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Photo: Marijan Murat / POOL / EPA
Winners and losers are separated by a few percentage points and a distance of around 50 meters on the cream-white carpet of the Stuttgart state parliament.
At the CDU and the Greens, fabric-covered standing tables are set up, the CDU has draped a few bouquets on them.
With the Greens, on the other hand, the tables are empty, the floral decorations could fall down in view of the euphoria that breaks out in front of the parliamentary groups at 6 p.m.
"31, yes, great," calls out parliamentary group leader Andreas Schwarz, actually known for his sobriety.
He claps his hands.
“A huge faction.” And then: “I don't see anything.” The crowd of photographers blocked his view of the monitor with election graphics.
A few minutes later, Schwarz's counterpart Wolfgang Reinhart follows on the CDU side.
He says: "The current Prime Minister is held in high esteem." And: "The population also wants this government to a great extent."
The CDU man means green-black, there is no doubt about the order on this evening, the roles of the large and small coalition partners are clearly divided: Greens in front, the CDU far behind.
In her home state of Baden-Württemberg, she has nothing else than to serve herself to the Greens.
There, election winner Winfried Kretschmann now has at least two options to rule for another legislature: green-black or a green-led traffic light with FDP and SPD.
The Greens will start the explorations in the next few days, sorted according to the size of the faction of the potential coalition partners.
No cheering helpers, no mutual frustration drinking
A state election under pandemic conditions also means in Stuttgart: no election parties, no cheering helpers, no electorate in need of consolation while drinking frustration together.
Instead, the top candidates sit together for a streamed press conference in plenary, the journalists on the parliamentary group benches - a bizarre scene.
Kretschmann has a mug of tea in front of him, like a reading lesson.
He was delighted with the result, especially now: "We had to intervene deeply in people's living conditions through various measures." His CDU challenger Susanne Eisenmann speaks of a "disappointing and disastrous result".
The CDU could not go on to the agenda.
It had been clear for weeks who would be the winners and who would be the losers that evening.
The Christian Democrats were nevertheless depressed by how clear the gap was: they can be happy if they become junior partners.
In the corona crisis, it was the popular Green Prime Minister who benefited politically.
He was seen on election posters in a state-wearing pose, with a quote from Merkel: "You know me." Green issues were less important than Kretschmann - a symbol of the basic tone of the government of the green prime minister.
Kretschmann can also see the result as confirmation of his cautious line in corona policy: Together with his Bavarian counterpart Markus Söder (CSU), he had repeatedly warned of the dangers of rapid openings in meetings with the Chancellor and country leaders.
But Kretschmann and his party would probably have won without Corona, the position is now so established in the southwest.
Baden-Württemberg has long been the green home country, at least in state elections.
The success will bring further additional direct candidates from the party to the state parliament, because in Baden-Württemberg the right to vote applies.
In Baden-Württemberg, the Greens are where the CDU once was
The Southwest CDU, on the other hand, is on the ground and is symbolic of the rest of the party.
When the State Greens took over government in 2011, the CDU had ruled the southwest for almost 60 years.
At the end of the 1980s, Kretschmann and his colleagues called Baden-Württemberg a "black country" through which they made their way.
Now the blacks in a green country have to fight for their existence as a people's party.
Because of the large number of postal voters, the Union's mask affair was not yet fully reflected in the election results.
The CDU's problems are largely home-made.
Top candidate Eisenmann made many mistakes.
For example, she railed against the National Science Academy Leopoldina, which was "not quite up to date with the corona measures".
Then Eisenmann drew the displeasure of parents and teachers with their demand to open daycare centers and elementary schools "independent of incidence figures".
Eisenmann hardly got through with other topics.
The corona crisis was too omnipresent, Prime Minister Kretschmann too omnipresent.
Again and again, the candidate barely covertly denied the country father's ability to lead the country into the future.
She wanted to make him look old.
But the result of the state elections clearly shows that voters, above all, trust Kretschmann to cope with the crisis.
According to surveys, two thirds of the CDU supporters would have preferred Kretschmann to his opponent Eisenmann in a direct election.
The Greens will probe in all directions.
With the SPD, whose top candidate Andreas Stoch could become Minister of Culture - there may even be the prospect that there will be enough for a green-red coalition.
Otherwise, a three-way alliance of the Greens, SPD and FDP is possible, whose top candidate Hans-Ulrich Rülke dreams of an economic digitization ministry.
The CDU is also ready, where the defeated top candidate announced that she would not run for office.
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Kretschmann had shown preferences for green and black, his party has had enough of the Christian Democrats and the majority wants the traffic lights.
The Greens will nominate some new ministers.
Transport Minister Winfried Hermann is deemed to have been set.
Fractional leader Schwarz could take over a department, he should probably succeed Kretschmann if he should one day withdraw.
The green negotiating delegation consists of the prime minister, the parliamentary group leader and the two party leaders.
Your position is very comfortable, and Kretschmann knows that. It is now a matter of asserting as much of your own brand essence as possible, he said.
The chances are good for that.
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