The Politics of Baden-Württemberg takes place within a framework of a federal

Federal republic

A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...

 parliamentary representative democratic republic

Republic

A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...

, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...

. Since 1948 politics in the state has been dominated by the rightist Christian Democratic Union

Christian Democratic Union (Germany)

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...

 (CDU). However, in the 2011 election

Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011

The Baden-Württemberg state election 2011, was held on March 27, 2011, to elect members to Baden-Württemberg's State diet, the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. It was the 14th state election since the foundation of Baden-Württemberg in 1952...

 the CDU lost its majority in the diet and a green

Alliance '90/The Greens

Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...

-red

Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

 coalition government was established.

Minister-Presidents since 1952

Since the creation of the state in 1952, the state's Minister-President

Minister-President

A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...

s have been:

Period	Minister-President	Party	Coalition
1952-1953	Reinhold Maier Reinhold Maier Reinhold Maier was a German politician and the leader of the FDP from 1957–1960.Maier was born in Schorndorf. In the Weimar Republic Maier was a member of the German Democratic Party...	FDP	FDP-SPD
1953–1958	Gebhard Müller Gebhard Müller Gebhard Müller was a German lawyer and politician . He was Minister-President of Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Baden-Württemberg . He was born in Füramoos and died in Stuttgart....	CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...	CDU-SPD-FDP
1958–1960	Kurt Georg Kiesinger Kurt Georg Kiesinger Kurt Georg Kiesinger was a German politician affiliated with the CDU and Chancellor of West Germany from 1 December 1966 until 21 October 1969.-Early career and wartime activities:...	CDU	CDU-SPD-FDP
1960–1966	Kurt Georg Kiesinger Kurt Georg Kiesinger Kurt Georg Kiesinger was a German politician affiliated with the CDU and Chancellor of West Germany from 1 December 1966 until 21 October 1969.-Early career and wartime activities:...	CDU	CDU-FDP
1966–1972	Hans Filbinger Hans Filbinger Hans Karl Filbinger was a conservative German politician and a leading member of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union in the 1960s and 1970s, serving as the first chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg and vice chairman of the federal CDU...	CDU	CDU-SPD
1972–1978	Hans Filbinger Hans Filbinger Hans Karl Filbinger was a conservative German politician and a leading member of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union in the 1960s and 1970s, serving as the first chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg and vice chairman of the federal CDU...	CDU	CDU
1978–1991	Lothar Späth Lothar Späth Lothar Späth is a German politician of the CDU.From 30 August 1978 to 13 January 1991 he was minister-president of Baden-Württemberg and chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg, serving as President of the Bundesrat in 1984/85.Later on he worked for Jenoptik AG until 2003...	CDU	CDU
1991–1992	Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel is a German politician of the CDU. Teufel was the leader of the CDU parliamentary faction in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg from 1978 to 1991. He was minister-president of Baden-Württemberg and chairman of the CDU state party group from 1991 to 2005, serving as President...	CDU	CDU
1992–1996	Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel is a German politician of the CDU. Teufel was the leader of the CDU parliamentary faction in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg from 1978 to 1991. He was minister-president of Baden-Württemberg and chairman of the CDU state party group from 1991 to 2005, serving as President...	CDU	CDU-SPD
1996–2005	Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel Erwin Teufel is a German politician of the CDU. Teufel was the leader of the CDU parliamentary faction in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg from 1978 to 1991. He was minister-president of Baden-Württemberg and chairman of the CDU state party group from 1991 to 2005, serving as President...	CDU	CDU-FDP
2005–2010	Günther Oettinger Günther Oettinger Günther Hermann Oettinger is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union . He became European Commissioner for Energy in the European Commission on 10 February 2010 and is affiliated with the European People's Party...	CDU	CDU-FDP
2010–2011	Stefan Mappus Stefan Mappus Stefan Mappus is a former German politician from the Christian Democratic Union . He was Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg since 2010 and chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg since 2009....	CDU	CDU-FDP
2011–	Winfried Kretschmann	Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...	Greens-SPD

State Parliament since 1952

For election results split by party, see Elections in Baden-Württemberg

Elections in Baden-Württemberg

-Sources:*Uwe Andersen, Wichard Woyke : Handwörterbuch des politischen Systems der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. ISBN 3-89331-301-X, p. 654 ....

.

Earlier history

The Minister-Presidents of Baden-Württemberg's predecessor states were:

State	Period	Minister-President	Party
Württemberg-Hohenzollern Württemberg-Hohenzollern Württemberg-Hohenzollern was a historical state of West Germany. It was created in 1945 as part of the French occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen...	1945 - 1947	Carlo Schmid Carlo Schmid (German politician) Carlo Schmid was a German academic and politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .Schmid is one of the most important authors of both the German Basic Law and the Godesberg Program of the SPD...	SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
	1947 - 1948	Lorenz Bock	CDU
	1948 - 1952	Gebhard Müller Gebhard Müller Gebhard Müller was a German lawyer and politician . He was Minister-President of Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Baden-Württemberg . He was born in Füramoos and died in Stuttgart....	CDU
Württemberg-Baden Württemberg-Baden Württemberg-Baden is a former state of Federal Republic of Germany. It was created in 1945 by the U.S. occupation forces, after the previous states of Baden and Württemberg had been split up between the US and French occupation zones. Its capital was Stuttgart...	1946 - 1952	Reinhold Maier Reinhold Maier Reinhold Maier was a German politician and the leader of the FDP from 1957–1960.Maier was born in Schorndorf. In the Weimar Republic Maier was a member of the German Democratic Party...	DVP German People's Party The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:... , then FDP
South Baden South Baden South Baden , formed in December 1945 from the southern half of the former Republic of Baden, was a subdivision of the French occupation zone of post-WWII Germany. The state was later renamed to Baden and became a founding state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949...	1946 - 1952	Leo Wohleb	CDU

Prior to the Second World War and the regime of Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

 from 1933, the largest party in both the Republic of Baden

Republic of Baden

The Republic of Baden was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic, formed after the abolition of the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1918...

 and the Free People's State of Württemberg

Free People's State of Württemberg

The Free People's State of Württemberg was a state of Germany during the Weimar Republic in Württemberg.-1918 revolution:As Germany underwent violent revolution near the end of World War I, the Kingdom of Württemberg was transformed from a monarchy to a democratic republic without bloodshed; its...

 was the Catholic Centre Party

Centre Party (Germany)

The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...

.

The leaders of the government of the Republic of Baden:

Period	Minister-President	Party
1918 – 1920	Anton Geiß	SPD
1920 – 1921	Gustav Trunk Gustav Trunk Gustav Trunk was a three-time President of Baden. He was a lawyer by occupation and was a member of the German Centre Party....	Centre
1921 - 1922	Hermann Hummel Hermann Hummel Hermann Hummel was a German chemist and politician in the Republic of Baden. He was a member of the DDP.- Early life and career :...	DDP
1922 - 1923	Adam Remmele Adam Remmele Adam Remmele was a German social democratic politician in Baden. He also served in the Reichstag.- Pre-Republic Activities :...	SPD
1923 - 1924	Heinrich Franz Köhler	Centre
1924 - 1925	Willy Hellpach Willy Hellpach Willy Hellpach was the sixth State President of Baden. He was a member of the German Democratic Party . He was also a physician and psychologist....	DDP
1925 - 1926	Gustav Trunk Gustav Trunk Gustav Trunk was a three-time President of Baden. He was a lawyer by occupation and was a member of the German Centre Party....	Centre
1926 - 1927	Heinrich Franz Köhler	Centre
Feb 1927 - Nov 1927	Gustav Trunk Gustav Trunk Gustav Trunk was a three-time President of Baden. He was a lawyer by occupation and was a member of the German Centre Party....	Centre
Nov 1927 - 1928	Adam Remmele Adam Remmele Adam Remmele was a German social democratic politician in Baden. He also served in the Reichstag.- Pre-Republic Activities :...	SPD
1928 - 1930	Josef Schmitt	Centre
1930 - 1931	Franz Josef Wittemann	Centre
1931 - 1933	Josef Schmitt	Centre

The leaders of the government of Württemberg 1918 - 1933:

Latest election

In the 27 March 2011 state assembly election, the ruling CDU/FDP coalition lost its majority of seats. The Alliance '90/The Greens

Alliance '90/The Greens

Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...

 party more than doubled its vote and its number of seats, whereas the Free Democratic Party

Free Democratic Party (Germany)

The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...

 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.