Authorities - The president of the state legislature urges: treat election outcomes with due regard.
Birgit Hesse, president of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Landtag, celebrated the high voter turnout at the recent European and Local Elections and implored politics to pay attention to the results. "Plenty of fingers were raised by voters," said Hesse. The reason is the successful performance of the AfD, which came out on top in both the European and local votes in MV. This issue was also a major focus in the evening news during a debate marking the 30th anniversary of the state constitution and the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law.
"Around two-thirds of all eligible voters cast their ballots. That's a victory and a sign that people care about what happens to our country in the future," said Hesse during the parliamentary session at Schwerin Castle. In the 2019 European and Local Elections, voter turnout in MV was a mere 58.4%. This time, it was 65.7%.
Hesse also sounded a warning, noting the evident dissatisfaction among many people across MV, Germany, and other European Union countries. While the AfD saw a significant rise in its results from five years ago in Sunday's European and Local Elections, securing 28.3% in the European elections in MV and 25.6% in the local elections, the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) got 16.4% in the European elections in MV.
Hesse urged citizens to engage in their democracy beyond elections. "It's crucial to make concrete suggestions. Get involved this way to ensure that our society continues to evolve and gets a closer look at your personal interests," she urged. People can do this by writing to political parties or representatives, submitting petitions to the Landtag's Petitions Committee, or raising grievances, recommendations, or even initiatives. Demonstrations and signature campaigns are other engaging ways.
Hesse urged politicians to heed such engagement. "Criticism should not be dismissed or even ridiculed." While there may be various stances, positions, or values, "It's the way we handle the resulting conflicts that matters," Hesse emphasized.
During the follow-up debate on the 30th anniversary of the state constitution and the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, politicians from all sides and Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) on behalf of the state government honored the two value-papers. The leader of the Left faction, Jeannine Röslers, advocated for the inclusion of children's rights in the Basic Law. Constanze Oehlrich from the Greens suggested the society consistently reminds itself of the qualities that unite it.
The results of Sunday's elections were also discussed. Daniel Peters, CDU faction leader, lamented the absence of self-reflection and humility from the ruling SPD after their clear losses in the local election, where the SPD only scored 12.7%, and the European election, where they totalled 10.3%. SPD General Secretary Julian Barlen responded that the party would reach out to other parties for collaborations in the local areas. They have no dealings with the AfD. AfD parliamentary group leader Nikolaus Kramer said that the Landtag, often lauded as the heart of democracy in the debate, appears more like a hall of hate to him. FDP faction leader René Domke called on the Berlin SPD-Left coalition government not to reject all measures from the opposition just because they are from the opposition, emphasizing the need for unity.
Post-election, Manuela Schwesig, Minister President and SPD state chairwoman, and General Secretary Barlen pinned the blame on the policies of the traffic light government in Berlin for the poor outcome. It had nothing to do with potential mistakes. Critics criticizing within the party base are already stirring. The Wismar mayor, Thomas Beyer (SPD), suggested an open discussion among the party's state executive committee in the NDR. He did not explicitly mention migration; there are other important issues, like education.
