Cem Özdemir, a German politician of Circassian heritage, will become the next Minister-President of baden, following his Green party’s narrow victory in the state elections on March 8th. The Greens formed a coalition with Chancellor Fredrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the southwestern state, which is Germany’s third-largest. This alliance successfully countered the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), securing approximately 10% of the vote.
Özdemir, born in Urbach, Germany in 1965, has a rich family history. His parents were gastarbeiters who arrived in Germany during the 1960s, and his father, Abdullah Özdemir, was a Circassian from Pazar, Turkey, descended from those who fled Circassia due to the 19th-century genocide during Russia’s conquest of the Caucasus. In 1995, Özdemir and Layla Onur were the first German MPs with Turkish roots elected to parliament.
He served in parliament until 2002 and later in the European Parliament from 2004 to 2009, where he championed Circassian history and displacement through annual “Circassian Day” events. He previously served as Minister of Food Agriculture under Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government. Özdemir recently described a trip to Adygea, a region with strong Circassian ties, as “unforgettable,” attending a dance performance and exploring the republic’s landscapes.
He expressed concern about “greed for money and mafia-like structures” in Russia and criticized the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, viewing it as a crucial historical site for the Circassian diaspora. He called for Moscow to acknowledge its past. The Circassian community continues to be a significant part of Germany’s diverse population.
Topics: #baden #circassian #minister
Cem Özdemir, a German politician with Circassian roots, will serve as the upcoming Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg. This outcome resulted from the Green Party’s slight win in the state electio