Overview
- The new Landtag met at Schwerin Castle on Tuesday for its constitutive session, opened by Alterspräsident Ralf Mucha and preceded by an ecumenical service in the Schlosskirche.
- The AfD is the largest single faction with 32 seats but lacks a majority, so SPD, Die Linke and the Greens can block an AfD candidate for Landtag president.
- The SPD has nominated incumbent Birgit Hesse and the three prospective coalition partners have said they will vote for her, while the AfD nominated Carlos Rodrigues who is not expected to win.
- The coalition partners proposed a new rules package that sets five minutes of base speaking time per agenda item per faction plus ten seconds per deputy and introduces fines of roughly 100 to 15,000 euros for breaches, a change the AfD says will curb its influence and the SPD disputes.
- The agenda also includes election of clerks, creation of a provisional committee to keep business running until standing committees form, and an Enquetekommission on crisis preparedness, all seen as early tests of Manuela Schwesig’s ability to hold a working majority.