Oldenburg Party Conference: The Greens Seek a New Role in the Opposition (October 15, 2005) With the formation of the Grand Coalition, the Greens were forced into the opposition, once again, after seven years in the federal government. Shortly thereafter, the party suffered another blow when longtime party leader Joschka Fischer announced his decision to withdraw from national politics. At the party’s national conference in Oldenburg in October 2005, the Greens tried to carve out a new role for themselves in the opposition by focusing on energy, the environment, family policy, and the reform of the social welfare state. This photo shows Green Party leaders Reinhard Bütikofer (right) and Claudia Roth (left), together with Renate Künast (center), head of the Green Party’s Bundestag faction. Photo: Friso Gentsch.