Approximately six weeks after the state election in Rheinland-Pfalz in mid-March, the CDU and the SPD have reached an agreement to collaborate in a joint government. Representatives from both parties gave their approval to the negotiated coalition contract at separate meetings held in Mainz and Nieder-Olm on Saturday.
Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer (SPD), alongside his designated successor, Gordon Schnieder (CDU), presented the combined document in Mainz on Thursday. The agreement details several key policy areas, including the addition of more positions within the police force and guaranteeing a compulsory kindergarten year.
The new state parliament is scheduled to convene on May 18th for its constitutive session, where Schnieder is expected to be elected the new Minister-President.
Politically, the coalition was necessitated by the election results of March 22nd. The CDU significantly outperformed the SPD, securing 31.0 percent of the vote compared to the SPD’s 25.9 percent. The remaining seats in the new parliament are held by the AfD with 19.5 percent and the Greens with 7.9 percent. Since all other major parties explicitly excluded forming a government coalition with the AfD, an alliance between the CDU and SPD became the only viable option.
