North Rhine-Westphalia Greens Nominate Mona Neubaur and Approve Election Program Ahead of 2026 State Election

The Green Party in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) held a major party conference in Essen over the weekend to prepare for the 2026 state election. Around 280 delegates convened at the XXL-format Landesdelegiertenkonferenz, finalizing the party's election program and nominating Mona Neubaur as their lead candidate. Neubaur, who currently serves as Deputy Minister-President and Minister of Economics, aims for the top spot on the state election list.

The Greens' election program sharply focuses on affordable housing, pledging one billion euros for housing support and considering expropriation only as a last resort. Another critical policy is advancing a coal phase-out by 2030, reinforcing the party's commitment to renewable energy and climate protection despite ongoing political debate around this timeline.

The program emerged from an "Ideentour," a public consultation process involving over 1,200 amendment proposals from party members, emphasizing grassroots involvement. Tim Achtermeyer, NRW Greens' state chairman, highlighted that the program was developed beyond mere executive decisions.

The party also reviewed its current coalition performance with the CDU—governing since 2022—with mixed assessments. Achievements include expanding renewable energies; however, internal tensions surfaced over decisions such as the Chemie- and Raffineriepakt and delays in the "Kies-Euro" funding.

Despite these disagreements, the Greens stressed unity and support for Neubaur to present a cohesive front at the election. The party's efforts portray a strong strategic approach to balancing progressive goals with pragmatic governance challenges in NRW's political landscape.