Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was conducted on 27 March 2011 to elect all 101 members to the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate
. It was held by proportional representation
with a 5% threshold
. State elections were held
on the same day in neighbouring Baden-Württemberg
.
In the 2006 election
, Minister-President Kurt Beck
and the Social Democratic Party
(SPD) won an outright majority. For the 2011 elections, Christian Baldauf
, the current opposition leader, proposed Julia Klöckner to oppose Kurt Beck.
In the election, the SPD suffered large loss, falling by 10% of the vote and winning only one seat more than the Christian Democratic Union
. The main winners were Alliance '90/The Greens
, who surged to over 15% of the vote, having failed to even break through the 5% threshold
in 2006. In 2011, however, the Free Democratic Party
failed to break through 5%, and thus lost the 10 seats they'd won in 2006.
announced he is resigning as chairman of Free Democratic Party
in Rheinland-Pfalz. He will preside at a special congress of the National Association on May 7, 2011.
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
. It was held by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
with a 5% threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
. State elections were held
Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011
The Baden-Württemberg state election 2011, was held on March 27, 2011, to elect members to Baden-Württemberg's State diet, the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. It was the 14th state election since the foundation of Baden-Württemberg in 1952...
on the same day in neighbouring Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
In the 2006 election
Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2006
The Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2006, was conducted on March 26, 2006, to elect members to the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.-Issues and Campaign:...
, Minister-President Kurt Beck
Kurt Beck
Kurt Beck is a German politician , serving as the Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate since 1994 and as President of the Bundesrat in 2000/01. On May 14, 2006, he succeeded Matthias Platzeck as Chairman of the German Social Democratic Party...
and the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) won an outright majority. For the 2011 elections, Christian Baldauf
Christian Baldauf
Christian Baldauf is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union and former opposition leader in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate...
, the current opposition leader, proposed Julia Klöckner to oppose Kurt Beck.
In the election, the SPD suffered large loss, falling by 10% of the vote and winning only one seat more than the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
. The main winners were 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...
, who surged to over 15% of the vote, having failed to even break through the 5% threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
in 2006. In 2011, however, the 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...
failed to break through 5%, and thus lost the 10 seats they'd won in 2006.
2006 Results
| Party | Party List votes | Vote percentage | Total Seats | Seat percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... (SPD) |
799,216 | 45.6% | 53 | 52.5% |
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 574,464 | 32.8% | 38 | 37.6% |
| 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) |
140,824 | 8.0% | 10 | 9.9% |
| 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... |
81,456 | 4.6% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Labour and Social Justice Party Labour and Social Justice Party Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative was a German political party founded in 2005 by activists disenchanted with the ruling Red-Green coalition government. On 16 June 2007 WASG merged with The Left Party.PDS to form the new united party The Left... (WASG) |
44,661 | 2.5% | 0 | 0.0% |
| All Others | 112,410 | 6.5% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Totals | 1,753,031 | 100.0% | 101 | 100.0% |
Post-election
Rainer BrüderleRainer Brüderle
Rainer Brüderle is a German politician and member of the FDP. He served as Minister of Economics and Transport of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1987–1998. On 28 October 2009, he was appointed Federal Minister for Economics and Technology in the Cabinet Merkel II. On 12 May 2011, Brüderle left Federal...
announced he is resigning as chairman of 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...
in Rheinland-Pfalz. He will preside at a special congress of the National Association on May 7, 2011.