Red-Green and Beyond: The German Green Party after the 2002 Elections

Abstract

What is the place and what the role of green parties in European polities? Green parties across Europe have — wherever political opportunity structures allowed them to — long shed their stance of radical opposition and their anti-party identity. They have positioned themselves within rather than beyond left and right, formed strategic alliances with other parties, and in some countries (Finland 1995, Italy 1996, France 1997, Germany 1998, Belgium 1999) even entered government coalitions. As green parties have unambiguously anchored themselves on the political left, these coalitions have tended to be left-of-centre alliances with socialist or social-democratic parties. However, since the mid-1990s, the topography of the political landscape has changed considerably. The categories of right and left are rapidly losing their capacity of providing political orientation and structuring party systems. First, political actors gravitated towards the deideologized centre, and then new polarizations began to emerge which do not follow the traditional patterns. Public debate and political agendas have focused on issues which have so far not figured prominently on green lists of priorities and competence.