Lower Saxony state election, 2017
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All 137 seats in the Landtag (including overhang and leveling seats) 69 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 63.1% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A state election was held on 15 October 2017 to elect the 18th Landtag of Lower Saxony.
Following the 2013 state election, the SPD and Greens formed a coalition with a one-seat majority in the Landtag. After Elke Twesten of the Greens defected to the CDU on 4 August 2017, the coalition was deprived of its majority, prompting Prime Minister Stephan Weil to call for an early election on 15 October.
Background
Following the previous state election in 2013, a red-green coalition between the SPD and Greens was formed, holding a one-seat majority in the Landtag of Lower Saxony. After Green parliamentarian Elke Twesten defected to the CDU on 4 August 2017, the coalition lost its majority,[1] which prompted Prime Minister Stephan Weil to call to schedule an early election for 15 October.[2] The Landtag was officially dissolved on 21 August after 135 of 137 parliamentarians voted in favor, with 91 votes required for its dissolution.[3]
Electoral system
The Landtag of Lower Saxony is elected using a mixed-member proportional representation system with at least 135 seats. Of these, 87 are elected in single-member constituencies, and the remainder are determined by party election lists. As in federal elections, voters have two votes: the first vote for candidates within each individual constituency, and the second vote for party election lists. There is a 5% threshold for the second vote in order to receive representation from party election lists. Seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method, with additional overhang and leveling seats to ensure proportionality of party representation relative to their share of second votes after the initial 135 seats have been allocated. The normal duration of the Landtag is 5 years.[4]
Parties
The table below lists parties that were represented in the Landtag before the election, polled above the 5 percent threshold, and were approved to run in the state election.[5]
Name | Leading candidate |
2013 result | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes (%) | Seats | ||||
CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands |
Bernd Althusmann | 36.0% | 54 / 137 | |
SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands |
Stephan Weil | 32.6% | 49 / 137 | |
Grüne | Alliance 90/The Greens Bündnis 90/Die Grünen |
Anja Piel | 13.7% | 20 / 137 | |
FDP | Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei |
Stefan Birkner | 9.9% | 14 / 137 | |
Linke | The Left Die Linke |
Anja Stoeck | 3.1% | 0 / 137 | |
AfD | Alternative for Germany Alternative für Deutschland |
Dana Guth | – | 0 / 137 |
In addition, the following parties were approved to run election lists in Lower Saxony.[5]
- Basic Income Alliance (BGE)
- German Centre (DM)
- Free Voters (FREIE WÄHLER)
- Liberal Conservative Reformers (LKR)
- Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP)
- Die PARTEI (Die PARTEI)
- Human Environment Animal Protection (Tierschutzpartei)
- Pirate Party (PIRATEN)
- V-Partei³ (V-Partei³)
Opinion polling
Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
CDU | SPD | Grüne | FDP | Linke | AfD | Others | Lead |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 state election | 15 Oct 2017 | – | 33.6 | 36.9 | 8.7 | 7.5 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 2.4 | 3.3 |
Civey | 25 Sep–13 Oct 2017 | 5,073 | 31.8 | 34.6 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 5.7 | 7.8 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen | 10–11 Oct 2017 | 1,001 | 33 | 34.5 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
INSA | 4–6 Oct 2017 | 1,005 | 32 | 33 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen | 2–5 Oct 2017 | 1,083 | 33 | 33 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 3 | Tie |
Infratest dimap | 2–4 Oct 2017 | 1,002 | 34 | 34 | 8.5 | 8 | 4.5 | 8 | 3 | Tie |
Civey | 24 Sep–1 Oct 2017 | 4,570 | 33.1 | 32.8 | 9.9 | 8.0 | 5.4 | 8.1 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
Infratest dimap | 26–27 Sep 2017 | 1,004 | 35 | 34 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
2017 federal election | 24 Sep 2017 | – | 34.9 | 27.4 | 8.7 | 9.3 | 6.9 | 9.1 | 3.6 | 7.5 |
Infratest dimap | 30 Aug–5 Sep 2017 | 1,001 | 37 | 32 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 |
dimap | 18–26 Aug 2017 | 1,003 | 39 | 31 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
INSA | 9 Aug 2017 | 1,000 | 40 | 28 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
Infratest dimap | 8–9 Aug 2017 | 1,003 | 40 | 32 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
INSA | 18–23 May 2017 | 1,000 | 41 | 27 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 14 |
Forsa | 18–28 Apr 2017 | 1,001 | 35 | 36 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
Infratest dimap | 13–18 Jan 2017 | 1,002 | 35 | 31 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
Forsa | 22 Dec 2016–9 Jan 2017 | 1,000 | 34 | 32 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
INSA | 6–14 Oct 2016 | 1,000 | 33 | 31 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
Forsa | 23 Oct–20 Nov 2015 | 1,002 | 35 | 33 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
INSA | 21 Aug–2 Sep 2015 | 1,000 | 37 | 29 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
Infratest dimap | 26 Jun–1 Jul 2015 | 1,000 | 40 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
GMS | 8–13 Jan 2015 | 1,012 | 41 | 30 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
2014 European election | 25 May 2014 | – | 39.4 | 32.5 | 10.9 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 6.9 |
Infratest dimap | 14–16 Jan 2014 | 1,000 | 40 | 32 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
2013 federal election | 22 Sep 2013 | – | 41.1 | 33.1 | 8.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 8.0 |
2013 state election | 20 Jan 2013 | – | 36.0 | 32.6 | 13.7 | 9.9 | 3.1 | – | 4.6 | 3.4 |
Results
Party | Constituency | Party list | Total seats |
+/– | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||||
Social Democratic Party | SPD | 1,508,830 | 39.6% | 55 | 1,413,990 | 36.9% | 0 | 55 | +6 | |
Christian Democratic Union | CDU | 1,420,083 | 37.3% | 32 | 1,287,191 | 33.6% | 18 | 50 | –4 | |
Alliance 90/The Greens | Grüne | 283,327 | 7.4% | 0 | 334,130 | 8.7% | 12 | 12 | –8 | |
Free Democratic Party | FDP | 226,554 | 5.9% | 0 | 287,957 | 7.5% | 11 | 11 | –3 | |
Alternative for Germany | AfD | 174,521 | 4.6% | 0 | 235,863 | 6.2% | 9 | 9 | +9 | |
The Left | Linke | 170,660 | 4.5% | 0 | 177,118 | 4.6% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Animal Protection Party | Tierschutz | – | – | 0 | 27,108 | 0.7% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Die PARTEI | Die PARTEI | 9,097 | 0.2% | 0 | 22,578 | 0.6% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Free Voters | FW | 11,348 | 0.3% | 0 | 14,869 | 0.4% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Pirate Party | PIRATEN | 2,350 | 0.1% | 0 | 8,449 | 0.2% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Basic Income Alliance | BGE | – | – | 0 | 5,125 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 | – | |
German Centre | DM | – | – | 0 | 4,482 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 | – | |
V-Partei³ | V-Partei³ | – | – | 0 | 4,151 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Ecological Democratic Party | ÖDP | 735 | 0.0% | 0 | 4,042 | 0.1% | 0 | 0 | – | |
Liberal Conservative Reformers | LKR | 488 | 0.0% | 0 | 950 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 | – | |
The Grays | DG | 260 | 0.0% | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | |
Independents | EB | 2,447 | 0.1% | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | |
Total | 3,811,125 | 100.0% | 87 | 3,828,003 | 100.0% | 50 | 137 | – | ||
Valid votes | 3,811,125 | 99.0% | 3,828,003 | 99.5% | ||||||
Invalid votes | 37,892 | 1.0% | 21,014 | 0.5% | ||||||
Turnout | 3,849,017 | 63.1% | ||||||||
Eligible voters | 6,098,379 | |||||||||
Source: Niedersächsische Landeswahlleiterin |
Government formation
Neither the incumbent red-green coalition between the SPD and Greens nor the black-yellow opposition of the CDU and FDP secured a majority of seats in the election. Because the FDP ruled out the possibility of a traffic light coalition (between the SPD, FDP, and Greens) and the Greens ruled out a Jamaica coalition (between the CDU, Greens, and FDP),[6] the SPD and CDU subsequently agreed to start negotiations to form a grand coalition.[7]
On 16 November, the SPD and CDU agreed to form a government.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ Lisa Caspari; Veronika Völlinger; Rita Lauter (4 August 2017). "Die Frau, die Niedersachsens Regierung stürzte". Die Zeit. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ↑ "Niedersachsen-Wahl am 15. Oktober". Die Welt. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ↑ "Der Niedersächsische Landtag hat sich aufgelöst". Norddeutscher Rundfunk. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ↑ Wilko Zicht (20 January 2013). "Wahlsystem Niedersachsen". Wahlrecht.de. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- 1 2 "15 Landeswahlvorschläge vom Landeswahlausschuss zugelassen". Niedersächsische Landeswahlleiterin. 15 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ↑ "FDP und Grüne in Hannover stellen sich auf Opposition ein". Die Welt. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ↑ "Niedersachsen vor Großer Koalition". ZDF. Deutsche Press-Agentur. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
- ↑ "SPD und CDU schließen "Koalition der Vernunft"". NDR. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.