Berlin (dpa) – The two, who were elected by delegates at a party conference largely held online, are set to replace Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck at the helm of the environmentalist party.

“Governing is not a punishment, it is a huge opportunity,” said Lang, a 28-year-old associated with the party’s left wing.

Nouripour, 46, is seen as more of a pragmatist.

Saturday’s election must be confirmed by a postal ballot, the results of which are expected by mid-February.

However, their appointments were all but sealed at the party conference, during which 75.93 per cent of delegates backed Lang and 82.58 Nouripour.

Under the party’s constitution, Baerbock and Habeck could not remain in their leadership roles after taking on cabinet positions.

They have led the Greens together for four years, a period that saw the party clinch a string of electoral successes at local and EU level before ultimately entering government at national level as part of a centre-left coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Free Democrats (FDP).

The Greens’ leadership duo must under party rules include at least one woman. Lang ran for the top job without another female challenger.

Nouripour was up against Mathias Ilka, who has been vocally critical of the new three-way coalition, arguing that too many concessions were being made to the pro-business FDP. Ilka only received 17 votes.

Torsten Kirschke, who campaigns against discrimination of disabled people, also threw his hat in the ring at the last minute but only got 60 votes.

Lang was unable to attend the party conference in Berlin because she has caught the coronavirus. She currently serves as deputy leader of the Greens and is the party’s designated spokesperson for women’s issues.

As a member of the party’s top executive since 2019, this means she is also implicated in a controversial decision to pay out “corona bonuses” to staff at the party’s headquarters in winter 2020, including herself. The Berlin public prosecutor is investigating the party executive for suspected embezzlement.

Nouripour is a high-profile foreign policy expert and has been a member of parliament since 2006. He was born in Iran and came to Germany with his family at the age of 13.

In comments to the ZDF broadcaster following his election, he said the new Green Party leadership would work closely with Baerbock and Habeck.

“Unity is of course the order of the day, especially in government,” Nouripour said. “We will be united with each other. It will not be a matter of the party now somehow handing out yellow cards. Instead, we will work together in different roles, but in agreement, to achieve success in this government.”