A significantly higher voter turnout is emerging in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election than five years ago. By 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, 40.7 percent of the state's 1.3 million eligible voters had cast their ballots at polling stations, according to the state election authority in Schwerin. In 2021, turnout at the same time stood at 32.5 percent.
SPD lead candidate and Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig, has cast her ballot in the state election. She voted in Schwerin on Sunday accompanied by her husband, Stefan.
AfD candidate for state premier Leif-Erik Holm has cast his ballot in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state election. He voted on Sunday in Schwerin, accompanied by his wife, Wenke.
Voting has begun in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with polling stations opening at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. Around 1.3 million eligible voters are called on to cast their ballots by 6:00 p.m. Minister-President Manuela Schwesig is seeking another term in office for the Social Democrats (SPD). In one of the latest polls, the SPD was at between 33 and 37 percent, putting the party ahead of the AfD, which had previously been leading in other surveys.
The SPD has governed Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for 28 years with various coalition partners and has been in government with the Left Party since 2021. However, the existing SPD-Left coalition may no longer have enough support to continue. A coalition between the SPD, Left Party and Greens could be possible if the Greens manage to enter the state parliament. With around five percent in the polls, the party is facing a close contest over whether it will clear the threshold for parliamentary representation.
The AfD, led by its candidate for minister-president Leif-Erik Holm, could roughly double its 2021 result, according to the polls, reaching between 36 and 38 percent. No other party wants to form a coalition with the AfD. The CDU is also facing a difficult election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with polls putting the party at between six and seven percent. The Left Party could roughly maintain its 2021 result, with surveys placing it at between nine and ten percent.
The BSW was polling at between three and four percent, below the five-percent threshold. It therefore remains uncertain whether the party will enter the Schwerin state parliament for the first time. The FDP is also at risk of failing to return to the state parliament, with support of less than three percent in the polls. The election campaign was dominated primarily by the contest between the SPD and AfD over the election victory.
At the same time as the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania election, Berlin is also electing a new House of Representatives. The election results in both federal states could also have implications for federal politics.
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