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).
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[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
| 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
[edit] References
- ^ "Bavarian conservatives lose state majority in damaging defeat". Deutsche Welle. 2008-09-29. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3677656,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.
- ^ n-tv:Fiasko für die CSU
[edit] External websites
- Official results (German)
- Article by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (German)
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