SPD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern confirms Schwesig as lead candidate, sets out list for September election

The list is topped by Schwesig and followed by Interior Minister Christian Pegel at place 2, Landtag President Birgit Hesse at place 3 and Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus at place 4, who is described in the reporting as hoping to begin a fourth decade as a minister after nearly 28 years in office. Health Minister Stefanie Drese, faction leader Julian Barlen (place 6), Culture Minister Bettina Martin, petitions committee chair Thomas Krüger, deputy faction leader Nadine Julitz (place 9) and State Chancellery chief Patrick Dahlemann (place 10) complete the senior contingent.

Among lower-placed candidates, lawyer Johannes Barsch — a Jusos member at the Greifswald firm Hardtke, Svenson & Partner — is proposed for place 20, making him the first name on the list who is not simultaneously a direct constituency candidate. Several sitting Landtag members, including Ralf Mucha, Christian Brade, Thomas Würdisch, Michel-Friedrich Schiefler, Dirk Stamer and Marcel Falk, are placed behind him. SPD economic policy spokesperson Christian Winter is proposed for place 30. The list was originally set at 63 names, but Karl Heinz Griem withdrew from place 60 for health reasons.

Polling gap and a 'directional' framing

The list proposal was drafted by Schwesig in consultation with her deputies and kept secret until Thursday, when it was unveiled at an SPD meeting in Güstrow in the Rostock district. All SPD direct candidates are also on the state list. The election uses the first vote (Erststimme) for direct candidates in 36 constituencies and the second vote (Zweitstimme) for the state list.

The SPD has governed Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for nearly 28 years, and Schwesig has held the office of Minister-President since 2017. The party currently holds 34 of 79 seats in the state parliament and governs in coalition with Die Linke. State Secretary for Economic Affairs Jochen Schulte is not running again, and Economics Minister Wolfgang Blank is non-partisan.

The political backdrop is challenging. A poll cited in the article puts the SPD at 27 percent and the AfD at 36 percent in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and a separate mid-May poll also had the AfD at 36 percent. By comparison, the SPD achieved 39.6 percent in the previous state election five years earlier, and before that vote in June 2021 the party polled at 23 percent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SPD has around 2,800 members in the state.

Schwesig framed the contest in stark terms. "Bei der MV-Wahl am 20. September geht es um eine Richtungsentscheidung," she told delegates, adding in a longer formulation: "wie es in unserem Land weitergeht, ob wir ein freiheitlich-demokratisches Land bleiben, das zusammenhält, oder ob zukünftig Respektlosigkeit, Ausgrenzung und Hass und Hetze regieren." She also cast the choice as one between herself as Minister-President with a strong SPD and a democratic government, or "die Alleinherrschaft der AfD, die unser Land spalten will und die in unserem Land Extremisten an die Macht lassen will."

Economic agenda: jobs, a state bank and lower red tape

On policy, Schwesig said her first priority would be the economy, jobs and good wages: "Der erste Schwerpunkt ist die Stärkung der Wirtschaft und die Sicherung von Arbeitsplätzen und auch die Unterstützung für gute Löhne." She cited the free kindergarten, the tariff loyalty law and the apprentice and senior tickets as achievements of her government. Other announced measures include establishing a state development bank (Landesförderbank) to provide low-interest loans to businesses and private individuals, including young families buying property, and a wealth tax (Vermögenssteuer).

The party also wants to extend an internship premium in skilled trades — recently used by 600 young people, according to Schwesig — to other sectors, suspend bureaucratic and reporting obligations for two years, build or renovate 1,000 new dormitory places over the next five years, and support young people obtaining a driving licence through an interest-free loan, addressing complaints about expensive driving tests. The SPD's key campaign topics are the economy and jobs, education, social security and social cohesion.

On the campaign trail, the SPD is distributing 'WM-Planer' (World Cup planners) featuring Schwesig in a red jersey on the cover with the slogan "Anpfiff für die Zukunft unseres Landes". A 12-centimetre scented car freshener figure of Schwesig in a red trouser suit, with a loop for the interior mirror and the fragrance note 'New Linen', is being produced as a giveaway. Former Minister-President Erwin Sellering, described as having recently recovered from an infectious illness, also made a brief appearance at the party congress to give a speech.

Campaign materials and the road to 20 September

The SPD is the last state party to finalise its list for the 20 September vote, and Schwesig is also aiming to become the strongest political force again: "stärkste Kraft werden". The party has 2,800 members in the state, and Schwesig is 52 years old.

Taken together, the Wismar congress formalised both a personal vote of confidence in Schwesig and a policy platform intended to distinguish the SPD from the AfD on questions of democracy, social cohesion and economic management. The poll gap means the election, in Schwesig's words, is a directional one — a verdict on which path Mecklenburg-Vorpommern takes after nearly three decades of SPD-led government.