Germany’s Greens emerged unusually unified this week from their party congress in Stuttgart, just a few weeks before two key state elections. The Greens, a partner in Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s coalition government, made steps to end longstanding divisions between radicals and moderates. Moderates were appeased when the party voted not to support blockades of nuclear waste shipments from France into Germany, throwing its weight behind a gradual nuclear phase-out negotiated last year by the country’s environment minister, Juergen Trittin, who is a Green. Radicals were pleased that the party overwhelmingly elected a left-wing candidate to its leadership team.
