Panel discussion on the state elections: New nuclear arms race also in Rhineland-Palatinate?
Rhineland-Palatinate is the only German federal state in which nuclear weapons are stationed. This was the subject of a panel discussion in Mainz ahead of the state elections on March 22, 2026. Representatives of the political parties discussed their views on nuclear weapons, the expansion of the B眉chel air base and their views on peacebuilding in the state.
Under the motto "New nuclear arms race in Rhineland-Palatinate too?", the" and the Rhineland-Palatinate Peace Academy invited people to a panel discussion. A good 60 interested people came to the Erbacher Hof in Mainz on Monday, February 9, 2026, to follow the event.
In his welcoming address,Dr. Gregor Walter-Drop, Managing Director of the Rhineland-Palatinate Peace Academy, highlighted the special role of the federal state in terms of peace and security policy. The nuclear threat to Rhineland-Palatinate and humanity must not be ignored, even if the topic is uncomfortable.
The Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists shows: The danger of nuclear war is currently higher than perhaps ever before. Despite this threat, however, there is a social and political silence on the subject. Dr. Walter-Drop therefore thanked the candidates, the audience and the "Aktionsb眉ndnis atomwaffenfrei.jetzt" for addressing this difficult but important issue.
The event was moderated by Simon B枚decker). In addition to the representatives of the political parties (see right), from the also took to the podium to provide an expert assessment of the politicians' statements at the request of the organizers.
The idea for the panel discussion arose from the desire to bring the highly topical issue of nuclear weapons in Rhineland-Palatinate into the state election campaign. The event in Mainz succeeded in doing just that!
With the support of Ohne R眉stung Leben, the "Aktionsb眉ndnis atomwaffenfrei.jetzt" and the Rhineland-Palatinate Peace Academy facilitated an objective and controversial exchange. And they have shown how important the exchange between politics, science and civil society is for a peace policy debate culture in Rhineland-Palatinate.
You can find a detailed report on the positions of the candidates and the content of the debate in the .
The panel discussion was also recorded live and .