Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, 2002

• PDS: 13
• SPD: 33
• CDU: 25

The state election in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern 2002 was the fourth election of the state parliament since the re-establishment of the State of Mecklenburg -Vorpommern. It took place on September 22, 2002, coinciding with the general elections held. The SPD was the strongest party with significant profits again. The PDS, which reigned in the first nationwide red - red coalition since 1998, fell sharply. The SPD-PDS government Harald Ringstorff was, however, continued (Cabinet Ringstorff II). The CDU was able to record only slight gains. All other parties failed again at the five-percent hurdle.

Election procedures

The fourth state election in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern was carried out on the basis of the Constitution of 23 May 1993, the country's electoral law for the state of Mecklenburg -Vorpommern on 14 December 1993. The election procedure provided for first- and second vote, on the allocation of 71 seats alone decided the proportion of second votes, it was calculated by the Hare- Niemeyer method. It was the five-percent hurdle and a basic mandate clause in won three direct mandates. The legislature was four years.

Initial situation

To select the red - red coalition presented under the Social Democratic Prime Minister Harald Ringstorff. This first government with the participation of the SED successor party PDS in Germany had nationwide fierce debate caused. Critics spoke of a " taboo " or a " fall from grace ", while others of a "normalization" in dealing with a democratically elected party, which received almost a quarter of the votes. When choosing Ringstorffs prime minister denied him eight deputies from his own camp, the voice, which was taken as a clear indication of the reluctance in parts of his own party against cooperation with the post-communist PDS.

Economically, Mecklenburg- Vorpommern not progressed during the third term. The unemployment rate was still at 20 %, the gross domestic product declined steadily since 1999, and several attempts, large industrial projects such as the establishment of Airbus in Rostock had failed.

Since the state election in 1994, only three parties were represented in parliament in Schwerin, the CDU was the only opposition party. Both the FDP and Alliance 90/The Greens and the extreme right-wing parties had failed in the last election in the electoral threshold.

Electioneering

Top candidates for the state election of 2002, the popular, a presidentialisation his office be operated Prime Minister Harald Ringstorff for the SPD and the two Presidents in Schwerin parliament, Eckhardt Rehberg for the CDU and Angelika Gramkow for the PDS.

The state election in 2002, was strongly influenced, as in 1994 and 1998 from the same day held parliamentary elections. As in the polls for the federal election, the CDU had, in some cases significantly, located at the polls at the state level until a few weeks before the election ahead of the SPD. In the federal government, as in the country, however, the mood turned just before the election in favor of the SPD. Federal policy issues that had nothing to do with the country's policy basically led to a surge in popularity for the federal government. So superimposed partially combating the Elbe flood or rejection of the Bundeswehr deployment in Iraq, the state election campaign.

Result

The strategy Ringstorffs to want to " demystify " the PDS in the daily business of government, went on, the PDS lost eight percentage points and was the clear loser in the election. The CDU, which had determined the political landscape of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern in the early years after the fall of 1990, and the prime minister until 1998 was only slightly to gain. The FDP was able to almost triple their bad score from 1998 though, failed at 4.7 percent but short of the five-percent hurdle and remained so for the third time in a row outside parliament. Alliance 90/The Greens, who gained nationwide added 1.9 percentage points, in the regional elections could not benefit from the national trend, however. Although the country's result for the federal election was 3.5 percent above the but of 1998. For the state legislature, they received only 2.6 percent, which is even slightly below the 1998 result. The extreme right-wing parties played no role (NPD 0.8 percent, 0.3 percent Republican ), but the right-wing populist Schill party achieved 1.7 percent a moderate success.

This consolidated the 2002 election, the existing three-party system since 1994 in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern, with the SPD unchallenged was the leading political force now. The SPD won 33 seats ( an increase of six seats ), the CDU 25 ( 1) and the PDS 13 (-7).

Although the turnout fell from 79.4 percent to 70.6 percent, but remained thanks to the merger of Federal and state election at a relatively high level.

Government formation

The SPD continued the red - red coalition continues with the PDS. Regardless of the power shifts the PDS retained its three ministerial posts (environment, work / construction and social), it only came to some personnel changes.