Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2009

Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2009

27 September 2009[1][2]

All 95 seats of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein 48 seats needed for a majority   First party Second party Third party   Leader Peter Harry Carstensen Ralf Stegner Wolfgang Kubicki Party CDU SPD FDP Last election 30 seats, 40.2% 29 seats, 38.7% 4 seats, 6.6% Seats won 34 25 14 Seat change +4 -4 +10 Percentage 31.5% 25.4% 14.9%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Monika Heinold and Robert Habeck Antje Jansen Anke Spoorendonk Party Green Left SSW Last election 4 seats, 6.2% 0 seats, party formed in 2008 2 seats, 3.6% Seats won 12 6 4 Seat change +8 +6 +2 Percentage 12.4% 6.0% 4.3%

Minister-President before election Peter Harry Carstensen CDU Elected Minister-President Peter Harry Carstensen CDU

State elections were held in Schleswig-Holstein on 27 September 2009, the same day as the German federal elections and the Brandenburg state elections. The elections determined control of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein (Schleswig-Holstein's legislature).

It was an early election; after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) grand coalition broke apart in Summer 2009, Minister-President Peter Harry Carstensen (CDU) provoked early elections by intentionally losing a vote of confidence. After the election, Carstensen and his party were able to form a coalition with the FDP instead of the SPD.^[3] However, these party have a majority in the Landtag only because of overhang seats for the CDU.

In August 2010 the Constitutional Court of Schlewsig-Holstein judged that the Electoral Law was against the Constitution of Schleswig-Holstein, as the parliament's size was boosted by overhang seats and corresponding neutralizer seats for the other parties far above the 69 seats fixed in the constitution. The Constitutional Court decided that the current Landtag should not be changed, but that a new election must take place latest on 30 September 2012, after a revision of the Electoral Law.^[4]

Results

Political Party		Vote %[1]	+/-	Seats[1]
	Christian Democratic Union (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands)	31.5	-8.7	34
	Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands)	25.4	-12.3	25
	Free Democratic Party of Germany (Freie Demokratische Partei)	14.9	+8.3	14
	Alliance '90/The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)	12.4	+6.2	12
	The Left (Die Linke)	6.0	+5.2	6
	South Schleswig Voter Federation (Südschleswigscher Wählerverband)^a	4.3	+0.7	4
	Pirate Party Germany (Piratenpartei Deutschland)	1.8	+1.8	-
	Free Voters (Freie Wähler)	1.0	+1.0	-
	National Democratic Party of Germany (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands)	0.9	-1.0	-
	All others	1.8	+1.2	-

^a As representation of the Danish Minority in Schleswig-Holstein, South Schleswig Voter Federation does not need to gain a minimum of 5 percent of the votes to obtain seats in the parliament, as all other parties do.

References

1. "Ergebnisse zur Landtagswahl 2009" (in German). Landeswahlleiter. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
2. "Endgültiges Ergebnis der Wahl zum Schleswig-Holsteinischen Landtag vom 27. September 2009" (PDF) (in German). Landeswahlleiter. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
3. CDU and FDP form coalition in Schleswig-Holstein
4. Pergande, Frank; Majid Sattar (2010-08-30). "Neuwahlen in Schleswig-Holstein". FAZ.NET (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 2012-05-05.