Greens' new coalition wins bring Germany closer to an AfD ban in the Bundesrat

The Greens celebrate their entry into the Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern cabinets as a catalyst for a federal ban on the AfD, arguing that the new coalitions supply the "necessary majorities" in the Bundesrat. However, Bundesrat voting rules require each state to vote uniformly, and one outlet Green-SPD-Linke alliances in those two states add only a small share of the 35 votes needed for a formal ban request. To date, five states—Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein—have collectively contributed 17 of the 69 Bundesrat votes in favor of a ban.

Larger states such as Niedersachsen, Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhein-Westfalen are preparing parliamentary resolutions or working groups that could supply the remaining 18 votes. If a ban were approved by the Bundesverfassungsgericht, all AfD members would lose their seats, reshaping majorities in the Bundestag and several state parliaments. The article also notes differing interests, with some CDU branches potentially losing governing coalitions if the ban proceeds, while Greens and left parties stand to gain governing leverage.