Traffic light coalition in the context of "Free Democratic Party (Germany)"

Alliance 90/The Greens (German: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen [ˈbʏntnɪs ˈnɔʏntsɪç diː ˈɡʁyːnən] ), often simply referred to as Greens (German: Grüne [ˈɡʁyːnə] ), is a green political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Greens (formed in West Germany in 1980) and Alliance 90 (formed in East Germany in 1990). The Greens had itself merged with the East German Green Party after German reunification in 1990.

Since November 2024, Franziska Brantner and Felix Banaszak have been co-leaders of the party. It currently holds 85 of the 630 seats in the Bundestag, having won 11% of first votes and 11.6% of second votes cast in the 2025 federal election, putting it in fourth place of the seven political parties by number of seats. Its parliamentary co-leaders are Britta Haßelmann and Katharina Dröge. The Greens have been part of the federal government twice: first as a junior partner to the Social Democrats (SPD) from 1998 to 2005, and then with the SPD and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in the traffic light coalition from the 2021 election until that coalition's collapse in 2024. In the Scholz cabinet, the Greens had five ministers, including Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

On 6 November 2024, Olaf Scholz, the incumbent chancellor of Germany, announced the dismissal of Christian Lindner, the then-finance minister and leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), from his cabinet. This occurred following disputes in the incumbent traffic light coalition government between Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), the FDP and the Greens over the country's economic policies and tensions within the coalition. In response, the FDP withdrew from the government and moved into the opposition, leaving a minority red–green coalition government.

On 16 December 2024, Scholz intentionally called a vote of confidence in the ruling government which he subsequently lost. As a result, an early 2025 federal election was held, with the parties having agreed on 23 February 2025 as the date. The 23 February date for the election was confirmed by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on 27 December 2024.