Lower Saxony state election, 2008

• Left: 11
• SPD: 48
• Green: 12
• FDP: 13
• CDU: 68

The elections to the 16th Parliament of Lower Saxony found - simultaneously with the state elections in Hesse - January 27, 2008. About 6.1 million voters, including 258,000 persons under age 21 were called that day to determine a new state parliament. Despite vocal losses, the black-yellow coalition kept under Prime Minister Christian Wulff in the majority. The SPD was the worst election result that they had ever achieved in Lower Saxony state parliament elections, the Greens, however, their best. With 7.1 percent of the vote made ​​it the Left Party - as well as at the same day conducted state election in Hesse - for the first time to move into a parliament of a West German state area.

• 2.1 State nominations
• 2.2 Constituency nominations
• 2.3 demographics

• 3.1 CDU
• 3.2 SPD
• 3.3 FDP
• 3.4 GREEN
• 3.5 LEFT
• 3.6 Other parties
• 3.7 TV debate
• 3.8 Attempted choice influencing

• 4.1 Erststimmen
• 4.2 second votes

Initial situation

Terms of Use

The law was adopted on 16 December 2004, to reduce the number of constituencies from 100 to 87. Without overhang and compensatory seats, the newly elected parliament was composed of 135, together instead of the current of 155 deputies.

State elections 2003

The last state elections in 2003 led to the following results:

Turnout: 67.0 %

As a result, there was a change of government in Lower Saxony: A CDU / FDP coalition under the leadership of Christian Wulff took over from the previous SPD government by Sigmar Gabriel. The CDU was missing a seat to a sole absolute majority in parliament.

Surveys

The last Sunday questions according to the governing parties CDU and FDP have to incur a slight vocal losses. The continued existence of the coalition appeared according to all polls yet secure. Only exciting seemed the question of whether the Left Party in the Lower Saxony state parliament would be able to move. If the leftists would have the catchment failed to parliament, it could even reach an absolute majority of the CDU in parliament. In a direct election of the prime minister CDU Minister President Christian Wulff would be significantly lower, before his challenger Wolfgang Jüttner of the SPD.

Nominations

Country nominations

Following parties were allowed to state election:

• Parties that are represented in Parliament or in Lower Saxony that MPs in the Bundestag: Christian Democratic Union of Germany
• Social Democratic Party of Germany
• Free Democratic Party
• Alliance 90/The Greens
• The Left

• From now on ... Alliance for Germany
• The Frisians
• The Grey - Grey Panthers
• Family Party of Germany
• Free Lower voters - citizens' initiatives, citizens and independent voters lists Communities
• Party human environment animal protection
• National Democratic Party of Germany
• Ecological- Democratic Party
• Party Bible spreader Christians

The Democratic Alternative ( The White ), The Republicans, The Violet - for spiritual politics and the Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany had abgezeigt her candidacy at the Regional Returning Officer, but no country list submitted. The Pirate Party Germany could not submit a timely manner the necessary signatures of supporters.

Constituency nominations

In the 87 constituencies in total 547 candidates stood for election, including nine independent candidates. CDU, SPD, FDP and Alliance 90/The Greens were represented in all constituencies with a direct candidate for the Left stepped up to Barsinghausen in all constituencies a candidate on. The Free Voters were represented in 49 constituencies, the NPD entered into 42 constituencies with direct candidates. The Frisians, the ödp and the PBC competed with three, with two whites and the family party and the Republicans, each with a constituency nomination.

Demography

The average age of all 747 candidates was 47 years, with the youngest 18 and the oldest candidate was 77 years old. 198 of all the candidates were female, accounting for a share of 26.5 percent.

Electioneering

In contrast to the same day held state elections in Hesse, the election campaign in Lower Saxony went to rather quiet.

CDU

With 99.1 percent of the vote Prime Minister Christian Wulff was elected on the CDU regional party conference in Hannover on 14 July 2007 at the peak of the 113 seats comprehensive country list. The election program of the CDU was decided on September 22. Under the motto of the future State of Lower Saxony, the CDU is committed to the continuation of the black-yellow coalition and fiscal consolidation. The election campaign took place on 12 January 2008, more than 9,000 participants in the Volkswagen Halle Braunschweig instead. The election campaign of Lower Saxony CDU was awarded on December 5, 2008 in Berlin with the " Politics Award " as the best campaign of the year in the category " campaigns of political institutions."

SPD

On 13 October 2006, Wolfgang Jüttner, chairman of the SPD faction in the parliament of Lower Saxony and 1998-2003 in Lower Saxony Environment Minister, unanimously nominated for top candidates by the Board of Lower Saxony SPD. His election took place at the state party of the SPD in Hanover on 30 June 2007 with a score of 97.4 percent. On the same day the country's list was chosen and presented to the draft electoral program, which was adopted on 10 November 2007. In autumn 2007, Jüttner hired as Lower Saxony team designated shadow cabinet, consisting of Gabriele Andretta, Heiner Bartling, Wolfgang Denia, Jochen Hahne, Renate Hendricks, Eva Högl, Uwe Schwarz and Petra Wassmann, before. Compared to the last state election, the campaign budget was halved to 2.5 million euros. With slogans such as Lower Saxony righteous and righteousness come again sets the SPD during the election campaign for the introduction of a minimum wage, free education and the development of a comprehensive schools.

FDP

Philipp Rösler, state chairman and the FDP parliamentary group in the parliament of Lower Saxony, was elected on July 8 on the Land Conference in brown layer with 96 percent of the vote at number one on the country list and thus to the top candidates of FDP. The campaign budget is to include 500,000 euros. The FDP is based on a second vote and campaign on their state chairman Philipp Rösler as a popular figure.

Alliance 90/The Greens, with the top candidates Ursula Helmhold and Stefan Wenzel in the election campaign. Both were at the state party of the Greens 23-24. June Hitzacker chosen at number one or two of the country's list. The election program of the Greens was decided on October 14. According to a press release from the National Association is advised during the election campaign by the advertising agency M & C Saatchi. The campaign costs are expected to amount to 330,000 euros.

LEFT

For the first time takes the bulged from Linkspartei.PDS and WASG party to the Left in a state election. The PDS had been a candidate in the state election in 2003, but was clearly failed at the 5 % threshold of 0.5 %. At the state convention on November 3rd in Hannover regional chairman Kreszentia Flauger was 82.4 percent of the vote at number one on the country list and thus selected as the top candidate. Focus of the campaign are noisy election program to combat poverty by eliminating the Hartz laws and introduction of a minimum wage, free education, and an end to the privatization of Lower Saxony facilities.

Other parties

• Accompanied by massive protests and a democracy festival celebrated the NPD on September 15, their election campaign in the Hannover Congress Centrum. Top candidate of the NPD is Andreas Molau.
• For the first time in a Lower Saxony state election went to The Animal Protection Party. The top candidate was the hotel staff Rosemarie Worgull from Delmenhorst.
• The Party The Frisians participates for the first time at a state election. You want to represent the national minority of the Frisians in Lower Saxony. Your campaign is limited to the constituencies 83, 84 and 86 A sought recognition of minority status and therefore exemption from the five- percent threshold could not be reached for state election. Top candidate of the Frisians is the former SPD member Arno Rademacher.
• Top candidate of the Gray Panthers, the librarian Erika Tan. The party is committed to a more just social system and in particular an increase in pensions.
• The goals of the family party include the introduction of a child-raising allowance, free education, and free sports clubs for children and young people. Leader of the nine- country courses list is the secretary Claudia Chalupa.
• On 8 September 2007, the staff developer Gunnar Frohn was voted number one in the country's list of party spreader Bible Christians. The primary goal of the party is to strengthen the family.
• Top candidate of the party from now ... Alliance for Germany, Party for Democracy through Referendum is the construction engineer Hans -Joachim welfare field
• In addition to environmental protection and nature conservation, the ecologically - democratic party is for more direct democracy and free education in Lower Saxony. Top candidate is the banker Hartmut Meyer.

TV debate

On January 23, met in the NDR Prime Minister Wulff and challenger Jüttner in a moderated by Andreas Cichowicz 60 -minute televised debate with each other. Subsequently, while both sides declared himself the winner, the duel ended in a draw the media 's view. Although previously 30 percent of respondents in a survey that the TV debate was very important or important to their voting decision, it was followed by only around 270,000 viewers, representing an audience share of 8.1 percent. Before the actual duel already found a meeting of the top candidates Stefan Wenzel of the countryside with the top candidates of FDP, Philipp Rösler, instead.

Tried choice influencing

On January 26, a day before the election, appeared in several districts of Hanover on forged letters purporting a shift in the election on 24 February.

Result

Erststimmen

The direct candidate of the CDU could decide 68 of the 87 constituencies for themselves, the remaining 19 counties went to the SPD. The clearest victory won Clemens large Macke, CDU candidate in the constituency Cloppenburg, with 70.4 percent of the primary vote. The scarcest result obtained Hans- Christian Biallas (CDU ) in the constituency of Cuxhaven. With 38.4 percent of the primary vote, he received only 83 votes more than his rival candidate of the SPD.

Second votes

Distribution of seats

Allocation of seats and percentage result

The CDU received a total of eight overhang seats. In return, the five SPD, the FDP two and Alliance 90/The Greens and the Left were awarded each a compensation mandate. Thus, the total number of seats increased from 135 to 152