Greens in Brandenburg: state chair resigns – politics

The co-chair of the Greens in Brandenburg, Julia Schmidt, has resigned – at the urging of the board of the state party. The party no longer has confidence in Schmidt for further cooperation, the board justified the decision. He accused the 29-year-old of misconduct, without being specific.

currently rule the green in Brandenburg in a “Kenya” coalition with SPD and CDU. The resignation comes at a bad time for the Greens in view of the upcoming election.

The Green party executive announced in writing that it had withdrawn its confidence in Schmidt at the board meeting on Friday evening. She is the invitation to resignation complied. Without further explanation, the board announced: “Previous cases of intolerable misconduct had preceded it.” The delegates are to decide on the successor in April.

“Don’t wash dirty laundry”

Green Party leader Alexandra Pichl, who formed a dual leadership with Schmidt, made a different statement than the state executive. She spoke of a breach of trust. “In the last few weeks and months we have had the impression that Julia is mainly on her own behalf and not on behalf of the national association,” she said. “She didn’t keep her word either and she destroyed trust in the long term.”

rbb24 said Pichl that Schmidt had bypassed committees and “made false statements”. However, in the interest of the national association and in the interest of Ms. Schmidt, she “does not want to wash dirty laundry”. As the broadcaster reports, there is said to have been a dispute in the party about the right strategy for the 2024 state election campaign, at the end of which Schmidt was alone.

Schmidt himself initially did not comment on these allegations. Rather, she spoke of a personal decision and tweeted that she was paving the way for a reorganization of the national association and wanted to devote herself to her studies. The politics student from Hohen Neuendorf has been at the head of the state party together with Pichl since 2019.

“Public night out, that’s not the fine English way”

The CDU parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann regretted the resignation and used it to criticize the Green Party. “The Brandenburg Greens are losing one of their most prominent figures. They never made it easy for the CDU,” said Redmann. But “I’ve seen her creative and able to compromise in negotiations. That will be missing.” He wrote on Twitter: “Public night out, that’s not the fine English way. Where’s the respect in that?”

The SPD did not comment on the resignation. SPD general secretary David Kolesnyk said it was an internal matter for the Greens that had no impact on the coalition.

Schmidt shared a statement on her resignation via Twitter: “Brandenburg’s parties are currently faced with the task of preparing themselves for the 2024 state election in terms of content and personnel.” She personally decided not to be available as a top candidate. “I would rather first complete my studies, which has recently become increasingly difficult to achieve alongside my political work.”

Schmidt had recently repeatedly criticized coalition partners. She repeatedly campaigned for a faster exit from lignite in Lusatia and said that the expansion of renewable energies should not be screwed up by the SPD and CDU. In 2021 she called for better cooperation in the coalition.

In 2005, a Green state chairman resigned in Brandenburg – because of an illegally employed cleaning lady. In 2012, a court sentenced the treasurer of the national association to prison. He had taken 270,000 euros from the party coffers.