The AfD has won the state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, finishing ahead of the SPD led by Minister-President Manuela Schwesig. The party of Minister-President candidate Leif-Erik Holm received 38.2 percent of the vote on Sunday, according to the state election authority’s announcement overnight into Monday. The Social Democrats secured 35.5 percent.
Only two other parties made it into the state parliament: the Left with 6.5 percent and the Greens with 5.7 percent. The CDU suffered heavy losses and failed to enter parliament after receiving 4.9 percent. The FDP also missed out on returning to the state parliament, receiving 1.0 percent. The BSW failed to make its first entry into the state parliament, falling just short with 4.8 percent.
Compared with the 2021 state election, the AfD increased its result by 21.5 percentage points, more than doubling its previous share. The SPD lost 4.1 percentage points. The Left also fell by 3.4 points, while the CDU dropped by 8.4 points. The Greens largely maintained their previous result, recording a decline of 0.6 percentage points. The FDP lost 4.8 percentage points.
The AfD will have 32 seats in the new state parliament, while the SPD will hold 29. The Left and Greens will each receive five seats. As a result, the previous coalition of the SPD and the Left no longer has a majority. A three-party coalition including the Greens, however, would have enough seats for a majority. All three parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD.
Schwesig indicated on election night that she was prepared to continue leading the government. The AfD, meanwhile, also claimed the right to form the next government. However, because the party failed to secure an absolute majority, it would need coalition partners, and there are no such partners available.
Voter turnout was reported at 78.1 percent. Of the 36 direct mandates, 22 went to the AfD and 14 to the SPD. Schwesig defended her constituency in Schwerin against Holm, who ran only in that constituency and not on the AfD’s state party list. She won with 54.4 percent of the first votes, compared with 28.2 percent for Holm.
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