„Alternative for Germany“ (AfD) came out on top in the parliamentary elections in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, overtaking the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
The vote was held on September 20th against the backdrop of increased attention to the AfD's performance in the eastern German states.
AfD wins most votes
According to the published results, the AfD is the first political force in terms of the number of votes received in the province.
The SPD received over 31% of the votes and remains in second place. The „Left“ is in third place, followed by the CDU.
Thus, the AfD managed to displace the Social Democrats from the first position after a campaign in which the two parties were the main competitors.
A contested campaign
Before the election day, opinion polls showed close results between the AfD and the SPD.
The province is traditionally among the regions where the SPD has strong positions. The head of the local government is the Social Democrat Manuela Schwesig.
The CDU lags behind
The Christian Democratic Union of Chancellor Friedrich Merz is performing significantly worse than the two leading parties.
The party manages to pass the required threshold for representation in the regional parliament.
Government talks are ahead
The AfD's victory does not automatically mean that the party will form a government.
A majority in the 71-seat state parliament requires 36 seats. The distribution of mandates will depend on the final results.
So far, the province has been governed by a coalition between the SPD and the “Left“. After the elections, talks are due on the future composition of the regional government.
The result will also be monitored at the federal level
The vote in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is among the important regional elections in Germany this year.
The performance of the AfD will be analyzed both because of the result in the province itself and because of its impact on political relations between the other parties.
The future governing configuration will become clear after the census and subsequent political talks are completed.