Finally, the parliamentary holidays are over, on Wednesday the general debate is on, for the opposition traditionally the chance to settle with the federal government. An important performance for the group leaders and the Greens. But no matter whether Katrin Göring-Eckardt or Anton Hofreiter tries to take apart the coalition's policy - the question that everyone will ask is: could Cem Özdemir do it better?
The surprisingly announced combat candidate Özdemirs at the weekend for the top of the political group has left the party and its delegates in the Bundestag in great excitement. Instead of concentrating fully on the budget week, the Greens are mainly concerned with themselves. It is speculated and puzzled, what chances Özdemir and his co-candidate Kirsten Kappert-Gonther against the current fraction of the top have, what drives him, what behind his Comeback attempt is.
It had become quite quiet around Özdemir. As Chairman of the Bundestag Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure, he was mainly concerned with technical issues, fears that he might disturb the new unity from the sidelines, but they did not come true. There were seldom any great moments, one and a half years ago, when Özdemir attacked the AfD in a much-cited speech. The clip with its appearance was shared thousands of times in the network, the University of Tübingen awarded Özdemir for the "Speech of the Year".
Özdemir has many opponents
At that time, in February 2018, he was not long gone from the front row. A month earlier, he had retired as party leader after ten years. The plan to become faction leader at that time, he dropped - no prospect of a majority. The Jamaican negotiations were bursting, and with it the dream of possibly becoming foreign minister.
Now it is over with the rest, Özdemir pulls it back to the top. He wants to know again, lead the parliamentary group, which stands in the shadow of the omnipresent party double top of Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck. Özdemir believes that this must change, that he can do it better than Göring-Eckardt and Hofreiter.
In fact, not everyone is happy with the two. Especially with Hofreiter quarrel many Green supporters: Only 56 percent are according to a Civey survey with his work permanently satisfied. But of course Özdemir knows that he too does not just have fans. Right now, the ranks could now close behind Hofreiter and Goering-Eckardt. And yet Özdemir insists that the dissatisfaction in the faction is greater than the reservations about it.
Michael Kappeler / dpa
Kirsten Kappert-Gonther, Cem Özdemir
That he is competing with Kirsten Kappert-Gonther is remarkable. Kappert-Gonther has only been in the Bundestag for two years, she could not build up a network for years. She comes from Bremen, a small national association, is considered as assertive. Some of them would soon have dared to leap into the head of the parliamentary group - but at the same time she would apply for the position of group leader without seeming to feel the same way among her colleagues, but it did cause irritation.
For them, however, a failure would be much less risky than for Özdemir: Their fame in the capital has multiplied in one fell swoop, it proves courage - and is therefore also recommended for future positions.
Özdemir as Kretschmann successor?
For Ozdemir, on the other hand, much more is at stake: a defeat could mean the end of all his political ambitions. Is he looking for his last chance?
The view also falls to Baden-Württemberg: It is still unclear whether Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann will compete there again in the state election in 2021 - if he does not, the self-proclaimed "Anatolian Swabian" Özdemir would be one of the obvious successors.
With his candidacy for the group presidency, he has built his way to Baden-Württemberg, at least in the short term. If he really becomes faction leader, he can badly announce after a short time that it pulls him to the southwest. On the other hand: If Kretschmann steps again to hand over the post to a successor after two years, Özdemir would be in the game.
But Özdemirs relationship with the premiership is not finally resolved. Although he leaves no doubt about his love for the Ländle, but whether he really wants to move his Lebenspunkt to Stuttgart, he leaves open.
The dream of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kay Nietfeld / DPA
Cem Özdemir and Katrin Göring-Eckardt: The fight candidates came as a surprise
Özdemir's followers rejoice now, because they have always believed that one could not let a political talent like him on the back seat. The group would be more attentive with him as chairman.
His opponents are reminiscent of the power struggles in the federal office in his time as chairman, to problems with the country leaders and his solo efforts. In particular, the relationship with his former co-chair Simone Peter was considered problematic. But she defends Özdemir now: "A personal mud fight that was certainly not," she told the SPIEGEL. "The threshold to personal attacks has never been exceeded."
Nevertheless, there is great concern that Özdemir could disturb the harmony of the Greens. A fighting candidate is now a candidate for the fight, even if federal manager Michael Kellner on Monday strives to dress them as "democratic normality".
In this normality Özdemir can also lose. He himself has always stressed that he does not cling to politics. "It was always important to me that I could earn my bread outside of politics," he said in 2017 in a conversation with the "Tagesspiegel". "I do this with passion, but there are other things."
But he does not want anything else yet. On the contrary, he puts everything on a map. If he becomes the leader of a parliamentary group, the way to the Cabinet is open to him in case of a green government participation: The dream of becoming foreign minister could still be fulfilled.
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