Will the Greens lead a post-Merkel Germany into the future?

When he was a teenager, Olaf Bursia felt he had the right answers about the future. That was when he joined the fledgling Greens political party, with its reputation for environmental radicalism, in his hometown of Dusseldorf.

But in the 30 years since, the Greens have moved into the mainstream. The party, once dismissed as fringe, now has a platform of combating climate change, being more inclusive of migrants, and promoting social equality. The Greens have flirted with the top spot in countrywide polling and have put forth a 40-year-old working mother for chancellor in this September’s federal elections.

Now, Mr. Bursia feels that a good chunk of Germany finally sees his way of thinking.

“Our candidate, Annalena Baerbock, is a woman who has modern answers for our time,” says Mr. Bursia. “I am a father, she is a mother, and we are about the same age. We have

A bigger tent in a more diverse societyA day in the sun, or a sea change?“Without our ideas, they will get lost”