Hesse state election, 2013

• Left: 6
• SPD: 37
• Green: 14
• FDP: 6
• CDU: 47

The election for the 19th parliament of Hesse took place on September 22, 2013, coinciding with the election to the 18th German Bundestag.

As the largest party, the CDU emerged with 38.3% of the elections. The SPD reached 30.7 % and the Greens 11.1%. Left Party (5.2%) and the FDP (5.0% ) was achieved nearly the re-entry into the state parliament.

Starting position

Election date

According to § 1 of the Hessian state election law, the choice of a Sunday or public holiday must take place. Election day is determined by the state government by decree.

In several interviews expressed the Secretary-General of the Hessian SPD, Michael Roth, in summer 2012 that the SPD to prefer a common election date for state and federal elections. The joined both Erfurth Sigrid from the Greens and the Left Party. Christean Wagner declared for the CDU, that they wanted to avoid an election campaign in the days of Advent, which speak for an election date in October or November. SPD and the Greens could create a legal opinion in November 2012; according to this opinion, one election date in 2014 was not permitted. However, should an election in September, as required by the Left, much too early. The state government had announced through its spokesman Michael Bußer that the provincial government would employ beginning of 2013 with a possible election date.

On January 22, 2013 proclaimed Prime Minister Volker Bouffier and his deputy Jörg- Uwe Hahn, that they had agreed on an election date. The election was to be held on the same day as the election. After President Joachim Gauck nominated by the Federal Government in February 2013, the federal election in 2013 had terminated on 22 September 2013, the provincial government on March 5, 2013, election date in Hesse firmly on the same date. Discrepancies in the electoral rules between Federal and state election law have been eliminated with the " Regulation on the simultaneous implementation of state elections with national elections " dated 4 June 2013 ( GVBl. Hess. 12/2013 p 378).

Parties

The following 18 parties and groups of voters had submitted regional lists and - if necessary - provided the necessary support signatures:

• Christian Democratic Union of Germany ( CDU)
• Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD)
• Free Democratic Party ( FDP)
• Alliance 90/The Greens (Greens )
• The Left
• Free voters
• National Democratic Party of Germany ( NPD)
• The Republicans (REP )
• Pirate Party Germany ( PIRATES )
• Civil Rights Movement Solidarity ( BüSo )
• Active democracy directly ( ADd )
• Alliance Grey Panthers ( AGP)
• Alternative for Germany ( AfD )
• Motorists and people interested party ( AVIP )
• Noise torture Environmental Policy honest (magnifying glass)
• Ecological- Democratic Party ( ODP )
• Party of Labour, law, animal welfare, promotion of elite and grassroots initiative ( the PARTY )
• Socialist Equality Party, Section of the Fourth International ( PSG)

In addition came the Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany, renew democracy, rights and the Direct Ecological Left candidates. The admission was on July 26, 2013, decisions on appeals against the decision on 1 August 2013. After the electoral lists were final.

Top candidates

Volker Bouffier declared shortly after his election as prime minister in September 2010 to try to compete as top candidate of the CDU. Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl announced on the occasion of Boufflers 60th birthday in December 2011 to support Bouffier in this case during the election campaign.

Already in January 2010, a year after his election defeat in January 2009, declared opposition leader Thorsten Schäfer - Gümbel to want to run again for the SPD for the post of prime minister. A state convention of the SPD in Kassel chose him on 8 October 2011, 94.6 % of the votes cast for the leading candidate. SPD General Secretary Michael Roth announced after winning by the SPD candidate Peter Feldmann mayor election in Frankfurt end of April 2012 the electoral goal to once again become the strongest party.

Alliance 90/The Greens Hesse came in 2013 again with a double peak for state election. On April 20, 2013 Angela Dorn was elected on a national General Assembly by 81.95 percent to Rank 1. Tarek Al- Wazir was elected with 92.91 percent to Rank 2. A change of government was the declared goal of the Greens.

The FDP Hesse joined with Jörg- Uwe Hahn as a top candidate for the parliamentary election in 2013. Hahn was elected with 73.6 % to the national delegates' meeting on April 14, 2013 in Bad Hersfeld No. 1 on the country list.

The Hessian Land Association of the Left Party has a national list for the state election placed on his country's representative meeting on 13 and 14 April 2013, Kassel, by the previous Presidents Janine Wissler (elected with 90.3 %) and Willi van Ooyen ( selected with 84.6 %) was cited.

The Euro - critical party alternative for Germany has nominated on their list Party in casting the Friedberger dentist Christiane Gleissner.

The State Association VOTERS FREE Hesse went again with the state chairman Walter Öhlenschläger into the race. This was placed at the top of the country list at the party on May 18, 2013 Weilburg by a large majority again.

For The PARTY Oliver Maria Schmitt was elected with one vote against the state convention on February 3, 2013 for the top candidates.

For the Pirate Party ( PIRATES ) André Hoffmann was elected at the formation meeting in Lollar on list position 1 with an approval of 73.63 %.

Surveys

For the Sunday question the Institute for Demoskopie gave the following results:

Result

Entitled to vote for state elections were 4,392,213 people. The turnout was 73.2 percent, the number of voters at 3,216,206. Five parties moved into the new parliament; all other failed due to the five-percent hurdle.

As the largest party, the CDU emerged with 38.3% of the elections. The SPD reached 30.7 % and the Greens came to 11.1 %. The Left Party succeeded against almost all opinion polls with just 5.2% of the re-entry into the state parliament, as well as the FDP ( 5.0%), but lost almost two-thirds of their voters.

The newly elected parliament re-elected at its constituent meeting on January 18, 2014 Volker Bouffier prime minister of Hesse. He faces a black - green coalition.