Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany State election 2026 (Landtagswahl) — Results

Figures from official electoral authorities · Updated 2026-10-12

Turnout: 78.02%

Parties and lead candidates

19 parties are on the ballot; shown here are the six in the outgoing Landtag and the BSW.

Government and coalitions

Before the vote

Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has been minister-president since 2017. Since 2021 she has led a coalition of the SPD and the Left, which holds a majority in the outgoing Landtag.

After the vote

The AfD finished first with 32 of the 71 seats, where 36 make a majority. The SPD has 29, Die Linke 5 and the Greens 5. The CDU took 4.9 per cent and the BSW 4.8, both below the five-per-cent threshold and without a constituency seat, so neither sits in the Landtag; it is the first time a CDU state branch has been left out of a Landtag in the history of the Federal Republic. The chamber came out at exactly 71 seats, with no overhang or levelling seats. The SPD-Linke government that has run the state since 2021 is down to 34 seats and has lost its majority, and every party in the chamber rules out governing with the AfD, which leaves one combination above 36: the SPD with Die Linke and the Greens, at 39 seats.

Exploratory talks on that three-way government began on 28 September, a week after the vote, with the SPD meeting Die Linke first — Manuela Schwesig for the SPD and the Left state chair Hennis Herbst — and the Greens to follow; the parties agreed to keep the substance confidential until the talks conclude. The SPD state executive had voted unanimously to open them and to rule out any contact with the AfD, naming Schwesig, Christian Pegel and Julian Barlen as its negotiators, and will weigh the outcome before deciding whether to move to full coalition negotiations. Schwesig, minister-president since 2017, said she had invited both parties herself. The AfD claims the right to form a government as the largest party and has put forward Leif-Erik Holm for minister-president.

About this election

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern votes on 20 September 2026

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elects its ninth Landtag on Sunday 20 September 2026. The state is Germany's most sparsely populated — roughly 1.6 million people spread along the Baltic coast between Schleswig-Holstein and the Polish border — and one of the five eastern states that joined the Federal Republic at reunification. Berlin votes the same day, so two counts run in parallel, and both come a fortnight after Saxony-Anhalt.

The term is five years. Under Article 27 of the state constitution the election must fall between 58 and 61 months after the Landtag first sat; the eighth Landtag was constituted on 26 October 2021, and the state government fixed 20 September 2026 within the permitted window of 26 August to 26 November.

The voting system in the north-east

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern uses mixed-member proportional representation with a chamber of at least 71 seats, 36 of them needed for a majority. Thirty-six members are elected directly in single-member constituencies by simple plurality; the remaining seats are filled from closed party lists so that the chamber matches the party vote. Seats are shared out by the Hare/Niemeyer quota method among parties clearing 5%, and overhang and levelling seats can enlarge the parliament — the 2021 Landtag came out at 79 rather than 71 for exactly that reason.

The state is unusual in Germany for its franchise: German citizens may vote from the age of 16, provided they have lived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for at least 37 days. Candidates must be 18 and resident for three months.

Where the parties start from

The 2021 election, held the same day as that year's federal vote, was a personal triumph for Manuela Schwesig. Her SPD took 39.6% and 34 seats, up nine points, the party's best result in the state since 2002. The AfD held second place but slipped to 16.7% and 14 seats. The CDU recorded its worst result ever in the state, 13.3% and 12 seats. The Left fell to 9.9% and 9 seats, while the Greens (6.3%, 5 seats) and the FDP (5.8%, 5 seats) both returned to a parliament they had dropped out of. Turnout was 70.8%.

Schwesig then dropped the CDU and formed a red-red coalition with the Left, and was re-elected minister-president on 15 November 2021 with 41 of 79 votes. She seeks a third full term in 2026 and again leads the SPD list.

The contest and its lead candidates

Manuela Schwesig stands for the SPD, Daniel Peters for the CDU, Simone Oldenburg for the Left and Claudia Müller for the Greens. The AfD's arrangement is split: Leif-Erik Holm is its candidate for minister-president while Enrico Schult heads the state list, the two being co-chairs of the state party. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance contests the state for the first time.

Polling through late summer 2026 put the SPD and AfD close together and well clear of everyone else, which is what gave the campaign's sharpest row its edge. In August, RTL disinvited the CDU's and the Left's lead candidates from a planned four-way debate, leaving a head-to-head between Schwesig and Holm; Peters accused the SPD of engineering a two-way race, the broadcaster said the decision was editorial and based on the polling, and a leaked message reported by Der Spiegel on 15 August kept the argument going. A further complaint about an NDR debate on 16 September was rejected by the broadcaster as fabricated. ElectioMap publishes no forecasts and quotes no projections: only counted votes appear on this page.

What appears here once counting starts

This page will show the official second-vote result as the state returning officer publishes it — vote shares to two decimal places, the seat distribution in the new Landtag, and turnout, each captioned with the share of the count it rests on. If the AfD or the SPD leads early, that lead is reported as a partial count and nothing more; no winner is declared until the remaining ballots cannot change the order.

The figures come from the Landeswahlleiter of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (the State Office for Internal Administration, LAiV), which administers and certifies the count and publishes results at laiv-mv.de. The provisional count was complete on election night; the Landeswahlausschuss determined the certified second-vote result on 30 September 2026 — seats and the total of valid votes unchanged, the party shares and the turnout shifted slightly — and this page carries those figures.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election?

Sunday 20 September 2026, the same day as Berlin. Voters elect the ninth Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for a five-year term.

How does the voting system work?

Mixed-member proportional representation. Thirty-six members are elected directly in single-member constituencies by plurality, and the remaining seats come from closed party lists so the chamber matches the party vote. Seats are allocated by the Hare/Niemeyer method among parties clearing 5%. The chamber has at least 71 seats, 36 for a majority, and overhang and levelling seats can enlarge it — the 2021 Landtag came out at 79.

Who can vote?

German citizens aged 16 or over who have lived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for at least 37 days. It is one of the German states that has lowered the voting age for state elections. Candidates must be 18 and resident for three months.

What happened at the last election, in 2021?

The SPD won 39.6% and 34 of 79 seats under Manuela Schwesig, up nine points. The AfD came second with 16.7% and 14 seats; the CDU recorded its worst ever result in the state at 13.3% and 12 seats. The Left took 9.9% and 9 seats, the Greens 6.3% and 5, and the FDP 5.8% and 5, both returning to a parliament they had dropped out of. Turnout was 70.8%.

Who governs the state now?

A red-red coalition of the SPD and the Left, formed after 2021 when Schwesig chose the Left over the CDU she had governed with before. She was re-elected minister-president on 15 November 2021 with 41 of 79 votes and is standing for a further term.

Who are the lead candidates?

Manuela Schwesig for the SPD, Daniel Peters for the CDU, Simone Oldenburg for the Left and Claudia Müller for the Greens. The AfD splits the roles: Leif-Erik Holm is its candidate for minister-president while Enrico Schult heads the state list; the two are co-chairs of the state party. The BSW contests the state for the first time.

Why was the televised debate controversial?

In August 2026 RTL disinvited the CDU's Daniel Peters and the Left's Simone Oldenburg from a planned four-way debate, leaving a head-to-head between Schwesig and Holm. Peters accused the SPD of engineering a two-way race; RTL said the decision was editorial and reflected polling that put the SPD and AfD far ahead. A leaked message reported by Der Spiegel on 15 August revived the argument, and a subsequent CDU complaint about an NDR debate was rejected by the broadcaster.

When were the results available?

Polls closed at 18:00 CEST and the provisional count was complete on election night. The Landeswahlausschuss determined the certified result on 30 September 2026, and this page carries the certified second-vote figures from the Landeswahlleiter. While the count ran, every figure was captioned with the share of the count behind it, and no winner was named until the outstanding ballots could not change the order.

Compiled and reviewed from official results by ElectioMap. See our data methodology.

In numbers

Calculated from the official figures on this page and from the other elections of this type in our archive.

Understanding this election

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