofpolls.eu}}</ref>
[[File:2019 European election in Germany - Greens results.svg|thumb|250px|right|A map showing the percentage of votes won by the Greens by district and state in the [[2019 European Parliament election in Germany|2019 European Parliament election]]. Darker shades indicate a higher vote share.]]
In the [[2019 European Parliament election in Germany|2019 European Parliament election]], the Greens achieved their best ever result in a national election, placing second with 20.5% of the vote and winning 21 seats.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.de/20190526/greens-surge-amid-heavy-losses-for-germanys-ruling-parties-in-eu-elections-exit-poll|title=Greens surge amid heavy losses for Germany's ruling parties in EU election|date=26 May 2019|access-date=29 May 2019}}</ref> National polling released after the election showed a major boost for the party. The first poll after the election, conducted by Forsa, showed the Greens in first place on 27%. This was the first time the Greens had ever been in first place in a national opinion poll, and the first time in the history of the Federal Republic that any party other than the CDU/CSU or SPD had placed first in a national poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-politics-poll-idUSKCN1T23F7|title=Germany's Greens shoot into first place in poll, overtaking Merkel's conservatives|date=2 June 2019|access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref> This trend continued as polls from May to July showed the CDU/CSU and Greens trading first place, after which point the CDU/CSU pulled ahead once more. The Greens continued to poll in the low 20% range into early 2020.<ref name="pollofpoll"/>

The Greens recorded best-ever results in the [[2019 Brandenburg state election|Brandenburg]] (10.8%) and [[2019 Saxony state election|Saxony]] (8.6%) state elections in September 2019, and subsequently joined coalition governments in both states.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brandenburg: Dietmar Woidke als Ministerpräsident wiedergewählt: Landtagswahl Brandenburg 2019: Endgültiges Ergebnis |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/brandenburg-dietmar-woidke-von-kenia-koalition-zum-ministerpraesidenten-gewaehlt-a-1297353.html |website=Spiegel Online |date=20 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mdr.de/sachsen/politik/regierung-kenia-koalitionsvertrag-unterzeichnet-100.html|title=Sachsens Kenia-Regierung ist besiegelt|publisher=MDR.de|date=20 December 2019}}</ref> They suffered an unexpected decline in the [[2019 Thuringian state election|Thuringian]] election in October, only narrowing retaining their seats with 5.2%. In the February [[2020 Hamburg state election]], the Greens became the second largest party, winning 24.2% of votes cast.<ref>{{Cite news|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/23/far-right-afd-ejected-from-hamburg-state-parliament-after-attack|title=Merkel's CDU suffers worst ever result in Hamburg elections|date=23 February 2020|work=The Guardian|access-date=24 February 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In March 2021, the Greens improved their performance in [[2021 Baden-Württemberg state election|Baden-Württemberg]], where they remained the strongest party with 32.6% of votes, and [[2021 Rhineland-Palatinate state election|Rhineland-Palatinate]], where they moved into third place with 9.3%.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/baden-wuerttemberg-alle-ergebnisse-der-landtagswahl-2021-im-ueberblick-a-181b2648-0398-46f6-a854-22115d9c396b|title=This is how Baden-Württemberg voted – current results|date=15 March 2021|publisher=[[Der Spiegel]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/rheinland-pfalz-alle-ergebnisse-der-landtagswahl-2021-im-ueberblick-a-6c819b8d-2b10-404a-99f9-1110ec3ede2e|title=This is how Rhineland-Palatinate voted – current results|date=15 March 2021|publisher=[[Der Spiegel]]}}</ref>

Due to their sustained position as the second most popular party in national polling ahead of the [[2021 German federal election|September 2021 federal election]], the Greens chose to forgo the traditional dual lead-candidacy in favour of selecting a single Chancellor candidate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fr.de/politik/gruene-baerbock-habeck-bundestagswahl-2021-spitzenkandidat-kanzler-deutschland-news-90326625.html|title=Greens: Baerbock or Habeck – what speaks for whom?|date=7 April 2021|publisher=[[Frankfurter Rundschau]]|access-date=12 April 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412022217/https://www.fr.de/politik/gruene-baerbock-habeck-bundestagswahl-2021-spitzenkandidat-kanzler-deutschland-news-90326625.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Co-leader Annalena Baerbock was announced as Chancellor candidate on 19 April<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/buendnis-90-die-gruenen-annalena-baerbock-soll-kanzlerkandidatin-werden-a-051558bb-f24a-42da-85f9-bf069de0c3f8|title=Annalena Baerbock is to run as a candidate for chancellor for the Greens|date=19 April 2021|language=de|publisher=[[Der Spiegel]]|access-date=19 April 2021|archive-date=19 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419090525/https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/buendnis-90-die-gruenen-annalena-baerbock-soll-kanzlerkandidatin-werden-a-051558bb-f24a-42da-85f9-bf069de0c3f8|url-status=live}}</ref> and formally confirmed on 12 June with 98.5% approval.<ref>{{cite news |title=German Greens confirm Annalena Baerbock as chancellor candidate |url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-greens-confirm-annalena-baerbock-as-chancellor-candidate/a-57868627 |access-date=12 June 2021 |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |date=12 June 2021}}</ref>
[[File:2021 German federal election - Greens result.svg|thumb|250px|right|A map showing the percentage of votes won by the Greens by constituency and state in the 2021 federal election. Darker shades indicate a higher vote share.]]
The Greens surged in opinion polls in late April and May, briefly surpassing the CDU as the most popular party in the country, but their numbers slipped back after Baerbock was caught up in several controversies. Her personal popularity also fell below that of both [[Armin Laschet]] and [[Olaf Scholz]], the Chancellor candidates for the CDU and SPD, respectively. The party's fortunes did not reverse even after the [[2021 European floods|July floods]], which saw climate change return as the most important issue among voters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/11/germanys-greens-were-riding-high-in-the-polls-but-fell-from-grace.html|title=The Greens were once favorites ahead of Germany's 'rollercoaster' election, but not anymore|date=11 August 2021|website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> The situation worsened in August as the SPD surged into first place to the detriment of both the CDU and Greens.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/german-election-spd-makes-major-gains-against-merkels-cdu/a-59066377|title=German election: SPD makes major gains against Merkel's CDU|date=2 September 2021|website=[[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref>