The Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the people's representative body or the state parliament of the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The Landtag convenes in Schwerin and currently consists of 79 members of six parties. The current majority is a red-red coalition of the Social Democratic Party and The Left, supporting the cabinet of Minister-President Manuela Schwesig. The main functions of the Landtag are the election of the Minister-President and the passage of laws controlling the state government.
Election results
Elections are defined as general, direct, free, equal, and secret. They are conducted using a system similar to the one used every Bundestag election. There are two votes, first for a candidate in the single-member district and the second for a party. 36 seats are distributed by first past the post system in districts and remaining 35 seats are distributed using Hare-Niemeyer method based on the result of the second voting.
Furthermore, every seat received in the first voting means one seat less in the second one. The second voting is conducted using a proportional representation system, with an electoral threshold of 5%. The last election was held in 2026. Recent elections were held in 2021, 2016 and 2011.
Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (since 1990) After the reunification of Germany on 3 October 1990 and the following re-establishment of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the first state election took place on 14 October 1990. The Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern constituted itself for the first time on 26 October 1990, twelve days after the first state election and 23 days after the reunification of Germany.
1st electoral term (1990–1994) The first state election of the newly formed state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern took place on 14 October 1990. PartySecond vote shareNumber of seats (1990)Number of seats (1994)CDU 38,33% 29 30SPD 27,03 % 21 19LL/PDS 15,37 % 12 11F.D.P. 5,5 % 4 4 The first state government was a coalition of CDU and FDP led by Alfred Gomolka. It was initially tolerated as a minority government by a non-attached former SPD-MP. The government was able to rely on its own majority when this MP joined the coalition. In 1992, there was a discord after Gomolka dismissed his justice minister Ulrich Born on charges of "disloyalty".". The CDU parliamentary group then withdrew its confidence in him. Gomolka resigned on 15 March 1992 also because of the shipyard crisis. He had been the only one to oppose the sale of the East German shipyards to their West German competitors. On 19 March 1992, Berndt Seite (CDU) succeeded him as Minister President.
2nd electoral term (1994–1998) The election for the second Landtag was on 16 October 1994, and produced the following results: PartySecond vote shareNumber of seatsCDU 37,3% 30SPD 29,5 % 23PDS 22,7 % 18 While the CDU was able to maintain its position, its coalition partner FDP missed re-entering parliament with 3.8%. Prime Minister Seite then formed a grand coalition.
3rd electoral term (1998–2002) The election for the third Landtag on 27 September 1998 resulted in the following: PartySecond vote shareNumber of seatsSPD 34,3 % 27CDU 30,2% 24PDS 24,4 % 20 The SPD won the election and was the strongest party for the first time since 1990. As a result, Harald Ringstorff, former Minister of Economy and European Union Affairs and current head of the SPD parliamentary group, was elected as Minister-President. He formed the first SPD-PDS coalition in Germany.
4th electoral term (2002–2006) The election for the fourth Landtag was on 22 September 2002. PartySecond vote shareNumber of seatsSPD 40,6 % 33CDU 31,4% 25PDS 16,4 % 13 With a strong increase in votes for the SPD, the coalition under Minister President Ringstorff could be continued despite heavy losses on the part of the PDS. The CDU remained in opposition. In July 2006, the Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern decided, among other things, to increase the length of the electoral term from 4 years to 5 years.
5th electoral term (2006–2011) The election for the fifth Landtag took place on 17 September 2006. Eligible voters 1.415.321 Voters 837.018 Voter turnout 59.1% Valid first votes 816.088 (97.5%)Valid second votes 818.061 (97,7 %) The 71 seats in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament were distributed as follows after the election on 17 September 2006: PartySecond vote shareNumber of seatsSPD 30,2 % 23CDU 28,8% 22The Left 16,8 % 13FDP 9,6 % 7NPD 7,3 % 6 Minister President Erwin Sellering (SPD) led a coalition government of SPD and CDU. The Deputy Minister President was Jürgen Seidel (CDU).
6th electoral term (2011–2016) The election to the sixth Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern took place on 4 September 2011. On 18 September 2011, a by-election was held in the constituency of Rügen I due to the death of CDU candidate Udo Timm. On 4 October 2011, the sixth Landtag was constituted. The 71 seats in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament were distributed as follows after the election on 4 September 2011: PartySecond vote shareNumber of seatsSPD 35,6 % 27CDU 23,0% 18The Left 18,4 % 14Alliance 90/The Greens 8,7 % 7NPD 6,0 % 5 The SPD and CDU agreed to continue the grand coalition under Minister President Erwin Sellering and Deputy Minister President Lorenz Caffier. The members of the Council of Elders for the sixth legislative term were: Sylvia Bretschneider – President of the Landtag Beate Schlupp - 1st Vice-President of the Landtag Regine Lück - 2nd Vice-President of the Landtag Silke Gajek - 3rd Vice-President of the Landtag Heinz Müller - Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD Parliamentary Group Wolf-Dieter Ringguth - Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU Parliamentary Group - Parliamentary Secretary of the parliamentary group The Left Johann-Georg Jaeger - Parliamentary Secretary of the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group Stefan Köster - Parliamentary Secretary of the NPD parliamentary group
7th electoral term (2016–2021) Following the state election on 4 September 2016, the seventh Landtag was constituted on 4 October 2016. After the election on 4 September 2016, and the changes until October 2019, the 71 seats in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament are distributed as follows: PartySecond vote shareNumber of seats (September 2016)Number of seats (October 2019)SPD 30,6 % 26 26CDU 19,0% 16 18AfD 20,8 % 18 14The Left 13,2 % 11 11Non-attached - - 2
On 8 December 2016, the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elected former Member of Parliament Heinz Müller as State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information for a five-year term on the proposal of the SPD parliamentary group. Müller prevailed over the former data protection commissioner of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and former Member of Parliament Karsten Neumann, who was proposed by the parliamentary group The Left. On 4 July 2017, the Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elected Manuela Schwesig (SPD) as the minister president. This was the first time a woman became head of government in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. On 31 August 2017, the MP Holger Arppe resigned from the AfD parliamentary group and has since been a non-attached MP. On 25 September 2017, the MPs Christel Weißig, Matthias Manthei, Bernhard Wildt and Ralf Borschke resigned from the AfD parliamentary group and founded the parliamentary group "Citizens for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (German: Bürger für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, abbr.: BMV). On 13 November 2018, the BMV parliamentary group renamed itself to FREIE WÄHLER/BMV. On 22 May 2019, the state parliament elected Birgit Hesse (SPD) as president of the Landtag. Her predecessor, Sylvia Bretschneider (SPD), died at the end of April 2019. On 1 October 2019, the parliamentary group FREIE WÄHLER/BMV dissolved. The deputies Matthias Manthei and Bernhard Wildt joined the CDU; Ralf Borschke rejoined the AfD and Christel Weißig has since been non-attached. On 22 October 2019, Thomas Würdisch (SPD) moved up for Erwin Sellering, who had retired from politics.
8th electoral term (since 2021) Following the state election on 26 September 2021, the eighth Landtag was constituted on 26 October 2021. After the election, the 79 seats in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament are distributed as follows: Party Second vote share Number of seatsSPD 39,6 % 34 AfD 16,7 % 14CDU 13,3% 12 The Left 9,9 % 9The Greens 6,3 % 5FDP 5,8 % 5
Due to winning 34 of 36 constituencies, more than the party vote share covered, the SPD had three overhang seats, which gave five leveling seats to other parties, for a total number of 79 seats. This was the first time in the history of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament that the number of seats exceeds the constitutionally prescribed minimum of 71. The SPD needed a coalition partner with at least 6 seats for a majority of 40 or more. On 15 November 2021, the Landtag Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elected Manuela Schwesig (SPD) as Minister-President. Schwesig formed the first red-red coalition (SPD and The Left) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since the 4th electoral term, leaving the CDU in opposition for the first time since 2006.
Duties and rights Excerpts from the state constitution As a site of political decision-making, the Landtag, as the central organ of the state's legislature, is responsible for electing the prime minister, passing or amending state laws, and controlling the state government and the state administration. Since 2006, the electoral period has been five years. The Landtag (Article 20) is the elected representation of the people is the place of political decision-making elects the minister-president exercises legislative power controls the activities of the state government and the state administration deals with public affairs Members of parliament are (Article 22) representatives of the whole people not bound by orders and instructions subject only to their conscience Parliamentary groups are (Article 25) associations of at least four members of the parliament autonomous and independent divisions of the parliament The Parliamentary Opposition (Article 26) is formed by the parliamentary groups and the members of Parliament who do not support the government. has, in particular, the task of developing its own programs and taking initiatives for the control of the state government and state administration, as well as critically evaluating the government program and government decisions has the right to equal political opportunities in the performance of its duties. The electoral term (Article 27) The Landtag is elected for five years. Its electoral term ends when a new Landtag convenes. At the request of one-third of its members and by a majority of two-thirds, the Landtag may terminate its term of office scheduling a new election date. Meeting of Parliament (Article 28) After each new election, Parliament shall meet not later than the thirtieth day after the election. The President of the old Landtag shall convene it. The Petitions Committee (Article 35) deals with citizens' proposals, requests and complaints. The Ombudsman (Article 36) is elected by the Landtag has the task of safeguarding the rights of citizens vis-à-vis the state government and the agencies of public administration in the state. The Data Protection Commissioner (Article 37) is elected by the Landtag to safeguard the right of citizens to protection of their personal data.
Legislative competence Fields of law The legislative competence of the Landtag lies mainly in the following areas: adoption of the (state) budget law (art. 61ff Constitution of MV), so-called budget law municipal law cultural law, including school, broadcasting, monument protection and state-church law state organization law, including electoral law, parliamentary law, constitutional jurisdiction, court of audit police and public order law, including rescue services road and street law