2021 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 79 seats in the Landtag, including 8 overhang and leveling seats 40 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnout | 928,807 (70.8%) 8.9pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results for the single-member constituencies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The 2021 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was held on 26 September 2021 to elect the 8th
The SPD won a landslide plurality of almost 40% of votes, a nine percentage point increase from 2016. The opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) remained the second largest party but declined to under 17%. The CDU recorded its worst ever result in the state with 13.3%, while The Left also declined to 10%. Alliance 90/The Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) both won around 6% of votes and re-entered the Landtag after previously falling out in 2016 and 2011, respectively.[2]
After the election, the SPD chose to form a coalition with The Left rather than renew their government with the CDU. Schwesig was re-elected as Minister-President on 15 November with 41 votes out of 79.[3]
Election date
The Landtag is elected for a period of five years in accordance with Article 27 of the Constitution of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. An election may be held between 58 and 61 months after the first sitting of the previous Landtag. As the 7th Landtag first sat on 4 October 2016, the election must be held between 4 August to 4 November 2021. It must take place on a Sunday.[4]
On 12 January 2021, the state government designated 26 September as the date of the election,[5] coinciding with the federal parliamentary election.
Electoral system
The Landtag is elected via
Background
In the previous election held on 4 September 2016, the SPD remained the largest party with 30.6% of the vote, a loss of 5.0 percentage points. Alternative for Germany (AfD) contested their first election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, placing second with 20.8%. The CDU won 19.0%, a loss of 4.0 points, while The Left won 13.2%, a loss of 5.2 points.
The SPD–CDU coalition which had governed since 2006 retained its majority and was renewed for a third term.
Parties
The table below lists parties currently represented in the 7th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Name | Ideology | Lead candidate |
Leader(s) | 2016 result | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes (%) | Seats | ||||||
SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands |
Social democracy | Manuela Schwesig | Manuela Schwesig | 30.6% | 26 / 71
| |
AfD | Alternative for Germany Alternative für Deutschland |
Right-wing populism | Nikolaus Kramer | Leif-Erik Holm | 20.8% | 18 / 71
| |
CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands |
Christian democracy | Michael Sack | Michael Sack | 18.0% | 16 / 71
| |
Linke | The Left Die Linke |
Democratic socialism | Simone Oldenburg | Torsten Koplin Wenke Brüdgam |
13.2% | 11 / 71
|
Campaign
Lead candidates
On 7 August 2020, the state CDU elected Michael Sack, district administrator of Vorpommern-Greifswald, as its new leader. He was also selected as the party's lead candidate for the 2021 state election.[6]
On 28 January 2021, parliamentary group leader Simone Oldenburg was nominated as lead candidate for The Left.[7]
Opinion polling
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
SPD | AfD | CDU | Linke | Grüne | FDP | Others | Lead |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 state election | 26 Sep 2021 | – | 39.6 | 16.7 | 13.3 | 9.9 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 8.4 | 22.9 |
INSA | 20–24 Sep 2021 | 1,058 | 40 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 23 |
Wahlkreisprognose | 18–23 Sep 2021 | 1,004 | 40 | 16 | 13.5 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 9.5 | 24 |
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen | 20–22 Sep 2021 | 1,015 | 39 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 23 |
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen | 13–16 Sep 2021 | 1,028 | 38 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 21 |
INSA | 10–16 Sep 2021 | 1,064 | 40 | 18 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
Infratest dimap | 13–15 Sep 2021 | 1,533 | 40 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 25 |
Wahlkreisprognose | 4–9 Sep 2021 | 994 | 39 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 5.5 | 6 | 7.5 | 21 |
Infratest dimap | 2–7 Sep 2021 | 1,153 | 39 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 22 |
Infratest dimap | 19–24 Aug 2021 | 1,153 | 36 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 19 |
INSA | 6–12 Aug 2021 | 1,000 | 28 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
INSA | 16–22 Jul 2021 | 1,098 | 26 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
Wahlkreisprognose | 14–21 Jul 2021 | 2,000 | 30 | 20 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
Infratest dimap | 8–13 Jul 2021 | 1,159 | 27 | 16 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
INSA | 21–30 Jun 2021 | 1,002 | 26 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
Infratest dimap | 12–18 May 2021 | 1,245 | 23 | 17 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
Forsa | 12–15 Jan 2021 | 1,002 | 26 | 14 | 24 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Infratest dimap | 18–21 Nov 2020 | 1,000 | 27 | 15 | 27 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 6 | Tie |
Infratest dimap | 3–6 Jun 2020 | 1,004 | 24 | 15 | 29 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Forsa | 2–10 Jan 2020 | 1,002 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
Forsa | 18–23 Sep 2019 | 1,002 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
Forsa | 4–11 Jan 2019 | 1,007 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 8 | Tie |
Forsa | 24 May–28 Jun 2018 | 1,002 | 25 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
Forsa | 2–11 Jan 2018 | 1,001 | 28 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
INSA | 30 Jun–14 Jul 2017 | 1,608 | 31.5 | 20.5 | 22.0 | 13.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 9.5 |
Forsa | 9–16 Jan 2017 | 1,002 | 32 | 18 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 11 |
2016 state election | 4 Sep 2016 | – | 30.6 | 20.8 | 18.0 | 13.2 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 5.6 | 9.8 |
Results
Liberal Conservative Reformers 0 | 0.00 | – | 0 | 221 | 0.02 | –0.28 | 0 | 0 | ±0 | | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independents | 3,808 | 0.42 | –0.28 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | – | 0 | 0 | ±0 | |||||||||||
Total | 910,169 | 100.00 | – | 36 | 913,863 | 100.00 | – | 43 | 79 | – | |||||||||||
Valid votes | 910,169 | 97.99 | +0.24 | 913,863 | 98.39 | +0.24 | |||||||||||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 18,638 | 2.01 | –0.24 | 14,944 | 1.61 | –0.24 | |||||||||||||||
Total votes | 928,807 | 100.00 | – | 928,807 | 100.00 | – | |||||||||||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 1,312,471 | 70.77 | +8.92 | 1,312,471 | 70.77 | +8.92 | |||||||||||||||
Source: State Returning Officer |
Aftermath
Minister-President Schwesig claimed victory after the release of exit polls and spoke of "a wonderful evening for our state and the SPD." CDU leader Michael Sack and general-secretary Wolfgang Waldmüller both described the party's result as a "catastrophe". Despite the AfD's losses, state chairman Leif Erik-Holm voiced his satisfaction with the result, particularly the decline of the CDU. Simone Oldenburg, the lead candidate for The Left, stated that the result was a mandate for a shift to the left in the government. Harald Terpe of the Greens described their performance as "promising" but said that many of the party's key issues are still not a high priority for the state's voters.[2]
Government formation
The SPD declined to commit to a coalition partner after the election, but a two-party government with either the CDU or The Left was mathematically possible. A traffic light coalition with the Greens and FDP also holds a majority. Minister President Schwesig described a "stable majority" with "reliable partners" as key to the formation of a new government.[2]
On 13 October 2021, Schwesig announced the SPD would enter coalition talks with The Left. She stated her motivations for reorienting the coalition as a desire for "a new departure", and described The Left as a "social, pragmatic party" with decisive policy overlap with the SPD. She said that The Left had been a reliable partner to the government even while in opposition, and had assumed "state-political responsibility" during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
A coalition agreement between the SPD and The Left was agreed to on 5 November[9] and signed on 13 November. Schwesig was re-elected as Minister-President on 15 November with 41 votes in favour, 35 against, and three abstentions. In the new cabinet, the SPD has six ministers and the Left has two: Simone Oldenburg as education minister and Jaqueline Bernhardt as justice minister.[10][3]
References
- ^ a b "Landtag MV". Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landtag.
- ^ a b c "State election MV: Schwesig's SPD triumphs - CDU experiences debacle". Norddeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 27 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Schwesig is re-elected as Minister-President of MV". Norddeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Landtagswahl 2021 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern". State Office for Internal Administration/State Returning Officer.
- ^ "State election on 26 September 2021 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania". State Returning Officer Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. 12 January 2021.
- ^ "New CDU state chief also top candidate for state elections". N-tv.de. 7 August 2020.
- ^ "Oldenburg shall be top candidate of The Left". Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 28 January 2021.
- Tagesschau. 13 October 2021. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- Tagesschau. 13 October 2021. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "SPD and Left sign coalition agreement". Norddeutscher Rundfunk (in German). 13 November 2021.