Red-red-green in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Timmy whisperer Till Backhaus loses whale competence

Germany's longest-serving minister Till Backhaus is plucked: the SPD veteran has been responsible for agriculture in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for almost three decades, and later he was also given the areas of environment and climate protection. The latter has now been resolved.

As SPD Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig announced on Thursday in Schwerin, Backhaus will only have agriculture left in her future red-red-green cabinet. The 67-year-old has to hand over the environment and climate protection to the Greens, the new third coalition partner alongside the SPD and the Left. To the very party that the former LPG department head has always had a particular dislike for.

In September 2022, Backhaus' statement about the then Green Party leader Ricarda Lang caused nationwide outrage: "Fat and stupid used to be two people." His failed rescue operation for the stranded whale Timmy this spring caused – depending on your point of view – nationwide enthusiasm or irritation. In the new government he will also lose responsibility for the whales to the Greens.

Schwesig, Backhaus sweetened the green land grab with the memorable motto: “There is one rule in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a simple rule: the Minister of Agriculture is Till Backhaus.” At this point even the otherwise strict-looking Prime Minister had to laugh briefly.

The question of which party gets which ministry was treated like a state secret until the end. First, the main focus of the future coalition would have to be clarified, it was said again and again. On Tuesday, with the presentation of the 130-page coalition agreement, a tick was put behind the content. However, the so-called structure remained unclear. Until now.

Accordingly, the Greens, who are represented in the state government for the first time, will only take over one of the eight ministries. This will be even bigger. The Green Party politician Claudia Müller will not only become Minister for the Environment, Nature and Climate Protection. The areas of mobility and energy are also moving from the previous Ministry of Economics to Müller. The equal opportunities officer will also be based in her building.

Müller himself is satisfied. She said in the taz interview that she would have been happy about an additional department for the Greens. "But we also had a clear focus, namely on the responsibilities. We said that responsibilities and creative freedom are more important to us than heads. And we achieved that."

The Greens only have 5 members in the 71-member parliament. The same applies to Schwesig's second junior partner, the Left Party, which shrank badly in the state elections on September 20th and with which the SPD has governed together for the past five years.

The Left, for its part, had already insisted on two ministries before the coalition negotiations began, as before. She got that too. As in the previous SPD government, the party will retain responsibility for justice in the future cabinet. Added to this is the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Health.

To this end, the education department, which was previously led by the left-wing politician Simone Oldenburg, who was recognized across party lines, will go to the Social Democrats, who, with their 29 seats, are almost three times as strong in the state parliament as the Greens and the Left combined. Accordingly, Manuela Schwesig's party will then also receive - or more precisely: keep - the remaining large ministry ships for economy (including science), finance, interior (including construction) - and Till Backhaus (without whale).

With a view to the entire cabinet, the old and new boss Schwesig warned after the round of introductions: “The expectation is that the ministers work well together.” But then she stopped laughing. The new government is scheduled to be sworn in next Monday.