Gordon Schnieder has been elected the new Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate. During the state parliamentary election on Monday, the CDU politician secured 63 votes, forming a Grand Coalition with the SPD. Overall, the CDU and SPD alliance brings together 71 seats in the parliament. The vote was contested by 38 deputies who voted against the motion, two of whom abstained, with two votes deemed invalid.
The CDU had decisively won the state election on March 22, receiving 31 percent of the vote, compared to the 25.9 percent received by Alexander Schweitzer, the former minister-president. Following these results, both parties agreed to form a Grand Coalition. While Schweitzer himself is not part of the new government, he remains politically connected, taking on the role of Chair of the SPD parliamentary faction-a position he previously held from 2014 to 2021.
The new coalition agreement outlines several key goals. Among the commitments is a focus on strengthening cities and municipalities, backed by promises of increased funding allocations. Furthermore, the government plans to modernize the administration. In the realm of internal security, both the CDU and SPD intend to increase reliance on technology, including artificial intelligence, and seek to enable greater video surveillance.
