Cem Özdemir

Cem Özdemir
Özdemir in 2020
Minister of Food and Agriculture
In office
8 December 2021 – 6 May 2025
ChancellorOlaf Scholz
Preceded byJulia Klöckner
Succeeded byAlois Rainer
Minister of Education and Research
In office
7 November 2024 – 6 May 2025
ChancellorOlaf Scholz
Preceded byBettina Stark-Watzinger
Succeeded byKarin Prien (Education)
Dorothee Bär (Research)
Leader of Alliance 90/The Greens
In office
15 November 2008 – 27 January 2018
Serving with Claudia Roth and Simone Peter
Preceded byReinhard Bütikofer
Succeeded byRobert Habeck
Member of the Bundestag
for Baden-Württemberg
In office
26 October 2021 – 25 March 2025
Preceded byStefan Kaufmann
Succeeded bySimone Fischer
ConstituencyStuttgart I
In office
22 October 2013 – 26 October 2021
ConstituencyAlliance 90/The Greens List
In office
10 November 1994 – 17 October 2002
ConstituencyAlliance 90/The Greens List
Member of the European Parliament
for Germany
In office
13 June 2004 – 7 June 2009
ConstituencyAlliance 90/The Greens List
Personal details
Born (1965-12-21) 21 December 1965
Urach, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
PartyThe Greens (since 1981)
Spouses
Pia María Castro
(m. 2003; div. 2023)
Flavia Zaka
(m. 2026)
Children2
Education
  • Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg

Cem Özdemir (German: [ˈdʒɛm ˈœsdemiːɐ̯]; Turkish: [ˈdʒem ˈœzdemiɾ]; born 21 December 1965) is a German politician who served as Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture in the cabinet of Olaf Scholz from December 2021 to May 2025. From November 2024 to May 2025 he additionally served as Federal Minister of Education and Research, making him the first federal minister in Germany with Turkish ancestry. Since his party's victory in the 2026 Baden-Württemberg state election, he has been considered the designated minister-president of this state.

Between 2008 and 2018, Özdemir co-chaired The Greens together with Claudia Roth and later Simone Peter. He has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2013, having previously served from 1994 to 2002, when he became one of the first two Bundestag members of Turkish descent. From 2004 to 2009 he served as a Member of the European Parliament. In the 2017 federal election Özdemir and Katrin Göring-Eckardt ran jointly as The Greens’ lead candidates.