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The 2026 Rhineland-Palatinate state election will be held in 2026 to elect the 19th Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.
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The 2026 Rhineland-Palatinate state election will be held in 2026 to elect the 19th Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.
In the 2021 state elections, the SPD, led by Prime Minister Malu Dreyer, was the strongest with 35.7 percent. The CDU achieved its poor result in Rhineland-Palatinate with 27.7 percent. The Greens were again the third strongest force with gains of 9.3 percent. [1]
The AfD became the fourth strongest force in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament with losses of 8.3 percent. The FDP reached 5.5 percent. The Free Voters made it into the state parliament for the first time with 5.4 percent. [2]
Even before the election, all three parties in the traffic light coalition had campaigned for it to continue. The balance of power within the alliance changed, since the Greens were now the second strongest party instead of the FDP.
The SPD invited the Greens and FDP to exploratory talks the day after the election. Almost eight weeks after the election, the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed to continue their previous coalition.
In the constituent session of the state parliament on May 18, 2021, Malu Dreyer was re-elected Prime Minister and the Third Dreyer cabinet was sworn in. [3]
| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size | SPD | CDU | Grüne | AfD | FDP | FW | Linke | BSW | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infratest dimap | 5–10 Dec 2024 | 1,175 | 24 | 32 | 11 | 14 | 4 | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Infratest dimap | 4–9 Jul 2024 | 1,165 | 21 | 31 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 7 | – | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| European Parliament election | 9 Jun 2024 | – | 17.5 | 30.7 | 9.3 | 14.7 | 5.9 | – | 1.7 | 4.7 | 15.5 | 13.2 |
| Infratest dimap | 15–20 Feb 2024 | 1,157 | 22 | 31 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 7 | – | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 2–11 Dec 2023 | 1,237 | 26 | 27 | 8.5 | 20 | 3.5 | 7.5 | 1.5 | – | 6 | 1 |
| Infratest dimap | 25–30 Oct 2023 | 1,048 | 22 | 31 | 12 | 17 | 5 | 5 | – | – | 8 | 9 |
| Infratest dimap | 13–18 Jul 2023 | 1,156 | 25 | 31 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 6 | – | – | 6 | 6 |
| INSA | 8–15 May 2023 | 1,000 | 28 | 27 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 2 | – | 7 | 1 |
| Infratest dimap | 27–28 Mar 2023 | 1,180 | 28 | 29 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 7 | 1 |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 14–21 Mar 2023 | 1,000 | 29 | 25 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 6.5 | 2 | – | 5.5 | 4 |
| Infratest dimap | 9–13 Dec 2022 | 1,166 | 28 | 29 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 4 | – | – | 7 | 1 |
| INSA | 7–14 Nov 2022 | 1,000 | 28 | 28 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 2 | – | 6 | Tie |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 14–17 Oct 2022 | 1,023 | 26 | 25.5 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 6.5 | 2 | – | 8 | 0.5 |
| Infratest dimap | 26–27 Sep 2022 | 1,183 | 27 | 27 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 4 | – | – | 8 | Tie |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 2–10 Jul 2022 | 1,209 | 34.5 | 26.5 | 14 | 6.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 2 | – | 5 | 8 |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 11–18 May 2022 | 1,042 | 37 | 23.5 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 2 | – | 5.5 | 13.5 |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 21–28 Mar 2022 | 1,002 | 39 | 24 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2 | – | 7 | 15 |
| Infratest dimap | 4–8 Mar 2022 | 1,158 | 34 | 26 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 5 | – | – | 8 | 8 |
| Infratest dimap | 19–23 Nov 2021 | 1,172 | 34 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 6 | – | – | 8 | 13 |
| Wahlkreisprognose | 1–9 Nov 2021 | 1,100 | 41 | 20 | 9.5 | 8 | 7.5 | 8 | 1.5 | – | 4.5 | 21 |
| 2021 federal election | 26 Sep 2021 | – | 29.4 | 24.7 | 12.6 | 9.2 | 11.7 | 3.6 | 3.3 | – | 5.6 | 4.7 |
| Infratest dimap | 2–7 Sep 2021 | 1,160 | 40 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 3 | – | 6 | 17 |
| Infratest dimap | 9–13 Jul 2021 | 1,153 | 38 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | – | 6 | 3 |
| 2021 state election | 14 Mar 2021 | – | 35.7 | 27.7 | 9.3 | 8.3 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 2.5 | – | 5.7 | 8.0 |
Kurt Beck is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who served as the 7th Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1994 to 2013 and as the 55th President of the Bundesrat in 2000–01. In May 2006, he succeeded Matthias Platzeck as chairman of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). He resigned from that post in September 2008.
In German politics, a traffic light coalition is a coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Alliance 90/The Greens. It is named after the parties' traditional colours, respectively red, yellow, and green, matching the colour sequence of a traffic light (Ampel). So far, the only instance of a traffic light coalition on a federal level in Germany has been in Olaf Scholz' cabinet between 2021 and its collapse over disagreements in November 2024.
The politics of Rhineland-Palatinate takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Rhineland-Palatinate. The state has a multi-party system where the two main parties are the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Michael Ebling is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as State Minister of the Interior in the government of Minister-President Malu Dreyer of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2022. From 2012 to 2022, he was the mayor of Mainz.
Marie-Luise "Malu" Dreyer is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has served as the 8th minister-president of Rhineland-Palatinate from 2013 to 2024. She is the first woman to hold this office. She served a one-year-term as president of the Federal Council from 1 November 2016 – 31 October 2017, which made her deputy to the president of Germany while in office. She was the second female president of the Federal Council and the sixth woman holding one of the five highest federal offices in Germany. On 19 June 2024 she announced her resignation from the office of minister-president with effect from 10 July.
The 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election was held on 13 March 2016 to elect the members of the 15th Landtag of Baden-Württemberg. The incumbent government of The Greens and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann lost its majority.
The 2016 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was held on 13 March 2016 to elect the members of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was held on the same day as the Baden-Württemberg state election and Saxony-Anhalt state election. The incumbent coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens led by Minister-President Malu Dreyer was defeated. The SPD remained the largest party, and formed a "traffic light coalition" with the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and The Greens. Dreyer was subsequently re-elected as Minister-President.
The 2021 Baden-Württemberg state election was held on 14 March 2021 to elect the 17th Landtag of Baden-Württemberg. The outgoing government was a coalition of Alliance 90/The Greens and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann.
The 2021 Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on 6 June 2021 to elect the 8th Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The outgoing government was coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), and The Greens, led by Minister-President Reiner Haseloff.
The 2021 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was held on 14 March 2021 to elect the 18th Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. The outgoing government was a "traffic light coalition" of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Free Democratic Party (FDP), and The Greens led by Minister-President Malu Dreyer.
Volker Wissing is a German lawyer and former judge who has been serving as the Minister for Transport in the federal government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 2021 and as Minister of Justice since 2024.
Anne Spiegel is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens. She served as Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 8 December 2021; she announced her resignation on 11 April and was dismissed by the President on 25 April 2022
In Germany's federal electoral system, a single party or parliamentary group rarely wins an absolute majority of seats in the Bundestag, and thus coalition governments, rather than single-party governments, are the usually expected outcome of a German election. As German political parties are often associated with particular colors, coalitions are frequently given nicknames based on the colors included. Prominent political parties in Germany are the CDU/CSU (black), the SPD (red), the Greens (green), the Left, the AfD (blue), and the FDP (yellow).
Katharina Binz is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens who has been serving as Minister for Family, Women, Culture and Integration in the third Cabinet of Minister-President Malu Dreyer since 2021. She has also been a part of the German Bundesrat for Rhineland-Palatinate since 2021. In December 2021 she succeeded Anne Spiegel, as Deputy Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The Third Dreyer cabinet is the current state government of Rhineland-Palatinate, sworn in on 18 May 2021 after Malu Dreyer was elected as Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate by the members of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the 25th Cabinet of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Doris Maria Ahnen is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as Minister for Finance in the state government of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2014. Prior to that she served as the Minister for Education, Research and Culture since 2001. She has been a part of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate since the 2006 elections. She is also a member of the German Bundesrat for Rhineland-Palatinate
The First Dreyer cabinet was the state government of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate from 18 May 2016 until 18 May 2021. The Cabinet was headed by Minister President Malu Dreyer and was formed by the Social Democratic Party, the Alliance '90/The Greens and the Free Democratic Party, after the 2016 Rhineland-Palatinate state election. On 18 May 2016 Dreyer was elected and sworn in as Minister President by the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was succeeded by Dreyers's third cabinets.
Stefanie Hubig is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as State Minister for Education in the government of Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate Malu Dreyer since 2016.
The next election to the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg is scheduled for 2026.
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