Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, 2006

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September 17, 2006

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All 71 seats of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

	First party	Second party	Third party

Leader	Sylvia Bretschneider
Party	SPD	CDU	Left
Last election	40.6%	31.4%	16.4%
Seats before	33	25	13
Seats won	23	22	13
Seat change	-10	-3	0
Percentage	30.2%	28.8%	16.8%

	Fourth party	Fifth party	Sixth party

Party	FDP	NPD	Green
Last election	4.7%	0.8%	2.6%
Seats before	0	0	0
Seats won	7	6	0
Seat change	+7	+6	0
Percentage	9.6%	7.3%	3.4%
Swing	+4.9%	+6.5%	+0.8%

The 2006 edition of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was conducted on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania).

The economy was a major issue throughout the campaign. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's unemployment rate was among the worst in Germany. The possibility of the far-right NPD entering the parliament also became an issue late in the campaign, with all established parties condemning it.

The widespread discontent of the electorate resulted in the two governing parties at the federal level, the CDU and SPD, both losing support with the SPD faring the worst with a loss of 10.4% of its support. The Linke and Green Party did slightly better while the FDP and NPD made major gains. The far-right NPD's entrance into the parliament attracted a great deal of attention. Despite widespread condemnation by the established parties and other sources, the NPD managed to break the five percent threshold in order to enter the parliament.

The SPD decided to form a coalition with the CDU, instead of continuing the so-called 'red-red' coalition of the SPD and Left Party (since 1998). With this coalition, the grand coalition under chancellor Merkel gained a two-thirds majority in the Bundesrat (adding to the two-thirds majority the federal government already has in the Bundestag). With this power, the federal government would be able to pass any law that changes the constitution, without having to rely on the support of opposition parties.

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