German Green Party leaders step down after elections defeat

BERLIN

The co-chairs of Germany’s Green Party have announced their decision to step down on Wednesday after their party's humiliating defeat in the regional elections.

Omid Nouripour and Ricarda Lang told a press conference in Berlin that they will not stand as candidates at the party’s upcoming conference in November, ahead of general elections next year.

"We have come to the conclusion that a new start is needed," Nouripour said, adding that the Green Party’s defeat in the Brandenburg elections on Sunday was “a testament to the deepest crisis of the party” for a decade.

Lang said “new faces” are now needed to lead the party out of this crisis amid a string of electoral defeats, and growing criticisms directed at the party’s leadership.

“Now is not the time to stick to the chair at all costs. Now is the time to take responsibility, and we are taking that responsibility by enabling a fresh start,” Lang added.

The pro-environment Green Party, which is part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition, suffered heavy losses in regional elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia this month, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged and made historic gains.

The Greens failed to pass the 5% election threshold in both Brandenburg and Thuringia, and they were ejected from regional parliaments in these eastern German states.