AfD claims Mecklenburg-Vorpommern speakership as SPD vows continuity after election setbacks
The AfD demanded the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern parliamentary presidency following its victory, while the SPD said it will maintain its current course despite losses in the state and Berlin.
In the wake of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern election, the AfD asserted its right to the Landtag presidency, a claim voiced by its minister-president candidate Leif-Erik Holm at a federal press briefing. The SPD's leadership, including Klingbeil and Bas, convened at the Willy-Brandt-Haus and declared that the party will persist with its current agenda, mentioning only a possible tightening of pension policies. The CDU experienced a historic loss, exiting the state parliament for the first time in the Federal Republic's history, while the FDP fell below the five-percent threshold, receiving just over one percent of the vote. In Berlin, the Left party topped the provisional count, overtaking the CDU and AfD, and the turnout rose sharply in both states.
Why it matters
The results reshape regional power balances and signal challenges for Germany's traditional parties.
How this story developed
- Sep 14 Ursula von der Leyen outlines EU agenda in Strasbourg State of the Union address
- Sep 16 The speech is expected to address AI, climate change, summer wildfires, Russia's war in Ukraine, Middle‑East conflicts, international trade tensions, and online child protection, and she will present a draft law to limit
- Sep 16 Czarnek’s proposal to withdraw Poland from the EU ETS was filed in the Sejm.
- Sep 17 The federal government is exploring a direct reduction of fuel prices by as much as 25 cents per litre. In a televised discussion, Chancellor Merz and Finance Minister Klingbeil consulted the ministers-presidents of Rheinland-Pfalz and Niedersachsen, but the talks did not produce a final plan. Options on the table include a price-cap model and direct cash payments to consumers, while a proposed profit-tax on fuel companies was dismissed. The debate continues as the government seeks a timely solution.
- Sep 19 A consensus on the fuel‑tax rebate was reached, moving the plan from discussion to scheduled implementation.
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