„A powerful signal for immigrants“
The election of Muhterem Aras as Landtag president in Baden-Württemberg is a first in several ways.
Muhterem Aras is the first female president of Baden-Württemberg’s Landtag – as well as the first member of the Greens to head this southern German state’s parliament. What is more, 50-year-old Aras is the first Landtag president of migrant background in Germany. In an interview, she described her election as a “powerful signal for immigrants that making a contribution to German society is worthwhile”.
In 1978, Muhterem Aras came to Stuttgart with her parents from the Eastern Anatolian village of Elmaağaç. Her family are Alevis. After attending a lower secondary school, she later took her Abitur – Germany’s higher education entrance qualification – and studied economics. After graduating, she worked in a firm of tax consultants before setting up her own office. This is already the second time she has achieved the best result for the Greens in a state parliamentary election. As Landtag president, Aras aims to develop new formats “to strengthen dialogue with the general public”. She says: “To this end we need foundations, churches and unions as our partners. Debates across the board are essential.“
