Bavaria state election, 2008

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The 2008 Bavarian state election was held on September 28, 2008. Voters of the German state of Bavaria elected members to the Bavarian Landtag (state legislature).

Contents 1 Outcome 2 Results 3 See also 4 References 5 External websites

[edit] Outcome

• The CSU had its poorest result since the election of 1954, and in so doing lost its majority in the Landtag of Bavaria for the first time in 46 years.^[1][2] The CSU was forced to enter into coalition with the free-market FDP, reminiscent of the Helmut Kohl era.

• This result was seen as a stinging defeat for Chancellor Angela Merkel, dampening hopes for the CDU/CSU in the upcoming federal election in 2009.

• The SPD also fared poorly, itself having its worst result ever in this election, polling just 18.6% and losing 2 seats. This is likely due to the entrance into the race of the far-left Linke party, among other factors. Surprisingly, some SPD members claimed themselves to be winners of the election, interpreting the lost CSU majority as possibility to form a government coalition without CSU participation.

• The liberal FDP entered the Landtag again, after a 14-year absence.

• The Free Voters grassroots movement entered the Landtag for the first time. Its 21 seats in the new Landtag will make it the third largest party.

• The socialist Linke party stood for the first time in Bavaria. Its 4.3% vote-share failed to surpass the 5% threshold, thus it gained no seats.

• The far-right NPD made its first serious attempt in Bavaria in decades, but failed to establish itself.

[edit] Results

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 28 September 2008 election results for the Landtag of Bavaria

Party		Ideology	Vote % (change)		Seats (change)		Seat %
	Christian Social Union (CSU)	Center-right	43.4%	-17.3%	92	-32	49.2%
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	Center-left	18.6%	-1.0%	39	-2	20.9%
	Free Voters (FW)	Various, lean right	10.2%	+6.2%	21	+21	11.2%
	Alliance '90/The Greens	Environmental, left-wing	9.4%	+1.7%	19	+4	10.2%
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	Free Market	8.0%	+5.4%	16	+16	8.6%
	The Left (Die Linke)	Far left, Eurocommunist	4.3%	+4.3%
	Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP)	Environmental, center-right	2.0%	+0.0%
	The Republicans (Republikaner)	Far-right	1.4%	-0.9%
	National Democratic Party (NPD)	Far-right, nationalist	1.2%	+1.2%
	Bavaria Party (BP)	Secessionist, center-right	1.1%	+0.3%
	Pensioners' Party (RRP)	Pensioner's Advocacy	0.2%	+0.2%
	The Violets (Violetten)	Spiritualist	0.1%	+0.1%
	Citizens' Bloc (BB)		0.1%	+0.1%
	All Others		0.0%	+0.0%
	Total		100.0%		187	+7	100.0%

Turnout was at 58.1%, up from 57.1% in the 2003 Landtag election.

Turnout was at 58.1%, about a percent higher than in 2003.

[edit] See also

• Bavaria state election, 1993
• Bavaria state election, 1998
• Bavaria state election, 2003

[edit] References

[edit] External websites

• Official results (German)
• Article by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (German)

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