SPD, Linke and Greens in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern agree to start coalition talks

Negotiators recommend talks

On Friday, the negotiators for the SPD, Linke and Greens recommended to their party bodies that coalition talks begin, according to a joint statement issued in Schwerin. The stated aim is a coalition that relies on reliability, stability and trust. The three sides had met behind closed doors since the end of September, with Manuela Schwesig leading for the SPD, Hennis Herbst for the Linke and Claudia Müller for the Greens. The exploratory talks were described as factual in tone, while no details of their content leaked out. The SPD and Linke executive boards meet on Friday evening, and the Greens vote at a small party conference in Rostock on Saturday. If all three agree, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern would get its first red-red-green state government.

Election result and seat arithmetic

The state election on 20 September made the AfD the strongest party with 38.2% of the vote, ahead of the SPD of Minister-President Manuela Schwesig on 35.5%. The Linke took 6.5% and the Greens 5.7%, while the CDU fell short of the five percent threshold for the first time in its history, on 4.9%. The BSW also narrowly missed the threshold.

The Landtag has 71 seats, of which the AfD holds 32 and the SPD 29, with five each for the Linke and the Greens. Together the three prospective partners control 39 seats, a majority of seven over the AfD. Because the SPD and Linke no longer have a majority of their own, they depend on the Greens as a third partner. All three parties rule out cooperation with the AfD, which would then be the only opposition party in the new Landtag.

Agenda and disputes

The negotiators' statement lists early priorities: kindergartens stay fee-free, all hospital sites are kept, and citizens get more say through dialogues, citizens' councils and referendums. Also planned are an MV youth ticket and a parliamentary inquiry committee on far-right networks. The negotiators said the MV-Plan would direct an additional 1.9 billion euros from the special fund into modernising the state by 2035, and 1,000 new or renovated dormitory places for apprentices and students would be created. The NDR reported that a budget gap of at least one billion euros a year threatens from 2028, and coverage names the tight budget, climate and energy policy and the arms industry as possible flashpoints. The Linke has a problem with armaments, the Greens want to expand renewable energy faster, and the SPD knows well the reservations in rural areas where wind turbines stand.

Timetable to a new government

The new Landtag convenes for its constituent session on 20 October. The state constitution then gives four weeks to elect a minister-president, which means by 17 November at the latest. Schwesig has never left any doubt that she seeks another term. Before any coalition agreement takes effect, the party conferences must vote on it.