Danyal Bayaz (born 14 June 1983 in Metzingen, West Germany) is a German politician affiliated with Alliance 90/The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). He has served as the State Minister of Finance for Baden-Württemberg in the cabinet of Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann since 12 May 2021.
Early Life and Education Bayaz was born to a Turkish father and a German mother. He grew up in Reutlingen and completed his Abitur there. He studied political science, public law, and economics at the University of Tübingen and the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a Master of Arts in Political Science. He subsequently worked as a research associate at the University of Tübingen and as a consultant for a management consultancy firm.
Political Career Bayaz joined Alliance 90/The Greens in 2006. He served as a member of the district council of Tübingen from 2009 to 2014 and as a member of the state executive committee of the Greens in Baden-Württemberg from 2011 to 2016.
In the 2017 German federal election, Bayaz was elected to the 19th Bundestag via the state list of Baden-Württemberg. In parliament, he served as a member of the Finance Committee and the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy. He was the spokesperson for financial policy for the Green parliamentary group, focusing on financial market regulation, tax policy, and European fiscal policy.
State Minister of Finance Following the 2021 Baden-Württemberg state election, Bayaz was appointed Minister of Finance in the third Kretschmann cabinet. Upon assuming office, he resigned his Bundestag mandate. As Finance Minister, he is responsible for the state budget, tax policy, financial equalization among municipalities, and the state's financial participation in the European Union. He has advocated for the reform of the debt brake (Schuldenbremse) at the federal level to allow for higher public investment.
