Germany’s Greens to Join Coalition
The environmentalist Greens party voted Saturday to join Germany’s government for the first time, paving the way for a new center-left administration to take power this week.
Founded 19 years ago as a loose band of peace protesters, anti-nuclear activists and feminists, the Greens battled over the party’s soul for 16 hours Saturday before deciding on the historic step.
Delegates voted nearly unanimously to back the coalition pact sealed last week with the Social Democrats, who won Sept. 27 elections but need a junior partner to secure a majority in parliament.
Approval by the Greens was the last major hurdle to the new center-left government’s swearing-in, set for Tuesday. The Social Democrats’ vote today on the coalition deal was expected to go smoothly.
A Green, Joschka Fischer, is in line to become foreign minister, one of three designated Cabinet members from the small environmental party. One of them is a woman, Andrea Fischer. She is designated to be health minister.
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