German Greens Set East‑German Election Strategy at Sassnitz Congress

The Green Party held an "Ostkongress" in Sassnitz on the Baltic island of Rügen to devise a plan for the September state elections in Saxony‑Anhalt and Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern. Party leaders warned that the Greens are polling at about four percent in both states, risking a failure to cross the five‑percent threshold that would keep them out of the Landtags.

To reverse the trend, the party is launching a grassroots campaign that includes motor‑home tours, local workshops and a "Wahlkampfurlaub" that brings volunteers from western Germany to the east. It will promote "regional electricity price incentives" – cheaper power for households in regions that generate renewable energy – and stress the economic benefits of wind turbines and other renewables. Felix Banaszak, the party’s federal chairman, told reporters, "Das ist keine Untergangsstimmung" ("This is not a doomsday mood"). The conference also highlighted structural challenges: only about 15 000 party members live in the sparsely populated eastern states, compared with 183 000 nationwide, and the Greens’ brand is said to be “burnt” in the region. The party hopes the new outreach and policy proposals will secure enough votes to stay in the state parliaments and block an AfD‑led coalition.