North Rhine-Westphalia Green Party emphasizes residential housing strategies during municipal election campaign. - NRW Green Party to prioritize housing policy in upcoming local election initiatives
In North Rhine-Westphalia's upcoming municipal elections, the Green Party has made affordable housing a primary focus for their campaign. To address the growing housing shortage in urban areas, they aim to strengthen municipal housing associations, restrict short-term rentals, and promote affordable serial construction.
At a recent state conference, approximately 280 delegates approved a resolution outlining these housing policies. State chairwoman Yazgülü Zeybek emphasized the urgency of the issue as families struggle to secure affordable city housing while properties like Airbnb listings remain vacant in some areas.
Federal party chairman Felix Banaszak highlighted the importance of the NRW municipal election on September 14, stating that success in this election would signal a favorable outcome for future state and municipal elections. Despite the turn of headwinds against the Greens nationwide, Banaszak expressed confidence in their ability to rise from the challenge, citing their history of recovery after difficult periods.
The Green Party has faced ups and downs in recent elections. Following a 12.4% vote share in NRW during the federal election in February, they managed to achieve their best NRW municipal election result to date in 2020, with Cologne seeing them emerge as the strongest force, and Bonn, Aachen, and Wuppertal each electing a Green mayor. However, Party leader Katja Droge criticized the new federal government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), for technical mistakes and a lack of preparation for the chancellery.
The Greens have also called for the initiation of a ban procedure against the AfD during their party conference, with one abstention. Tim Achtermeyer, state party chairman, argued that initiating a ban application in defense of the constitutional mandate is a question of constitutional patriotism and democratic values. Bonn's Green Mayor, Katja Dörner, warned that the AfD seeks to undermine democracy and asserted that they would not permit this erosion.
- The Green Party, in alignment with their focus on affordable housing, has proposed an employment policy encouraging municipal housing associations to prioritize long-term rentals over short-term ones, thus addressing the housing crisis in urban areas and ensuring stability for families who struggle with securing city housing.
- Beyond the housing sector, the Green Party's employment policy also includes a commitment to redefining lifestyle and home-and-garden preferences towards sustainability, as part of their broader politics and general-news agenda aimed at preserving the environment and promoting democratic values.
