2016 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election

German state election 2016 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election Mecklenburg-Vorpommern parliamentary no 2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election 2011 2021 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election 2021 All 71 seats in the Landtag 36 4 September 2016 821,581 (61.9%) 10.4pp 125px Erwin Sellering Social Democratic Party of Germany 35.6%, 27 seats 26 1 246,395 30.6% 5.0pp 125px Leif-Erik Holm Alternative for Germany Did not run 18 New party 167,852 20.8% New party 125px Lorenz Caffier Christian Democratic Union of Germany 23.0%, 18 seats 16 2 153,115 19.0% 4.0pp 119px Helmut Holter The Left (Germany) 18.4%, 14 seats 11 106,256 3 13.2% 5.2pp 2016 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election.svg 350px Results for the single-member constituencies Minister-President and Government Erwin Sellering (SPD) SPD–CDU Erwin Sellering (SPD) SPD–CDU The 2016 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was held on 4 September 2016 to elect the members of the 7th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.German anti-immigrant party poised for big gains in Merkel's home state https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-election-idUSKCN1190XG Reuters 4 September 2016 4 September 2016 The incumbent grand coalition between the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Minister-President Erwin Sellering retained its majority and continued in office. Campaign and issues The governing grand coalition between the SPD and CDU was campaigning to defend its majority. Furthermore, the result of the right wing AfD party was eagerly awaited. During the campaign, its frontrunner, Leif-Erik Holm, warned of the "spread of Islam". The party hoped to be the strongest political force after the elections.Der Mann, der die AfD vom Schmuddelimage befreien will Die Welt https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article157869434/Der-Mann-der-die-AfD-vom-Schmuddelimage-befreien-will.html 26 August 2016 4 September 2016 de Asked for the most important issues, Forschungsgruppe Wahlen/Politbarometer pollees ranked "unemployment" on first place (38%), followed by "refugees/asylum" (25%) and "school/education" (12%). Incumbent Erwin Sellering (64%) was far more popular as a candidate for Minister President than the CDU candidate Lorenz Caffier (18%).SPD festigt Spitzenplatz in Umfragen https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/wahl-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern/mecklenburg-vorpommern-spd-festigt-spitzenplatz-in-umfragen-14406767.html Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 26 August 2016 4 September 2016 de In an infratest dimap poll, however, 34% named "refugees/migration" as the top issue, followed by "social justice" (27%) and "labor and economy" (20%).Wahlumfrage: SPD zieht an CDU vorbei https://web.archive.org/web/20160826003836/http://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/landtagswahl_mv_2016/Wahlumfrage-SPD-zieht-an-CDU-vorbei,wahlmv282.html 2016-08-26 , Ndr.de, 19 August 2016, in German During the final days of the state election campaign, Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has her constituency for the federal elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and spoke in support of CDU candidate Caffier, she hardened her tone against immigrants and spoke in favor of deporting more of them, using the word "Rückführung" (repatriation) instead of "Abschiebung" (deportation) – though deportations are difficult to realize amid laws and international relations to the immigrants' home countries. On 1 September, Merkel for the first time admitted mistakes in her refugee policies, but only such that had been made years ago in 2004/05. According to Die Zeit, some saw a turn in her policies of Willkommenskultur and presumed "angst" in the Chancellor's office.Merkel in der Angstfalle, Die Zeit, 2 September 2016, in German But in general, during the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern campaign, Merkel defended her refugee policies and the dictum "Wir schaffen das" ("We'll manage it"), saying she would have done everything again as she did the previous year. CDU candidate Caffier demanded prohibition of the burqa – even if there are hardly any women wearing a burqa in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern –, more police officers and more development of the rural areas. At the same time, SPD Minister President and frontrunner Erwin Sellering distanced himself from Merkel's refugee policies and demanded more respect for the life-time achievements of the East German people. Sellering e.g. stated: "It must not be, that our people are suffering, because the refugees are there."Angela Merkel und die CDU vor dem AfD-Desaster, Der Tagesspiegel, 2 September 2016, in German On 2 September, Sellering said on the nationwide ZDF channel, Merkel was responsible for the popularity of the AfD in the state: "The people who can imagine to elect the AfD, are clearly concerned about the refugee policies of the chancellor."AfD rückt an die CDU heran, Handelsblatt, 2 September 2016, in German] Parties The table below lists parties represented in the 6th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Name Ideology Leader(s) 2011 result Votes (%) Seats SPD Social Democratic Party of GermanySozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands Social democracy Erwin Sellering 35.6% 27 71 Social Democratic Party of Germany CDU Christian Democratic Union of GermanyChristlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands Christian democracy Lorenz Caffier 23.0% 18 71 Christian Democratic Union of Germany Linke The LeftDie Linke Democratic socialism Helmut Holter 18.4% 14 71 The Left (Germany) Grüne Alliance 90/The GreensBündnis 90/Die Grünen Green politics Silke Gajek 8.7% 7 71 Alliance 90/The Greens NPD National Democratic PartyNationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands Neo-Nazism Udo Pastörs 6.0% 5 71 National Democratic Party of Germany Opinion polling Polling firm Fieldwork date Samplesize SPD CDU Linke Grüne NPD FDP AfD Others Lead 2016 state election 4 Sep 2016 – 30.6 19.0 13.2 4.8 3.0 3.0 20.8 5.6 9.8 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 31 Aug–1 Sep 2016 1,133 28 22 13 6 – 3 22 6 6 INSA 29 Aug 2016 1,031 28 20 15 6 2 2 23 4 8 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 23–25 Aug 2016 1,020 28 22 13 6 3 – 21 7 6 Infratest dimap 23–24 Aug 2016 1,003 27 22 14 5 3 3 21 5 5 Infratest dimap 11–16 Aug 2016 1,003 26 23 16 6 3 3 19 4 3 INSA 2–9 Aug 2016 1,000 24 23 19 6 3 3 19 3 1 Infratest dimap 23–27 Jun 2016 1,002 22 25 17 7 4 3 19 3 3 Infratest dimap 21–26 Apr 2016 1,000 22 24 16 8 4 4 18 4 2 INSA 3–9 Feb 2016 1,002 22 29 16 5 4 4 16 1 7 Marktforschungsservice Dukath 6–13 Jan 2016 750 28.4 27.2 20.1 9.5 1.3 8.0 5.5 0.2 1.2 Marktforschungsservice Dukath 5–9 Jan 2015 750 34.3 30.6 17.4 9.7 1.4 1.6 4.1 0.9 2.7 Infratest dimap 2–5 May 2014 1,001 29 34 20 5 3 2 4 3 5 Marktforschungsservice Dukath 24–28 Feb 2014 800 32.7 31.8 19.4 6.2 1.1 1.7 2.3 4.9 0.9 Emnid 6–10 Sep 2013 750 31 28 19 8 5 2 – 7 3 Emnid 9–13 Aug 2013 750 32 28 20 8 5 2 – 5 4 2011 state election 4 Sep 2011 – 35.6 23.0 18.4 8.7 6.0 2.8 – 6.0 12.6 Results Final results showed the SPD with 30.6% of the vote, AfD in second with 20.8%, CDU in third with 19.0%, and Die Linke in fourth with 13.2%. These parties would all have representatives in the Landtag. The Greens, NPD and FDP, who had previously had representation, all scored below 5%, and so did not qualify for a seat in the Landtag. This left the SPD as the biggest party, but without a majority and opened the way to continuing a coalition with the CDU, or a new "Red-Red" coalition with Die Linke. The latter, however, would only have a majority of 2 seats in the Landtag, and would be commensurately less likely.http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/9086034/afd-vize-storch-will-bald-regierungsfaehig-werden.html WELT - Nachrichten, Hintergründe, News & Videos N24.de 2019-09-14 Summary of the 4 September 2016 Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern elections results< 2011  30px  2021 > |- |colspan=7 align=center| 350px |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; background:#e9e9e9; width:400px;"|Party ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Popular vote ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Seats |- ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:60px;"|Votes ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:40px;"|% ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:50px;"|+/– ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:30px;"|Seats ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:30px;"|+/– |- | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands – SPD | 246,395 | 30.6 | 5.1 | 26 | 1 |- | Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany Alternative für Deutschland – AfD | 167,852 | 20.8 | New | 18 | New |- | Christian Democratic Union (Germany) Christian Democratic Union #000000 Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands – CDU | 153,115 | 19.0 | 4.1 | 16 | 2 |- | The Left (Germany) The Left Die Linke | 106,256 | 13.2 | 5.2 | 11 | 3 |- | Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | 38,836 | 4.8 | 3.9 | – | 7 |- | Free Democratic Party (Germany) Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei – FDP | 24,521 | 3.0 | 0.3 | – | – |- | National Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party of Germany Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands – NPD | 24,322 | 3.0 | 3.0 | – | 5 |- | Human Environment Animal Protection Party Animal Protection Party Tierschutzpartei | 9,674 | 1.2 | 1.2 | – | – |- | Family Party of Germany Family Party Familien-Partei Deutschlands | 6,799 | 0.9 | 0.7 | – | – |- | || align=left | Free Horizon Freier Horizont | 6,603 | 0.8 | 0.8 | – | – |- | Die PARTEI Die PARTEI Partei für Arbeit, Rechtstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative | 5,051 | 0.6 | 0.3 | – | – |- | Free Voters Free Voters Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Freie Wähler | 4,740 | 0.6 | 0.5 | – | – |- | Pirate Party Germany Pirate Party Piratenpartei Deutschland | 3,935 | 0.5 | 1.4 | – | – |- | style="background:Other;"| || align=left |Other parties | 8,320 | 1.1 | 1.1 | – | – |- style="background:#e9e9e9;" | style="text-align:right;" colspan="2"| Valid votes | 806,419 | 98.2% | 1.9 | colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="color:#bab9b9;"| |- style="background:#e9e9e9;" | style="text-align:right;" colspan="2"| Invalid votes | 15,162 | 1.8% | 1.9 |- style="background:#e9e9e9;" | style="text-align:right;" colspan="2"| Totals and voter turnout | 821,581 | 61.9% | 10.4 | 71 | 0 |- style="background:#bab9b9;" | colspan="2" | Electorate | 1,328,320 | 100.00 | — | colspan=2| |- | colspan="11" style="text-align:left;"| Source:Vorläufiges Ergebnis Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Wahl zum Landtag von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern am 4. September 2016 Landeswahlleiterin Sachsen-Anhalt http://service.mvnet.de/wahlen/2016_land/showHtmlContent.php?folder=2016_land&datei=L_WK99.htm 4 September 2016 4 September 2016 de |} Aftermath Minister President Sellering stated that he wanted to lead exploratory talks with both the CDU and The Left.Sellering will mit CDU und Linken verhandeln https://web.archive.org/web/20160905181311/http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/mecklenburg-vorpommern-sellering-will-mit-cdu-und-linken.447.de.html?drn:news_id=652944 2016-09-05 , Deutschlandfunk, 5 September 2016, in German On 5 September, Chancellor Angela Merkel took part of the responsibility for the CDU result in the elections. "I am the party leader, I am the chancellor — you can't separate those in people's eyes, so I am of course responsible too" for the result, she stated at a press conference at the G20 summit in China. Again she defended her decisions regarding refugee policies, saying they were "right". She also noted that federal and refugee policies had "superimposed" "everything" during the election campaign. Merkel faced not only increasing criticism of the CSU party after the elections, also AfD leader Frauke Petry criticised Merkel: "This ignorance is exemplary," she said. "It is not just ignorance. What we see here is the continuing arrogance of power."Merkel Takes Blame for German Vote Defeat, but Holds Course, New York Times, 5 September 2016 Also critics within the CDU party commented on the result. Specialist for domestic affairs Wolfgang Bosbach called the election day a "historic date", because the AfD came in before the CDU and the CDU was only third political force in a German territorial state. He demanded an alteration of the refugee policies, but saw no alternative for Merkel as the chancellor."Historisches Datum, wenn CDU hinter AfD landet", Die Welt, 5 September 2016, in German SPD chief Sigmar Gabriel accused Angela Merkel of "simply repeating 'we will manage it' without doing it as well." Green party chief Cem Özdemir said that the persistent dispute within the Grand Coalition in Berlin had been "grist to the mill" of the AfD. The Left chairman Bernd Riexinger criticised the CDU and SPD on the grounds that they had "embraced" the positions of the AfD during the election campaign. References Category:2016 elections in Germany 2016 Category:September 2016 in Germany Category:2010s in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern