German federal election, 1990
Encyclopedia
The 12th German federal election, 1990 was conducted on December 2, 1990, to elect members to the Bundestag
(parliament) of the Federal Republic of Germany
. It was the first free and universal election in all of Germany
since the election of 1932 which brought Adolf Hitler
to power.
that had happened two months earlier, and a large number of seats were added to represent newly re-established eastern states of Germany without reducing the number of Western members. The euphoria following the reunification gave the ruling CDU/CSU–FDP coalition a dramatic advantage in both Western and Eastern Germany throughout the campaign.
This was the one and only election for which the 5% threshold was not applied nation-wide, but separately for East and West. As a result The Greens (West) failed to gain representation while the East German Green Party did.
remained chancellor. The CDU did exceptionally well in the former East Germany, which ironically had been the heartland of the SPD before the Nazi era.
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(parliament) of the Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was the first free and universal election in all of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
since the election of 1932 which brought Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
to power.
Issues and campaign
This was the first election conducted after the German ReunificationGerman reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
that had happened two months earlier, and a large number of seats were added to represent newly re-established eastern states of Germany without reducing the number of Western members. The euphoria following the reunification gave the ruling CDU/CSU–FDP coalition a dramatic advantage in both Western and Eastern Germany throughout the campaign.
Results
All change figures are relative to the pre-existing West German Bundestag.| Party | Party List votes | Vote percentage (change) | Total Seats (change) | Seat percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 17,055,116 | 36.7% | +2.3% | 268 | +94 | 40.5% | |
| Christian Social Union (CSU) | 3,302,980 | 7.1% | -2.7% | 51 | +2 | 7.7% | |
| Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... (FDP) |
5,123,233 | 11.0% | +1.9% | 79 | +33 | 11.9% | |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... (SPD) |
15,545,366 | 33.5% | -3.5% | 239 | +53 | 36.1% | |
| Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... (East) |
559,207 | 1.2% | +1.2% | 8 | +8 | 1.2% | |
| The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... (West) |
1,788,200 | 3.8% | -4.5% | 0 | -42 | 0.0% | |
| Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) | 1,129,578 | 2.4% | +2.4% | 17 | +17 | 2.6% | |
| All Others | 1,952,092 | 4.2% | 0 | 0.0% | |||
| Totals | 46,455,772 | 100.0% | 662 | +165 | 100.0% | ||
This was the one and only election for which the 5% threshold was not applied nation-wide, but separately for East and West. As a result The Greens (West) failed to gain representation while the East German Green Party did.
Post-election
The governing CDU/CSU-FDP coalition was returned to office with landslide majority, and Helmut KohlHelmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
remained chancellor. The CDU did exceptionally well in the former East Germany, which ironically had been the heartland of the SPD before the Nazi era.