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Mainz (dpa) - The SPD around Prime Minister Malu Dreyer won the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate more clearly than expected.
The CDU with top candidate Christian Baldauf, on the other hand, received the worst result to date and did not manage to regain power in Mainz even after 30 years.
The traffic light coalition, which has ruled the country since 2016, could continue with this.
In the future, there will be six parties in parliament, as the Free Voters entered the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament for the first time.
According to the preliminary official final result, the SPD received 35.7 percent of the vote.
The CDU was well behind with 27.7 percent.
She had her worst result so far in a state election in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2016 with 31.8 percent.
After the AfD was in third place in the first projections, the Greens ultimately conquered this place.
They came to 9.3 percent.
If the traffic light were to be reissued, the FDP would no longer be the second strongest, but the Greens.
The AfD, which five years ago had become the third strongest force in the state parliament with 12.6 percent, landed this time at 8.3 percent.
The FDP reached 5.5 percent on Sunday after losses and was only just ahead of the free voters with 5.4 percent.
The left once again missed the leap into the state parliament and landed at 2.5 percent.
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The turnout this time was 64.4 percent, two thirds cast their votes by postal vote in times of pandemic.
In 2016, the voter turnout was 70.4 percent, at the time the postal voter share was 31 percent.
Dreyer announced early talks on the new edition of the traffic light coalition.
"It is absolutely clear that I will sit down very quickly with my party chairman and colleagues from the parties to clarify how we want to govern together in the future," said Dreyer on Sunday in Mainz.
She said before the election that the Ampel coalition had worked very well together and that she would like to see a continuation if the election results make it possible.
CDU top candidate Christian Baldauf has ruled out quick personal consequences after the election defeat.
"We won't change anything personally for the time being," said Baldauf.
There is of course a content analysis.
“We have to see why that happened.
It will be neatly and properly processed, ”added Baldauf.
The 53-year-old left it open whether he would seek the post of parliamentary group leader in the future.
You have a "normal timetable" for the next few days.
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The green top candidate Anne Spiegel spoke of a “brilliant start to a super election year”.
"We Greens are the ones who have grown the most in government and for us this is a clear government mandate for consistent climate protection," said the Family and Environment Minister in Mainz on Sunday.
"That is exactly what we want to implement in a future government."
FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing wants to keep all options open for his party with a view to the federal election.
Neither a traffic light with the Greens and the SPD is a “blueprint” for the federal government, nor is the CDU the only possible partner, Wissing said on Sunday in the ZDF program “Die Berliner Runde”.
"Of course there are overlaps with the Union, but it is not the case that only cooperation between the Union and the FDP is possible," said Wissing, who is also the state chairman of the FDP and economics minister in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The Free Voters were delighted to have entered the state parliament in Mainz for the first time.
“What we set out to do in the state parliament has been achieved.
A good horse just jumps, they say in equestrian sports, ”said top candidate Joachim Streit on Sunday in Mainz.
Streit said he saw the election result as confirmation of the traffic light coalition.
They want to use the next five years to develop the Free Voters as a party.
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The AfD state chairman Michael Frisch complained on Sunday that the party had "fought under extremely difficult conditions."
Not just because of Corona.
The AfD was "marginalized and defamed".
The SPD has ruled in Rhineland-Palatinate since 1991, and thus for longer than in any other western federal state.
Dreyer has headed the state government since 2013, when she succeeded Kurt Beck.
She is the first woman in the office in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Around 3.1 million people from Rhineland-Palatinate were called to vote.
The new state parliament in Mainz will also have 101 members.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210315-99-824218 / 2
Current results of the state election RLP 2021
Results of the state elections RLP 2016
Postal voting share and voter participation since 1947 in Rhineland-Palatinate
Member of the RLP state parliament