The politics of Baden-Württemberg takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Baden-Württemberg. Since 1948 politics in the state has been dominated by the rightist Christian Democratic Union (CDU). However, in the 2011 election the CDU lost its majority in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg and since various coalitions were formed by the Green leader Winfried Kretschmann.
Since the creation of the state in 1952, the state's Minister-presidents have been:
| Period | Minister-president | Party | Coalition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952–53 | FDP–SPD | ||
| 1953–58 | CDU–SPD–FDP | ||
| 1958–60 | CDU | CDU–SPD–FDP | |
| 1960–66 | CDU | CDU–FDP | |
| 1966–72 | CDU | CDU–SPD | |
| 1972–78 | CDU | CDU | |
| 1978–91 | CDU | CDU | |
| 1991–92 | CDU | CDU | |
| 1992–96 | CDU | CDU–SPD | |
| 1996–05 | CDU | CDU–FDP | |
| 2005–10 | CDU | CDU–FDP | |
| 2010–11 | CDU | CDU–FDP | |
| 2011–16 | Greens–SPD | ||
| 2016- | Greens | Greens–CDU |
For election results split by party, see Elections in Baden-Württemberg.
The Minister-Presidents of Baden-Württemberg's predecessor states were:
| State | Period | Minister-President | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945–47 | SPD | |||
| 1947–48 | Lorenz Bock | CDU | ||
| 1948–52 | CDU | |||
| 1946–52 | DVP, then FDP | |||
| 1946–52 | CDU |
Prior to the Second World War and the regime of Nazi Germany from 1933, the largest party in both the Republic of Baden and the Free People's State of Württemberg was the Catholic Centre Party.
The leaders of the government of the Republic of Baden:
| Period | Minister-President | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918–20 | SPD | ||
| 1920–21 | Centre | ||
| 1921–22 | DDP | ||
| 1922–23 | SPD | ||
| 1923–24 | Centre | ||
| 1924–25 | DDP | ||
| 1925–26 | Centre | ||
| 1926–27 | Centre | ||
| Feb 1927 – Nov 1927 | Centre | ||
| Nov 1927 – 1928 | SPD | ||
| 1928–30 | Centre | ||
| 1930–31 | Centre | ||
| 1931–33 | Centre |
The leaders of the government of Württemberg 1918 – 1933:
See main article: List of Minister-Presidents of Württemberg.
See main article: 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election. In the 27 March 2011 state assembly election, the ruling CDU/FDP coalition lost its majority of seats. The Alliance '90/The Greens party more than doubled its vote and its number of seats, whereas the Free Democratic Party was reduced to less than half its former result. The Greens and SDP jointly achieved a 4-seat majority over the former coalition partners. On 12 May 2011, after 58 years of CDU dominance, the new assembly elected Winfried Kretschmann as the first Green minister-president.