Preparation for the 2026 state election: SPD and FDP nominate top candidates

Preparation for the 2026 state election: SPD and FDP nominate top candidates

The next state election in the southwest will take place in just over eight months, on March 8, 2026. The opposition parties SPD and FDP are preparing intensively for this important date. As the South Germans reports, the Social Democrats are meeting in Fellbach near Stuttgart, while the Free Democrats are holding their party conference in Pforzheim.

Both parties will elect their top candidates at these events. The state and parliamentary group leader Andreas Stoch will be running for the SPD, while the FDP is relying on Hans-Ulrich Rülke, the party and parliamentary group leader. In addition, the ranking of the state list for the election is determined, which is of central importance under the new electoral law.

New suffrage and its meaning

The current electoral law provides for a second vote for the state list, which makes the list placement crucial. This is particularly important for the SPD and FDP, as both parties were unable to win a direct mandate in the last elections in 2016 and 2021. Under the old electoral law, second mandates were awarded to the “best losers”, but with the reform the focus has shifted to list placements. The State election BW explains that according to Article 38.2 of the Basic Law and the Baden State Constitution, voting and voting are to be viewed as a civic duty.

The new voting law also addresses the need for personal choice. Citizens entitled to vote have the obligation to exercise their right to vote once and personally, although support is only permitted in certain cases, for example for people with disabilities.

Political landscape and coalition options

The election will also affect the successor to Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), who will no longer run. The Greens have already nominated Cem Özdemir as a candidate, while the CDU is sending Manuel Hagel into the race. Current polls suggest that under Hagel's leadership, a coalition of the CDU and the Greens could achieve a majority. Likely Scenario, a scenario analyzed by experts, also assumes that a German coalition made up of the CDU, SPD and FDP would also be possible if the distribution of votes were to take place accordingly.

The FDP and the SPD are therefore faced with the challenge of preparing optimally for the election, not only in terms of content but also strategically, in order to be able to survive in a close race for political power in the country.