Hesse state election, 2009

• Left: 6
• SPD: 29
• Green: 17
• FDP: 20
• CDU: 46

The elections to the 18th Hessian Parliament took place on 18 January 2009. They were early elections that had been scheduled as a result of the self-dissolution of parliament on 19 November 2008 due to the failure by the state election in January 2008 to form a government. The acting prime minister of Hesse, Roland Koch took up for the Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party Member of Parliament Thorsten Schäfer - Gümbel for Alliance 90/The Greens Tarek Al- Wazir. Jörg- Uwe Hahn was the top candidate of the Free Democratic Party, the Left Party Willi van Ooyen approached.

• 3.1 formation of a red-green minority government - first attempt
• 3.2 formation of a red-green minority government - second attempt
• 3.3 Early Elections

Official final result

Entitled to vote for state elections were 4,375,286 people. The turnout was 61.0 per cent and was the lowest since 1946, the number of voters at 2,670,385. Five parties moved into the new parliament; all other failed due to the five-percent hurdle.

As the largest party, the CDU emerged with 37.2% of the elections. The SPD lost heavily and reached 23.7% in their historically worst result in Hesse. The CDU, despite the large losses of the SPD, which were in the double-digit range, only slightly increased their share of the vote. In contrast achieved FDP ( 16.2%) and the Greens (13.7%) for their circumstances exceptionally high voting shares and growth. The Left was achieved with 5.4% of the re- entry into the state parliament.

Due to the lower turnout suffered despite an accrued increase shares of votes, both the CDU and the Left loss of votes.

For the first time in the history of the state elections in Hesse arose overhang and compensatory seats. Thus, the parliament has 118 members now instead of the previous 110 Of the 8 additional mandates accounted for 4 overhang seats on the CDU, two compensatory seats to the SPD and the compensation mandate on FDP and Greens.

The elected members are listed in the list of members of the Hesse Landtag (18th Term).

Consequences

Hesse

Due to the growth of the FDP in the regional elections, a clear majority in favor of a black - yellow coalition resulted in the parliament, which broke the existing state election since the 2008 standoff with a merely managing state government. On February 5, 2009 Roland Koch was re-elected Prime Minister of a Christian-Liberal coalition and the Cabinet sworn Koch III with three ministers of the FDP and the CDU 7.

Even on election night took Andrea Ypsilanti responsibility for the electoral defeat of the SPD and resigned as party and parliamentary leader. Successor was the top candidate Thorsten Schäfer - Gümbel in both offices.

Nationwide

With the government of the FDP in Hesse from the beginning of February, the grand coalition lost in the federal government majority in the Bundesrat. The calculated majority for re-election by Horst Köhler at the election of the President of Germany in 2009 in the Federal Assembly has been slightly strengthened.

Initial situation

In the state elections in 2008, the CDU had lost the absolute majority of seats. She lay now with the SPD on par, reaching 42 mandates the same number of seats, but took 36.8 % about 0.1 % more votes a. The Left took 5.1% of the vote for the first time in the Hesse state parliament. Neither was the CDU together with their desire partner, the FDP to the absolute majority needed to form a government, nor could the SPD together with the Greens to replace the cooking government. The SPD had ruled out a collaboration with the Left Party before the election and the Greens rejected a coalition with the CDU.

Only in the course of a withdrawal of coalition statements made in the run-up to the state election of the parties, the election of a new prime minister and form a new state government was possible. This as " Hessian conditions " in 1982 after the initial entry of the Greens has become known in the state parliament came as a revised edition: Roland Koch was able to perform his duties as prime minister continued even after the inaugural session of the new parliament on 5 April 2008, but only a caretaker.

Formation of a red-green minority government - first attempt

On March 4 was the top candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Andrea Ypsilanti, on the rejection of cooperation with the Left Party. Now aimed at a red-green minority government toleration of the Left Party. Despite intra-party criticism she could first convince them of its plan, the state parliament. This was eventually defeated on March 7 by the deputy Dagmar Metzger, announcing not to give Ypsilanti on April 5 from " conscience " the voice. So anyway the two voices quite slim majority in the Landtag for Ypsilanti was further shrunk to a seat. Then Ypsilanti was their plan to stand for election as prime minister, first at; the coalition negotiations with the Greens were canceled.

Formation of a red-green minority government - second attempt

In order nevertheless to achieve separation of the government cooking, Ypsilanti wanted to know her crotch covered now by a wide intra-party discussion with several regional conferences. After completion of this period of reflection, when it became clear a large majority in favor of a red-green government formation using the Left Party, found again in October instead of coalition negotiations between the SPD and the Greens. On November 1, the state convention of the SPD in Fulda approved the coalition agreement, on November 2 gave the Greens their national members meeting their approval. For the November 4 election to Ypsilanti Hessian Prime Minister was scheduled.

However, a day before the election announced a surprise three more, the right wing of the party attributable to member of parliament of the SPD, Jürgen Walter, Carmen Everts and Silke Tesch, to not project a red-green state government toleration of the Left of conscience and because of their rejection of the coalition agreement mitzutragen. They had Ypsilanti not refuse their consent in a straw poll a few days earlier. Thus, the choice of Andrea Ypsilanti at the second attempt had finally failed, the required parliamentary majority undercut by three votes.

Early Elections

Quickly after the failure of the government formation on November 3 announced CDU, FDP, Greens and the Left Party and finally the SPD to want to dissolve Parliament and to seek new elections in January 2009. The self-dissolution of the Hessian Landtag was possible under Article 80 of the Hessian constitution by a simple majority of the members of parliament, the election had to take place within 60 days.

On November 19, the self- resolution by a vote of the 99 members of the Hessian Parliament present, it was decided (out of 110). The state government then established the date of the election on 18 January.

The SPD was on 8 November that Andrea Ypsilanti will no longer stand as a top candidate for the elections in the following year. Instead, the member of parliament Thorsten Schäfer - Gümbel will take over the candidacy. The CDU sent as early as the last election, their leader and reigning since 1999 Hesse state premier Roland Koch in the race.

The SPD had taken differently than before the election in January 2008, no coalition statements. Roland Koch announced, however, that his party will form a coalition with the FDP.

Participating parties

Political parties competed for state election:

Electioneering

The campaign coincided very short. In addition to the low preparation time by the unscheduled appointment of the election campaign in the Advent season was in conflict with the pre-Christmas mood. Therefore no conclusions but only New Year's wishes were placarded by the parties represented in the parliament in December. The only exception was the SPD, which already attracted attention with substantive statements regarding their campaign issues energy policy, education policy, and minimum wages.

The Union continued during the election campaign, especially on the subject of economy and stability. In addition to encouraging the expansion of the airports in Frankfurt and Kassel road projects in Northern Hesse, the CDU tried to portray as the party that can best cope with the impact of since the fall of 2008, the worsening financial crisis.

The FDP stressed during the election campaign that they have according to the observations submitted to the previous parliamentary election statement to enter into any traffic light coalition traded. The slogan " our word " should simultaneously make a contrast to the SPD clearly.

Two weeks before the state election the SPD general secretary and campaign manager Norbert Schmitt announced his resignation for early February. In his left hand at the same time led party conflicts to exit a number of members, including the short-term peak candidates for parliamentary election of 2008 Pit Metz.

Opinion polls

An opinion poll of Infra dimap on behalf of the Hessischer Rundfunk on 6 November 2008 found that 79 % of voters in favor of new elections. The survey was carried out immediately after the failure of the attempt to form a government by Andrea Ypsilanti. In this survey received CDU (41%) and the FDP (11%), a clear majority. For the SPD, 27% of voters were. This was almost 10 percentage points less than in the regional elections of 2008. During the Greens would with 12 % profit from the losses of the SPD, the Left remained at 5%. An entry into the state legislature was after this survey on the brink. In a second survey of infra dimap of 4 December 2008, the CDU and the FDP received 41% 13 % ( 2 ); the Greens improved to 14% ( 2), the SPD fell to 23% (-4) and the Left made ​​up 6 %.