Die Landtagswahl 2021 in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – rote Welle an der Ostsee

Abstract

On September 26, 2021, the eighth state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania took place, in parallel with the federal election . It resulted in a clear victory for the SPD, which governs the state with changing coalition partners since 1994 and was once again able to defend its status as a catch-all party there . A key factor in the SPD’s good election result was the extraordinarily high popularity of its top candidate, incumbent Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig . After the elections, the SPD found itself in a comfortable middle posi- tion and could choose a coalition partner from several options . The CDU, Die Linke and AfD lost significant votes, while Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and FDP re-entered the State Parliament, which for the first time reflected unprecedented diversity with six parties reach- ing representation . The SPD’s great electoral success ultimately meant that, despite a multi- party system in the State Parliament, a two-party coalition of SPD and Die Linke found a solid majority and replaced the grand coalition of CDU and SPD that had been in power since 2006 .