The 2026 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was held on 20 September 2026 to elect the 9th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The 2026 Berlin state election took place on the same day, two weeks after the AfD won the 2026 Saxony-Anhalt state election that potentially mobilised support for the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
The election had a high voter turnout of 78.1%. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) doubled its vote share to 38%, but is not expected to form a government due to the German firewall policy. The governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered minor losses, dropping to 35%, while the co-governing The Left and the Greens held on to five seats each and will likely join a red–red–green coalition. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 4.9% and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) at 1.0% failed to pass the 5% electoral threshold, losing all their representation. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) with 4.8% also failed to secure any seats.
In the context of the 2026 Merz government crisis, this was the first time ever that one of the formerly large German People's parties CDU/CSU and SPD failed to win any seats in a German state election, with the SPD having narrowly escaped with 5.5% in the March 2026 Baden-Württemberg state election. CDU leader and German chancellor Friedrich Merz called the result disastrous, but vowed to stay on as chancellor.
Election date Under the Constitution of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a state election must be held between 58 and 61 months after the start of the legislative period. The 8th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was constituted on 26 October 2021. No early dissolution of the parliament occurred. The election date was set to 20 September 2026, within the permissible window of 30 August to 22 November 2026.
Electoral system The Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern comprises at least 71 seats, with 36 allocated in single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting and the rest through closed party lists. German citizens aged 16 or older who have resided in the state for at least 37 days are eligible to vote, while those aged 18 or older with at least three months of primary residence in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern can stand for election, unless barred by a final court ruling. Seats are distributed using the Hare/Niemeyer method.
Background
Erwin Sellering (SPD), who was Minister-President since 2008, resigned in 2017 due to ill health, proposing Federal Minister of Family Affairs Manuela Schwesig as successor. She resigned from the third Merkel cabinet and continued with the SPD-CDU coalition, and also had to undergo medical treatment in 2019–2020. After a landslide win in 2021, winning 34 of 36 constituencies which expanded the parliament size from 71 to 79 seats, the SPD was six seats short of a majority, which could have been provided by CDU again, or The Left, with the second place AfD being off limits due to being subject to Germany's firewall policy that rejects cooperation. Schwesig picked The Left, forming the Second Schwesig cabinet.
The September 2026 poll numbers would not allow Manuela Schwesig to renew her two-party coalition with The Left as together they would reach 44%, same as AfD and CDU combined. If the Greens clear 5% election threshold, she could try to stay in office as Minister-President at the head of a three-party alliance of SPD with The Left and the Greens.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the SPD has been the largest political party since the 1998 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election. This was quite different in the 2024 European and 2025 Federal elections when the SPD of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was on the ballot and only won 10% and 12% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with only about a quarter of the votes that AfD and CDU won combined.
The CDU, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in 1990 had started at 38% in M-V, but dropped in 2021 to a national low of 13%, which since was lowered to 12% in the 2024 Brandenburg state election. In early September 2026, the CDU polled at 7% or 6%, in danger of losing representation due to the 5% election threshold. It is thus unlikely to enter a formal government coalition as it lacks strength for a two-party coalition with the SPD, and rejects direct cooperation with The Left. The FDP is very likely to lose representation in this state according to polls, while the BSW passed the 5% in Saxony-Anhalt despite polling 4%.
During the final weeks of the election, the 2026 Merz government crisis was ongoing.
Parties The table below lists parties represented in the 8th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (2021–2026). Both CDU and AfD lost and gained members, with a net zero. After dropping under 4 members, the status of FDP was reduced from Fraktion to Gruppe. NameIdeology2021 result Pre-2026 election Votes (%)SeatsSPD Social Democratic Party of Germany Social democracy39.6% AfD Alternative for Germany Right-wing populism16.7% CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christian democracy13.3% Linke The Left Democratic socialism9.9% Grüne Alliance 90/The Greens Green politics 6.3% FDP Free Democratic Party Classical liberalism 5.8% Ind. Independent – – The following minor parties submitted a state list of candidates to the returning officer and were approved to appear on the ballot:
Alliance C – Christians for Germany (Bündnis C) Communist Party of Germany (KPD) Ecological-Democratic Party (ÖDP) Free Voters (FW) Party Human Climate Animal-Protection (Tierschutzpartei) The Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative (Die PARTEI) Party of Progress (PdF) Pirate Party Germany (PIRATEN) Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice (BSW) (TF) Tradesman's Party of Germany Volt Germany (Volt) WE LIVE DEMOCRACY (WLD)
Campaign
AfD At a party conference in Grimmen in May 2026, the AfD adopted its election program. In addition to internal security and a more repressive migration policy, the main topics include a more performance-oriented education policy and a change of course in energy policy. The AfD is calling for a special unit for border controls and repatriations within the state police, the establishment of a deportation detention facility and a strengthening of the police in terms of personnel and equipment, for example through stun guns. The age of criminal responsibility is to be reduced to 12 years. The AfD rejects wind power and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems and instead wants to put the Nord Stream pipelines back into operation, build gas-fired power plants and rely on nuclear power in the long term. The AfD also wants to withdraw from the NDR and media state treaties and tie state funding to strict political neutrality.
Numerous political scientists and constitutional lawyers warned before the election that some of the AfD's plans are unconstitutional. CDU
In June 2026, the CDU election program was adopted at a party conference in Linstow. Core demands of the CDU include the promotion of digitization for companies, compensation for excessively high electricity costs, a construction child benefit and a trainee bonus, but also additional jobs at the public prosecutor's office and criminal investigation department and an expansion of video surveillance. Mandatory language level assessments before school enrolment, a clear name requirement in social media and a ban on gendering in schools and administration are also part of the programme. In its focus area of economy and jobs, the CDU wants to promote investment and the settlement of industrial companies.
With a view to a possible government formation, the CDU rejects cooperation with both The Left and the AfD
Linke Die Linke calls for an education package of 300 million euros for more staff and individual support. Die Linke calls to transform special schools into inclusive mainstream schools. The party wants to strengthen municipal and cooperative housing companies and support a nationwide rent cap. Through free local transport for everyone under the age of 21, the party promises more social participation. For care, Die Linke calls for a state fund for additional subsidies. Furthermore, Die Linke is in favor of abolishing the debt brake in the Basic Law, May 8 as a public holiday, easier referendums and supporting municipalities in providing housing for refugees. BSW
The party advocates a peace policy through disarmament and a rejection of the NATO headquarters in Rostock. The BSW wants to obtain Russian gas again via Nord Stream and is calling for larger shelters for villages and communities at wind farms. In addition, the BSW is in favour of strengthening collective bargaining coverage and a minimum wage of at least 15 euros. In the state parliament, the BSW wants to set up a committee of inquiry to review the Corona policy. For the government, the BSW calls for a non-partisan prime minister who should work with all parties.
Debate invitation controversies In June, the leaders of the four largest parties, both in parliament and in polls, Schwesig (SPD), Holm (AfD), Peters (CDU) and Oldenburg (Left) were invited to a TV debate in September, organized by RTL in cooperation with ntv and the private radio station Ostseewelle to take place shortly before the election. While Greens and FDP were represented in the parliament at the time, polls suggested they might (Greens) or would (FDP) fail to clear the 5% election threshold. On 11 August, Peters (CDU) and Oldenburg (Left), from parties polling around 10%, were controversially disinvited by RTL, leaving the debate as a head-to-head duel between Schwesig and Holm, leaders of parties that poll around 30+%. This led to anger from both the CDU and The Left. The Schwesig-Holm TV debate on 9 September was called aggressive.
Opinion polls Graphical summary
Party polling