**Exhibit 12.1**

 
| BASF Aktiengesellschaft |   |  |
|-------------------------|--------|--|

 

**CERTIFICATION OF THE CHAIRMAN OFTHE BOARD OFEXECUTIVE DIRECTORS PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THESARBANES-OXLEY ACT**

 

I, Dr. JürgenHambrecht, certify that:

 

1.               Ihave reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of BASF Aktiengesellschaft;

 

2.               Basedon my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a materialfact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, inlight of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3.               Basedon my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information includedin this report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of, and for,the periods presented in this report;

 

4.               Thecompany’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishingand maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (asdefined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for thecompany and have:

 

(a)          Designedsuch disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to the company, including its consolidated subsidiaries,is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during theperiod in which this report is being prepared;

 

(b)         Designed such internal control over financialreporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to bedesigned under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding thereliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statementsfor external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accountingprinciples;

 

(c)          Evaluatedthe effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures andpresented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisreport based on such evaluation;

 

(d)         Disclosedin this report any change in the company’s internal control over financialreporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual report that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the company’sinternal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.               The company’s other certifying officer(s) andI have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control overfinancial reporting, to the company’s auditors and the audit committee of thecompany’s board of directors (or persons performing  the equivalent functions):

 

(a)          Allsignificant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design oroperation  of internal control overfinancial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the company’sability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

(b)         Anyfraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees whohave a significant role in the company’s internal control over financialreporting.

 

 
| Date: March 1, 2006 |                                                                         |
|--------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                     |                                                                         |
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|                     |                                                                              |
|                     | Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht  Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors |

 

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