22-year-old from Lower Franconia with good chances for the Bundestag

After four hours of the digital party conference, it was clear on Saturday evening: Niklas Wagener, a 22-year-old from Aschaffenburg, can count on a secure place on the state list of the Greens. Wagener could become one of the youngest members of the Bundestag if the Greens can save their results from the current polls halfway into autumn.

The student of forest science, who is applying for the direct mandate in the constituency of Aschaffenburg, prevailed against five competitors in a runoff election for the second Lower Franconian recommendation for the state list. In the end he was clearly ahead of Sebastian Hansen with 51:28 votes. The 25-year-old chemist, who is competing in the constituency of Würzburg, is now hoping, thanks to the support of the Green Youth Bavaria, for a place on the state list that will not be as promising as Wagener’s, but also with a very successful performance by the Greens could lead to parliament.

Wagener convinced the 79 delegates with a plea for more forest protection as the basis for all efforts to curb climate change. For him, this also includes the designation of new protected areas, be it a Steigerwald National Park or a Spessart Biosphere Reserve. He also called for a different transport policy. The 22-year-old attacked the CSU sharply in his speech. “Concrete heads” like the Lower Franconian State Secretary Gerhard Eck and Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer should “go”.

In addition to Wagener and Hansen, Armin Beck, the constituency candidate for Main-Spessart, Corinna Ullrich, constituency candidate for Schweinfurt / Kitzingen, Yatin Shah from Bad Königshofen (Lkr.Rhön-Grabfeld) and Michael Gerr from Würzburg had the second Lower Franconia Vote applied. Beck was eliminated in the second ballot, the others in the first round.

Manuela Rottmann is the undisputed leader

The vote for the Lower Franconian top spot was undisputed. As expected, it goes to Manuela Rottmann, the incumbent member of the Bundestag from Hammelburg (district of Bad Kissingen). She had no opponent at the digital party convention. The 48-year-old lawyer has represented the region in Berlin since 2017 and has made a name for herself as a legal and consumer protection expert beyond her parliamentary group. Observers give her a good chance, after seventh place four years ago, this time even to get fifth on the state list for Greens.

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