Outcome

• The CSU
  Christian Social Union of Bavaria
  The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
  
   had its poorest result since the election of 1954, and in so doing lost its majority in the Landtag of Bavaria
  Landtag of Bavaria
  The Landtag of Bavaria is the unicameral legislature of the state of Bavaria in Germany. Between 1946 and 1999 there was an upper house, the Senate of Bavaria. The parliament meets in the Maximilianeum....
  
   for the first time in 46 years. 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
  Angela Merkel
  Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
  
  , dampening hopes for the CDU/CSU in the upcoming federal election in 2009.

• The SPD
  Social Democratic Party of Germany
  The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
  
   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 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
  Free Democratic Party (Germany)
  The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
  
   entered the Landtag again, after a 14-year absence.

• The Free Voters
  Free Voters
  Free Voters is a German concept in which an association of persons participates in an election without having the status of a registered political party. Usually it is a locally organized group of voters in the form of a registered association . In most cases, Free Voters are active only at the...
  
   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
  NPD
  NPD may refer to:* National Democratic Party of Germany, a far-right political party in Germany; after its German language name, Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands...
  
   made its first serious attempt in Bavaria in decades, but failed to establish itself.

Results

See also

• Bavaria state election, 1993
• Bavaria state election, 1998
  Bavaria state election, 1998
  The Bavaria state election, 1998, was conducted on September 13, 1998, to elect members to the Landtag of Bavaria.-Results:-Post-election:...
  
  
• Bavaria state election, 2003
  Bavaria state election, 2003
  The Bavaria state election, 2003, was conducted on September 21, 2003, to elect members to the Landtag of Bavaria.-Results:-Post-election:...
  
  

External links

• Official results
• Article by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
  The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , short F.A.Z., also known as the FAZ, is a national German newspaper, founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt am Main. The Sunday edition is the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung .F.A.Z...