Thuringian state election, 2009

Thuringia state election, 2009
Thuringia
30 August 2009
All 88 seats of the Landtag of Thuringia
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Dieter Althaus Bodo Ramelow Christoph Matschie
Party CDU Left SPD
Last election 45 seats, 43.0% 28 seats, 26.2%[1] 15 seats, 14.5%
Seats won 30 27 18
Seat change -15 -1 +3
Percentage 31.2% 27.4% 18.5%
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Uwe Barth Astrid Rothe-Beinlich
Party FDP Green
Last election 0 seats, 3.6% 0 seats, 5.6%
Seats won 7 6
Seat change +7 +6
Percentage 7.6% 6.2%
Minister-President before election

Dieter Althaus
CDU

 Elected Minister-President

Christine Lieberknecht
CDU

Thuringia held state elections on 30 August 2009, the same day as the Saarland and Saxony state elections. The election established the composition of the Landtag of Thuringia (Thuringia's parliament). According to the preliminary results, The Left and Social Democratic Party (SPD) together held a bare majority of seats, but a grand coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and SPD was considered possible. The CDU and SPD formed a coalition seven weeks after the election.[2]

Results

 Summary of the 30 August 2009 election results for the Landtag of Thuringia
Party Party list votes Vote % (change) Total Seats (change) Seat %
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 329,241 31.2% (−11.8) 30 (−15) 34.1%
The Left 288,932 27.4% (+1.3) 27 (−1) 30.7%
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 195,353 18.5% (+4) 18 (+3) 20.5%
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 80,511 7.6% (+4) 7 (+7) 8.0%
Alliance '90/The Greens (Grüne) 64,889 6.2% (+1.7) 6 (+6) 6.8%
National Democratic Party (NPD) 45,401 4.3% (+2.7) – –
Free Voters in Thuringia 40,834 3.9% (+1.3) – –
All Others 9,040 0.8% – –
Totals 1,054,201 100.0% 88 100.0%

Turnout was 56.2%

Popular Vote
CDU
  
 31.23%
DIE LINKE
  
 27.40%
SPD
  
 18.53%
FDP
  
 7.64%
B'90/GRÜNE
  
 6.16%
NPD
  
 4.31%
FW
  
 3.87%
Other
  
 0.86%
Landtag seats
CDU
  
 34.09%
DIE LINKE
  
 30.68%
SPD
  
 20.45%
FDP
  
 7.95%
B'90/GRÜNE
  
 6.82%

Aftermath

CDU's leader, Dieter Althaus, resigned in the wake of the election defeat, saying he was taking responsibility for the his party's losing its absolute majority.[3] However, it had also been noted that his remaining in office was a stumbling block to a coalition with the SPD. Both parties preferred that coalition to an SPD-Left-Green coalition: the CDU because such a coalition would leave them in opposition, and the SPD because of personal animosity between its leader, Christoph Matschie, and The Left leader Bodo Ramelow.[3] In the end, a grand coalition of CDU and SPD was formed with new CDU leader Christine Lieberknecht as Minister-President.

Prior election

In the 2004 election, Minister-President Dieter Althaus was elected to a full term, having replaced Bernhard Vogel prior to the election. Althaus and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won an absolute majority of 45 out of 88 seats.

Party Party List votes Vote percentage Total Seats Seat percentage
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 434,088 43.0% 45 51.1%
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) 263,717 26.1% 28 31.8%
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 146,297 14.5% 15 17.0%
Alliance '90/The Greens 45,649 4.5% 0 0.0%
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 36,483 3.6% 0 0.0%
Free Voters in Thuringia 26,302 2.6% 0 0.0%
The Republicans 19,797 2.0% 0 0.0%
National Democratic Party (NPD) 15,695 1.6% 0 0.0%
All Others 22,549 2.2% 0 0.0%
Totals 1,010,578 100.0% 88 100.0%

Opinion polling

The following opinion polls have been conducted during the campaign:[4]

Institut Datum CDU The Left SPD Green FDP Rights Other
Institut für Marktforschung 22.08.2009 37% 23% 20% 5% 9% 3% 3%
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 21.08.2009 35% 25% 18% 5% 10% – 7%
Infratest dimap 20.08.2009 34% 24% 19% 6% 8% 4% 5%
Infratest dimap 12.08.2009 34% 24% 20% 6% 9% 3% 4%
Forsa 29.07.2009 40% 24% 16% 6% 6% 3% 5%
Infratest dimap 25.06.2009 36% 24% 18% 6% 9% 3% 4%
Institut für Marktforschung 25.05.2009 36% 23% 23% 5% 8% 3% 2%
Infratest dimap 14.05.2009 39% 25% 20% 5% 6% 2% 3%
Infratest dimap 25.03.2009 36% 25% 20% 5% 8% – 6%
GESS 10.03.2009 39% 25% 18% 4% 8% – 6%
Forsa 22.01.2009 39% 28% 16% 5% 5% 4% 3%

References

  1. ↑ The Party of Democratic Socialism contested the previous election, but subsequently merged with the Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative to form The Left
  2. ↑ CDU and SPD form Thuringia state coalition, The Local; 19 October 2009.
  3. 1 2 Merkel loyalist resigns
  4. ↑ http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/thueringen.htm
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