A politician from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party was elected on Monday to lead the government of the wine-producing state of Rhineland-Palatinate for the first time in 35 years.
Gordon Schnieder, 50, was elected to lead a coalition of the CDU and the Social Democrats (SPD) - the same political configuration in place in the federal government in Berlin.
The state CDU leader received 63 votes, with 38 parliamentarians voting against him and two abstaining. Two of the 105 votes cast were declared invalid. Schnieder was subsequently sworn in as head of the state government.
The CDU/SPD coalition has 71 seats - 18 more than the 53 needed to elect a state premier.
The election marks a new era for the state, which had been ruled continuously for more than three decades by the SPD.
The CDU emerged as the clear winner in the state election on March 22 with 31% of the vote. The SPD received 25.9%. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) grew significantly to 19.5% and the Greens reached 7.9%. All other parties failed to clear the 5% threshold.
With the Greens too weak to form a viable coalition and both the CDU and SPD ruling out cooperation with the AfD, a CDU-SPD government was the only viable option.
Key priorities in the coalition agreement include municipal finances, education — particularly in early childhood — modernization of the state, road and bridge repairs and public safety. Renewable energy capacity is to be expanded by 1,500 megawatts per year.
