Minority government
From a minority government it is called in parliamentary systems, where the fractions which support the government, do not have a majority in parliament.
To select the government, which is not absolutely necessary at times (compare caretaker government, vote of no confidence ), but in any case the decision of majorities laws must therefore be sought together with other political groupings in Parliament (or individual members ). The regular support of the minority government by factions, which - in contrast to the model of a coalition - are not themselves involved in it, is called toleration or acquiescence of the government by these fractions. Such tolerance is usually agreed in advance of the formation of a government with the intolerable political groups to ensure a certain stability.
For the tolerant groups, this results in a de facto intermediate state between government and opposition faction. Even though they are no personnel in the government, so this is yet compelled to deny political projects with them to secure an approval of a majority in Parliament. Revoke the tolerant factions of the government their support, this can be for the minority government political incapacity, or in some systems the fall (eg, by vote of no confidence ) mean. Due to this dependency, the tolerable fractions gain a significant impact on government policy.
Various studies show that about one third of the governments are minority governments in parliamentary democracies. While minority governments in Central Europe are rare, they are not uncommon in Scandinavia as well as in Canada. A similar to one of the minority government situation can arise if the government and parliament are elected independently. In France it is called cohabitation, if the president of another party belongs as head of government.
Minority governments in practice
Australia
In the parliamentary elections in Australia 2010, the Labor Party lost its absolute majority. Prime Minister Julia Gillard was able to continue their government only with the support of three independent and a Green MEPs.
Denmark
Denmark is considered the country with the most minority governments. Since the end of the Second World War in 1945 32 governments were formed. Only four were equipped with their own parliamentary majority. 28 were supported only by a minority and were dependent on the support of one or more opposition parties. This situation is favored by the Danish constitution, which only requires that the government does not act against the will of the parliamentary majority recognizable. Second, the electoral behavior prevents absolute majority for one party, as well as the system of proportional representation, voters votes transmits precise on the allocation of seats to be preferred, regardless of specific parties. In the 1970s, the fragmentation of the party system made it difficult clear majorities. From 2001 to 2011 resulted from civil rights majorities no majority governments, because the right-wing populists were considered not ministrabel. Danish minority governments possessed a rule about calculable supporters among the other parliamentary groups.
Germany
The few consciously entering minority governments since 1945 existed only at the state level and were usually of short duration. They were mostly a result of either a fracture or a coalition of the failure of formation of a new government after an election. Minority governments have been an exception. Almost always has a stable coalition government or a party one-party government to be formed. Only since the 1970s, there was never repeated minority governments that were longer than a few months in office, but so far at the federal level. Due to the outstanding CDU / CSU election result of 22 September 2013, Merkel's minority government was discussed as an alternative in various media.
Federal level
Three times possessed a federal government for a short time is not an absolute majority in parliament. In two of these cases the end of a coalition was the reason: this was the first time from October 28 to December 1, 1966 the case after the FDP ministers had resigned and so that only the Union Cabinet Ludwig Erhard was represented. On December 1, this government was replaced by a grand coalition. Following the resignation of the FDP ministers in the Cabinet of Helmut Schmidt on 17 September 1982, the government consisted only of SPD members. With the election of Helmut Kohl as chancellor on October 1, by a vote of no confidence this brief SPD minority government was replaced by a coalition of the CDU and FDP.
The first social-liberal government lost on May 17, 1972 final absolute majority in the Bundestag by excluding Günther Müller from the SPD. The government had in fact already but in the weeks before no longer a majority. After Chancellor Willy Brandt asked the trust question and the vote was expected to be lost, broke federal president Gustav Heinemann on 22 September at the Bundestag. The federal election in 1972 yielded a clear majority for the SPD / FDP coalition.
Berlin
In Berlin, Richard von Weizsäcker made after the federal election of 1981, in which the former socialist-liberal coalition missed the majority of the Governing Mayor Hans -Jochen Vogel, the CDU but due to the good performance of the alternatives list also received no outright majority, a CDU minority Senate, which was based on some members of the FDP fraction. This model of government lasted until 1983 when the FDP also officially joined the government.
After the break in 1989 formed the Red-Green coalition in November 1990 Walter Momper reigned until pending on 2 December 1990 federal election with an SPD - minority senate, which was replaced by a large coalition in January 1991.
The SPD in 2001 announced to those previously existing large coalition under Eberhard Diepgen because of the bank affair, elected together with the Greens and the PDS Diepgen by vote of no confidence from Klaus Wowereit and the new mayor. Until the Senate election in January 2002 Wowereit ruled with a tolerated by the PDS red-green minority Senate.
Brandenburg
In February 1994, the traffic light coalition collapsed under Manfred Stolpe on the question of his Stasi contacts to his time as Konsistorialpräsident the Protestant Church in Brandenburg.
The Alliance 90 got out of the government, so that officiated a tolerated by the PDS socially liberal minority government until the state election in September 1994, which was replaced after winning the absolute majority of the SPD from a pure SPD government.
Hamburg
In the state election on 6 June 1982, the SPD lost the absolute majority. Otherwise, only the CDU and the Green - Alternative List (GAL ) were represented in the citizenry. The former SPD Senate remained in office. After the former Hamburg Constitution the term of office of the Senate was not linked to the term of citizenship and a new election of citizenship does not automatically lead to the election of the Senate. After negotiations for the toleration of the Senate failed by the GAL, the citizenship dissolved and the election of 19 December In 1982, the SPD again an absolute majority. After the subsequent parliamentary election on 9 November 1986, the situation in 1982 almost repeated. Again, the SPD lost the absolute majority in the citizenry, in the outside it only CDU and GAL were represented. Again, the SPD and GAL were not united and the citizenry dissolved. After the election of 17 May 1987 SPD / FDP Senate was formed.
After losing the absolute CDU majority in the state elections in Hamburg 2008 the First Mayor Ole von Beust made with the Green - Alternative List (GAL ), the first black -green coalition at the state level. Having resigned from Beust and Christoph Ahlhaus was elected on 25 August 2010 to be his successor, the GAL ended the coalition on 28 November 2010. Their senators and councilors of state were subsequently dismissed. The Senate Ahlhaus governed without their own majority until the election of the First Mayor Olaf Scholz ( SPD) on March 7, 2011 in consequence of the state election on 20 February 2011, which yielded an absolute SPD majority.
Hesse
In Hesse, the Cabinet Börner II remained after the state election in Hesse in 1982 as a caretaker minority government in office. After the draft had failed for a state budget in 1983, the parliament dissolved. In the following state election in Hesse in 1983, the SPD did not reach a majority again. Holger Börner went on a tolerated by the Greens minority government until 1985, to the first Red-Green coalition.
After the state elections in Hesse in 2008 the formation of a red-green minority government under Andrea Ypsilanti (SPD ) has been considered tolerated by the Left. A tolerated by the Left government would have been a first in West Germany and was highly controversial in the public as well as within the SPD. Ypsilanti, who had ruled out any " cooperation " with the left according to the general West German SPD - line before the election, declared himself not to keep their election promises and sat on charges of " breach of promise " and " voter fraud " from. After the SPD deputy Dagmar Metzger had declared a few weeks after the election publicly, not support such a tolerance model and Ypsilanti not want to give her voice, the project was initially a failure, on November 4, 2008, however, should be sought again.
On November 3, 2008, one day before the scheduled election Ypsilanti's prime minister, announced a further three members of the SPD parliamentary group ( Jürgen Walter, Carmen Everts and Silke Tesch ) at which the scheduled on November 4, 2008 election their vote of conscience for not wanting to give Ypsilanti participation of the Left Party. However, the SPD parliamentary group they wanted to continue as a member. Without these four deputies who originally planned government of the SPD and Greens had with toleration of the Left majority in parliament. The planned vote was canceled because of the attempt to form a government was thus failed. The Diet then disbanded itself, it came to elections January 18, 2009, in which the CDU and FDP received a majority.
Lower Saxony
After the CDU had left the state government on August 23, 1950 belonged to her only members of the SPD and a member of the center. These two parties together had a majority. The government remained until the state election on 6 May 1951 at the office.
Following the resignation of the Prime Minister Alfred Kubel (SPD ) wanted SPD and FDP, which together had 78 of the 155 seats, on January 15, 1976 choose Helmut Kasimier prime minister and continue their coalition. This was by secret ballot in the first round but only 75 votes against 77 for the CDU candidate Ernst Albrecht. In the second ballot the following day Kasimier even received only 74 votes, Albrecht received, however, by 78 votes and an absolute majority was elected. But he could not take up his post at first, as the Constitution requires that the state government needs as a whole, the confirmation of the Landtag what is being tuned not secret. Since there is no SPD or FDP MPs to confessed to have chosen Albrecht, Albrecht could not hope for a majority open vote. The Constitution provides for the case that the parliament within three weeks after the resignation of the former government, a new government confirmed before that the parliament will then vote on its resolution and if the parliament does not dissolve, re- election of the Prime Minister shall be held, at which the candidate with the most votes is elected and requires the government in this case no approval by the parliament. Albrecht has squandered the three-week period. The Diet did not dissolve and it came on February 6, to a renewed choice of prime minister. Albrecht received 79 votes, his new SPD opposition candidate Karl Ravens 75 votes. Albrecht now formed a CDU minority cabinet. On January 19, 1977 two FDP ministers were included in the government, which thus had a majority behind him.
After the state elections in 1986 the CDU and FDP formed a coalition in the parliament had only one seat majority. This majority was lost when the deputy Kurt Vajen was expelled from the CDU Parliamentary Group on 2nd September 1989. The state government remained until the end of the term in June 1990 in the Official.
North Rhine -Westphalia
After the parliamentary elections of June 18, 1950 Karl Arnold was re-elected on 27 July as Prime Minister, without that prior to this coalition agreement was concluded. Arnold appointed on August 1, consisting only of a CDU ministers minority cabinet. On September 15, 1950, this two ministers of the center were included in the state government. CDU and the center had an absolute majority with 109 of the 215 seats.
In the regional elections on 9 May 2010, the incumbent since 2005 governing coalition of CDU and FDP lost under Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers their previous majority and came to a total of 80 of the 181 parliament seats. SPD and Alliance 90/The Greens failed with 90 mandates an absolute majority for a mandate and eventually formed a minority government under Hannelore Kraft, who was elected on 14th July as prime minister. When her design for the Budget Law 2012 on 14 March 2012 was no majority in the parliament, the parliament decided its resolution on the same day. The election brought the SPD and the Greens a clear majority.
Saarland
In the state elections in 1975, both the CDU received on one side as well as the SPD and FDP on the other side of 25 mandates, so that in the Saarland parliament existed a stalemate. Since the FDP at the federal level formed a coalition with the SPD, they refused to initially enter into a coalition with the CDU. Prime Minister Franz -Josef Röder therefore ruled until 1977 with a minority government of the CDU, the FDP consented to in a CDU - FDP coalition.
After the dissolution of the coalition government in January 2012 was a CDU - minority government under Annegret Kramp - carts Bauer, which was replaced after the parliamentary elections on 25 March 2012 by a red-black coalition.
Saxony-Anhalt
The best-known minority government formed Reinhard Hoeppner in Saxony- Anhalt. In the state elections in 1994, the CDU - FDP coalition failed under Christoph Bergner their previous majority, for red-green as such, it was not enough also. Hoeppner forged a supported by the PDS -Green minority government.
After the Greens were not represented in Parliament after the 1998 state elections, Hoeppner formed a pure SPD minority government, which remained in office until the election of 2002, after the Wolfgang Böhmer ( CDU) could form a CDU - FDP coalition. The reign of Höppner went down in history as a Magdeburg model.
Schleswig-Holstein
In Schleswig -Holstein there were two attempts to form a minority government.
1987
In the state election on 13 September 1987, the CDU lost under Barschel an absolute majority and reached together with the FDP 37 of the 74 parliamentary seats. The SPD under Björn Engholm gained 36 seats, was so critical how the members of the exempt from the five percent hurdle SSW would behave. The talks dragged on into the length and have also been overshadowed by the Barschel affair, with the consequence that it eventually came to elections on May 8, 1988. Since, in this election, the SPD achieved an absolute majority, the plans for a minority government had become obsolete.
2005
In the regional elections of 20 February 2005, the red-green state government failed under Heide Simonis their previous majority and received only 33 of the 69 seats. Because CDU and FDP also received only 34 seats, it was like 1987/88, depends on how the two SSW- MPs would vote.
After the SPD and the Greens had signed a coalition agreement and agreed with the SSW a cooperation agreement, the so-called Danes lights should officiate as a minority government. However, this minority government collapsed on 17 March 2005 as Heide Simonis could not unite the required majority support in her re-election as prime minister in four ballots.
Since then ruled until 2009, a grand coalition under Peter Harry Carstensen (see also: Election of the Prime Minister of Schleswig -Holstein 2005).
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, minority governments were rare and usually resulted from a coalition break. For the first time after the 2010 parliamentary elections, a majority of the rights deliberately chose a minority government. After the Government parties and they tolerated PVV could not agree on austerity measures, the government resigned in April 2012. After the early parliamentary election on 12 September 2012 occurred on November 5, 2012, a coalition government took office which, although contained in the Second Chamber has a majority in the First Chamber, but not.
Austria
Since 1945, only one Austrian government was a minority government: In the parliamentary election in March 1970, the SPÖ reached 81, the ÖVP and the FPÖ 78 6 from a total of 165 seats.
SPÖ chairman Bruno Kreisky then led the coalition negotiations with the ÖVP, which is rumored that they were actually performed only in appearance and Kreisky secretly figured even with a minority government with support from the FPÖ. So he knew how to voters and his own party members to submit credible that the People's Party was to blame for the failure of the coalition negotiations, as they struggled against a reduction of military service - which was a central campaign issue of the SPÖ. Thus the idea of a minority government met with the population on a wider acceptance. Furthermore Kreisky made a proposal on the composition of parliamentary committees in which the ÖVP had fewer seats than the SPÖ and thus could find no majority with the FPÖ. However, the SPÖ and the FPÖ had a majority, and then took the proposal to the plenary. There is a prompt Kreisky to the FPÖ, but part of the way to go together.
Although the FPÖ had set their chairman Friedrich Peter before the election, " No red Chancellor ," she supported the SPÖ minority government by the commitment to the long- discussed reform of the parliamentary election law. This reform brought primarily improvements for small parties, since the access hurdle to parliament by increasing the mandates from 165 to 183 and a reduction in the number of constituencies was reduced. In addition, the number of votes which a mandate was adjusted cost by introducing the Hare'schen system, thus eliminating the privileges of the major parties.
When the SPÖ and the FPÖ could agree on a budget, an SPÖ minority government, nothing stood in the way and on April 21, 1970 appointed President Franz Jonas with the Cabinet Kreisky I is the first and so far only, minority government of Austria.
Kreisky continued his government together so that popular figures were available for all groups of voters. A non-partisan, Catholic Foreign Minister (Rudolf Kirchschläger ), a woman at the head of the newly established Ministry of Science (Hertha Firnberg ), a young Minister of Finance ( Androsch ) and last but not least four ministers with Nazi past for the national electorate ( Otto Roesch ( Interior Minister ), Erwin Frühbauer ( Minister of Transport ), Josef Moser ( Bautenminister ), Johann Öllinger ( Minister of Agriculture ) )
The favorable budget situation that had helped create the previous governments ( net budget deficit in 1970: 0.6 % GDP) came the Kreisky government I very beneficial. The most important reforms in the 18-month legislative session were the abolition of the special tax car, increase the widow's pension by 10% and the reduction of military service to six months and 60 days weapons exercises. When the survey results were favorable, the SPÖ and the FPÖ continued to October 10, 1971 fixed as polling day for new elections. The SPÖ then reached 50.03 %, the absolute majority of votes and mandates and ruled for another 12 years alone under Chancellor Kreisky.
Portugal
In the parliamentary elections in Portugal in 2009 did not succeed the Socialist Party PS of Prime Minister José Sócrates to defend the 2005 -won an absolute majority. Since then he led until his resignation a minority government of the PS, which was dependent on the changing consent of other parties. Already 1995-2002 ruled the PS alone without a parliamentary majority. Since the 2011 general election governed by a bourgeois coalition government with absolute majority.
Sweden
In Sweden, minority governments are the norm. Since 1970, the unicameral was introduced, it was only from 1976 to 1978, from 1979 to 1981 and last from 2006 to 2010 governments with absolute majority in all three cases, there were bourgeois coalition governments. The Social Democrats, who usually placed the head of government in recent decades, since the 1950s received no more coalition, had since then but only from 1968 to 1970, an absolute majority.
Slovakia
Slovakia has also been ruled by minority governments for some time, often after a once worn by a majority coalition government was broken:
Thus, the Acting Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar lost by the escape of MPs from his party 's majority in the National Assembly and was recalled in March 1994. The transitional government then formed under Jozef Moravčík led the country to early elections, which in turn Meciar brought back to power.
The following parliamentary elections was formed in 2002, consisting of four bourgeois parties second government of Mikuláš Dzurinda lost in August 2005 due to the resignation of the party ANO due to a corruption scandal involving the Chairman Pavol Rusko nominally their party political majority in Parliament, but could initially on the support of a majority of independent deputies supported. However, after the party KDH withdrew their ministers from the government in February 2006, the parties agreed in turn to early elections, the Government provisionally remained in office until then.
Also ruled Prime Minister Iveta Radicova of 4 October 2011 to 4 April, 2012 a provisional minority government after her, the previous coalition partner SaS had renounced their allegiance in a vote of confidence. The government was tolerated as a business leader in this period up to the agreed early elections from opposition leader Robert Fico and the largest group in Parliament, the SMER.
Spain
At the local and regional level coalitions are quite common. In total Spanish level, however, ruled since the first free elections in 1977, the major parties UCD, PSOE or PP each alone, either by an absolute majority or a minority government. From 1977 to 1982 ruled UCD minority governments. After that ruled until 1989, the PSOE by absolute majority. 1989 won the PSOE exactly half of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies. She reached in 1993 only 159 of the 350 seats, but without a majority ruled on. In the early parliamentary election in 1996 the PP won a relative majority, PP - chief Aznar formed a minority government. The PP won in 2000 the absolute majority. From 2004 to 2011, Zapatero had headed a PSOE minority government. Since December 2011 governs the PP an absolute majority.
Czechia
The Czech Republic has been governed in recent history, more of a minority government:
The center-right government of Václav Klaus was missing after the 1996 elections exactly one vote with the majority of seats. Since then, neither political cooperation with the Communist Party KSČM was still required with the extreme right of the Parliament, supported the Social Democrats CSSD government until their breakup in 1997 due to internal disputes in the largest government party ODS. The way in the election resulted in a composite of senior officials from the transitional government under Josef Tošovský which was legitimized by Parliament with a corresponding majority.
Socialist Prime Minister Miloš Zeman formed after the early elections in 1998 after unsuccessful negotiations with the bourgeois smaller parties also form a minority government, which was in turn supported in Parliament on the basis of the so-called opposition Treaty of the second largest political group, the ODS. Although the ODS itself was not represented by ministers in the government, but it was similar to a coalition joint committee meetings between the partners, where political agreements were achieved. This government was the full term in office until 2002.
The governments of Mirek Topolánek (2006-2009) formed minority governments: First Topolánek had tried after a stalemate in Parliament between right and left camp after the elections, to achieve a new edition of the opposition agreement. But he failed because of the rejection of his first government formed by ODS members and non-Party people by the CSSD, chaired by Jiří Paroubek. Then he made the second attempt a coalition government with the smaller bourgeois parties in parliament, but only 100 seats out of 200, and thus for a stable government work exactly one seat united enough to be in Parliament. The parliamentary work, however, was protected by two defectors from the Socialist CSSD, who had meanwhile resigned from her group. However, this turned model - after its turn several members had left the government -supporting factions - as no longer viable and was toppled by a vote of no confidence of the Parliament in spring 2009. Due to the lack of a clear majority in parliament Czech Republic was therefore in turn led to the end of the legislature of a caretaker government under Jan Fischer, which could be based on a broad majority in parliament.
In July 2013, came after the resignation of the incumbent government of Petr Necas again to form a Cabinet officer under Jiří Rusnok, No members of parties represented in Parliament belonged in fact. While this government fell through in the confidence vote in parliament. However, since there was also no majority for a different government in Parliament, it broke up shortly after the vote of confidence by decision itself on. The Cabinet ruled since then as a caretaker on until the early elections.