The SPD, Left Party and Greens signed their coalition agreement in Greifswald for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Beforehand, the Greens had approved the agreement at a party conference in Stralsund by an almost unanimous majority. The SPD also approved the agreement on the same day; the Left Party had accepted it on 13 November.
The three parties have thereby laid the foundations for the first red-red-green state government in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The incumbent Minister-President, Manuela Schwesig of the SPD, intends to stand for re-election on 16 November in the state parliament in Schwerin. Approval by the party conferences and the signing of the agreement do not replace that election.
According to NDR, the Greens’ vote among the approximately 100 delegates saw one abstention. The parliamentary group leader Claudia Müller, who is in line for a ministerial post, championed the agreement as the result of compromises. There were also objections during the debate: according to a report by taz, delegates criticised, among other things, that the agreement was too vague in places and said too little about inclusion. The decision to retain the prepaid card for refugees was also criticised.
The Greens are due to lead a ministry responsible, among other things, for environmental and climate protection, energy, mobility and equality. It would be the party’s first time in a state government in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Whether the measures agreed in the coalition document are implemented will depend on decisions by the incoming government and the state parliament.
Schwesig had previously governed with the Left Party. After the state election on 20 September, in which the AfD emerged as the strongest party, the SPD, Left Party and Greens negotiated a joint programme for government. Together, the three parliamentary groups have a majority in the state parliament. The planned coalition would thus expand the existing partnership between the SPD and the Left Party to include a third partner.
The coalition partners approved the agreement by different margins: the SPD adopted it unanimously at its party conference. According to the Left Party, there were no votes against, but seven abstentions. The Greens’ decision to approve the agreement despite criticism also gives their negotiating team backing for entering the planned government.
The agreement sets out goals for the years 2026 to 2031. In the environmental sphere, it includes, among other things, an action plan to protect the Baltic Sea Such agreements set a political direction for the incoming government; they are not yet approved individual measures. After signing, the three parties must therefore turn their differing priorities into concrete decisions while securing the parliamentary cooperation they have agreed.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).