On Tuesday, 20 October, one month after the state election of 20 September, the new Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern met for the first time in the Schwerin Palace. In a secret ballot, SPD politician Birgit Hesse was re-elected parliament president with 39 of 70 valid votes. The AfD candidate, Carlos Rodrigues, received 31 votes, and one ballot was invalid. Hesse has held the post since 2019 and remains in office.
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The outcome breaks with parliamentary custom. The strongest faction traditionally proposes the candidate, but the AfD, which won the election ahead of the SPD of Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, has no majority in the chamber. SPD, Left and Greens had announced beforehand that they would not elect any AfD candidate to the presidium. The new Landtag has 71 seats, with the AfD holding 32, the SPD 29, and the Greens and the Left five each.
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Ralf Mucha, the SPD member who opened the session as the oldest member (Alterspräsident), urged a respectful tone from the start. Mucha is 63 and has sat in the Landtag without interruption since 2011. He asked for a debate in which the parties could argue hard on substance.
“I wish for this honourable House a debate in which issues can be argued hard.”
Mucha added that the constitution and the protection of minorities must not become negotiable, saying:
“That is not a party-political demand, it is the basis on which this parliament and every other in our country can function at all.”
He said he had argued plenty with people who thought differently and called that the core of democracy. There were limits, he added. He would openly and loudly object to anyone who sorted people by where they or their parents came from, declared people with other views to be enemies, or disparaged the democratic order.
The new rules of procedure, adopted at the session with the votes of SPD, Left and Greens, introduce the first fine for misconduct in the Landtag. Members who receive three call-to-order rulings (Ordnungsrufe) within three sitting weeks face a fine of at least 100 euros. The maximum is twice the monthly members' allowance. For a gross violation of order or of the dignity of the house, the presidium can impose a fine without a prior call to order. The rules also set new speaking times for each faction and make it possible to recall committee chairs.
Greens parliamentary business manager Jutta Wegner said that recalling committee chairs had not been provided for until now, even in cases of gross breach of duty or improper conduct in committee or in public.
AfD parliamentary business manager Thore Stein sees the measures as aimed at his faction, including the recall of committee chairs. He said the new speaking times give the government camp a ratio of three to one over the opposition. Stein described the measures as part of the 'relentless fight' against the AfD by SPD, Left and Greens, whom he called the 'left bloc'. He said:
“We regard the changes as a coherent political project.”
SPD parliamentary business manager Philipp da Cunha rejected the claim. He said the new speaking times do not disadvantage the AfD, that committee chairs must be recallable, and that the right to nominate them stays with each faction. Left parliamentary business manager Jacqueline Bernhardt said the rules apply to all members of the Landtag, not just one faction.
As of 20 October, SPD, Left and Greens were in talks on forming a government coalition in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The AfD had claimed the presidency on the basis of its 20 September result, since the largest faction traditionally holds the post. Carlos Rodrigues is a newcomer to the state parliament, while Hesse has presided over it since 2019. The vote therefore gave the three parties that refused AfD candidates a clear majority on the presidium question.
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The AfD finished first in the September state election but failed to take the Landtag presidency, which went to SPD member Birgit Hesse. The new parliament also adopted rules that allow fines for misconduct.
AI text based on reports by N-tv, Süddeutsche Zeitung, DIE WELT and other publishers. Published . How it is made