Hesse state election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The state election to elect members of the Landtag of Hesse
was held in the German state of Hesse
on 27 January 2008.
) had been ruled by the CDU
, which had taken a majority of seats in the 2003 elections
.
In the run-up to the election, opinion polls were showing that the CDU had lost popularity. The incumbent CDU minister-president Roland Koch
initiated a tough-approach campaign against immigrant youth violence as an electoral tactic. The German political left attacked it as xenophobic at the time. Other issues were various economic issues including minimum wage
concerns, education, and controversy over the planned major expansion of the Rhine-Main airport.
The far-left Linke
party stood for elections in Hesse for the first time in 2008, as did the far-right NPD
. The generally sour political mood was as "a rising tide lifting the boats" of all non-centrist parties.
later that year, which saw CDU/CSU support decline to its lowest level ever.)
The SPD
, under its leader Andrea Ypsilanti
, increased its share of the vote substantially, from 29% to 37%, and it claimed victory as a result. The other winner—and perhaps the bigger winner overall considering their relative starting positions and the subsequent events in Hesse politics—was the far-left Linke
party. They entered the Hesse Landtag with 5.1% of the vote, clearing the five-percent hurdle
. This was the second western Landtag in which the Linke party had won seats (the first having been earlier in 2008 in Lower Saxony
).
The SPD and the CDU both wound up with 42 seats (of 110). Being that neither was able to form a majority, there was a several-month-long lull, during which no one knew what would happen. The center-right CDU could not form a government with its most natural ally the free-marketist FDP
, nor could the center-left SPD with its most natural ally the Greens. And no one wanted a grand coalition
of the two centrist parties (SPD and CDU). The far-left Linke party and its 6 seats was thus the kingmaker
, exactly the result it had hoped for.
Ypsilanti had long refused to negotiate with the far-left, but finally caved in and began talks to include them in a red-green-red coalition (SPD-Greens-Linke), with herself as Minister-President. This was a very controversial move, which sparked an internal revolt within the SPD as many members bitterly refused to participate in power-sharing with "neo-Communists" (the Linke is the successor party to the East German ruling party 1949-1989). In November 2008, one day before Ypsilanti should have been elected Minister-President in the Landtag, four MPs of the Hesse SPD made a vote of no-confidence on her leadership, after which it was clear that no government was able to be formed. This inconclusive result forced new elections, which were held in January of 2009
.
FG=Forschungsgruppe Wahlen; Infra=Infratest dimap; TNS=TNS Infratest
Landtag of Hesse
The Landtag of Hesse is the state Parliament of the German State of Hesse. It convenes in Wiesbaden and currently consists of 118 members of five Parties. Currently there is coalition between the CDU and the FDP....
was held in the German state of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
on 27 January 2008.
Background and issues
For the previous 5 years, Hesse's state government (LandtagLandtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
) had been ruled by the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, which had taken a majority of seats in the 2003 elections
Hesse state election, 2003
The Hessen state election, 2003, was conducted on February 2, 2003, to elect members to the Landtag of Hessen.-Results:-Post-election:Roland Koch remained Prime Minister of a CDU government...
.
In the run-up to the election, opinion polls were showing that the CDU had lost popularity. The incumbent CDU minister-president Roland Koch
Roland Koch
Roland Koch is a German jurist and former conservative politician. He was Minister-President of Hesse from April 7, 1999, immediately becoming President of the Bundesrat, completing the term begun by his predecessor as Minister President, Hans Eichel, until his resignation on August 31, 2010...
initiated a tough-approach campaign against immigrant youth violence as an electoral tactic. The German political left attacked it as xenophobic at the time. Other issues were various economic issues including minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
concerns, education, and controversy over the planned major expansion of the Rhine-Main airport.
The far-left Linke
Linke
Linke is a German surname deriving from the German word meaning "left". It can refer to:* Armin Linke, Italian artist* Carsten Linke, German football player* Ed Linke, American baseball player* Erika C...
party stood for elections in Hesse for the first time in 2008, as did 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...
. The generally sour political mood was as "a rising tide lifting the boats" of all non-centrist parties.
Inconclusive outcome
The 2008 election saw the CDU's share of the vote plummet to its lowest level since the 1966 Landtag election. (This abysmal performance by the CDU was also mirrored in the Bavaria state electionBavaria state election, 2008
The 2008 Bavarian state election was held on September 28, 2008. Voters of the German state of Bavaria elected members to the Bavarian Landtag .-Outcome:...
later that year, which saw CDU/CSU support decline to its lowest level ever.)
The SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, under its leader Andrea Ypsilanti
Andrea Ypsilanti
Andrea Ypsilanti is a German politician.-Political career:Ypsilanti is a member of the Hessian Landtag and was chairperson of the Social Democratic Party of Hesse from March 2003 to January 2009.In the Hesse state elections of 2008, held on 27 January 2008, she was the SPD's candidate for the...
, increased its share of the vote substantially, from 29% to 37%, and it claimed victory as a result. The other winner—and perhaps the bigger winner overall considering their relative starting positions and the subsequent events in Hesse politics—was the far-left Linke
Linke
Linke is a German surname deriving from the German word meaning "left". It can refer to:* Armin Linke, Italian artist* Carsten Linke, German football player* Ed Linke, American baseball player* Erika C...
party. They entered the Hesse Landtag with 5.1% of the vote, clearing the five-percent hurdle
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
. This was the second western Landtag in which the Linke party had won seats (the first having been earlier in 2008 in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony state election, 2008
The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union held on to its position as the leading party in the state...
).
The SPD and the CDU both wound up with 42 seats (of 110). Being that neither was able to form a majority, there was a several-month-long lull, during which no one knew what would happen. The center-right CDU could not form a government with its most natural ally the free-marketist 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...
, nor could the center-left SPD with its most natural ally the Greens. And no one wanted a grand coalition
Grand coalition
A grand coalition is an arrangement in a multi-party parliamentary system in which the two largest political parties of opposing political ideologies unite in a coalition government...
of the two centrist parties (SPD and CDU). The far-left Linke party and its 6 seats was thus the kingmaker
Kingmaker
Kingmaker is a term originally applied to the activities of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick — "Warwick the Kingmaker" — during the Wars of the Roses in England. The term has come to be applied more generally to a person or group that has great influence in a royal or political succession,...
, exactly the result it had hoped for.
Ypsilanti had long refused to negotiate with the far-left, but finally caved in and began talks to include them in a red-green-red coalition (SPD-Greens-Linke), with herself as Minister-President. This was a very controversial move, which sparked an internal revolt within the SPD as many members bitterly refused to participate in power-sharing with "neo-Communists" (the Linke is the successor party to the East German ruling party 1949-1989). In November 2008, one day before Ypsilanti should have been elected Minister-President in the Landtag, four MPs of the Hesse SPD made a vote of no-confidence on her leadership, after which it was clear that no government was able to be formed. This inconclusive result forced new elections, which were held in January of 2009
Hesse state election, 2009
Early state elections for the Landtag of Hesse were held in Hesse on 18 January 2009. The reason for the early elections was the inability of the parties to form a government after the inconclusive 2008 Hessian election.-Issues and background:...
.
Pre-election polls
| Party | FG | Infra | Emnid | Forsa | FG | Forsa | Infra | TNS | Forsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 11.01. | 09.01. | 05.01. | 12.12. | 7.12. | 26.09. | 06.09. | 24.07. | 28.06. |
| CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
40 % | 40 % | 42 % | 41 % | 40 % | 43 % | 42 % | 40 % | 41 % |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
36 % | 35 % | 32 % | 30 % | 34 % | 30 % | 32 % | 33 % | 27 % |
| Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
7 % | 9 % | 10 % | 11 % | 9 % | 9 % | 10 % | 11 % | 11 % |
| 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... |
8 % | 9 % | 8 % | 9 % | 7 % | 8 % | 8 % | 7 % | 9 % |
| The Left The Left (Germany) The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag.... |
5 % | 4 % | 5 % | 5 % | 6 % | 5 % | 4 % | 5 % | 6 % |
| Other Parties | ? % | 3 % | 3 % | 4 % | 4 % | 5 % | 4 % | 4 % | 6 % |
FG=Forschungsgruppe Wahlen; Infra=Infratest dimap; TNS=TNS Infratest