There is no question that Philip Krämer was voted out of office during the Hessian Greens' party conference on Saturday as a big surprise.

That was shown by the many debating groups that stood together on the edge of the room during the three ballots.

Even during the debates, however, it became clear that parts of the grassroots were dissatisfied with their leadership, but also with the green ministers in the state government.

That is probably the price for realpolitik in a coalition.

And this price will rise, because the measures of the Berlin traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP will also contain many compromises that do not always match the pure green doctrine.

The new co-chairman Sebastian Schaub therefore has to do the balancing act: On the one hand, the basis requires a clear commitment to the climate goals and their rapid implementation.

On the other hand, there will certainly be some compromises in Hesse until the next election in 2023.

Speak the language of the people

Schaub and his co-chair, Sigrid Erfurth, are also faced with another challenge: the traffic light measures will impose new burdens on many people in Germany, and voters only make limited distinctions between federal and state governments. The socio-ecological change in society that has been pushed by the Greens in particular will not be available as a bargain. If Berlin should decide that the commuter allowance should be canceled, then Schaub in his district association Limburg-Weilburg has to explain to people in cities like Runkel or Hadamar why commuters should pay for the change in traffic.

It could be helpful if a seasoned businessman and management consultant who speaks the language of the people goes into the discussion with the new co-chair.

In addition, Schaub comes from rural areas, where the Greens traditionally have a harder time than in the more urban cities of Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and Darmstadt.

As a result, he knows the worries and needs of citizens, for whom high-speed local transport is just a big city narrative.

Schaub is convinced that people are afraid because they do not understand what the Greens want.

It will be exciting to see how he would like to take these fears away.