2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election

The 2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on 21 April 2002 to elect the members of the 4th Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) minority government led by Minister-President Reinhard Höppner was defeated. The SPD fell to third place, while the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) moved into first. The CDU subsequently formed a coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and CDU leader Wolfgang Böhmer was elected Minister-President.

2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election

21 April 2002

All 115 seats in the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt
58 seats needed for a majority
Turnout1,160,985 (56.5%)
15.0%
  First party Second party
 
Leader Wolfgang Böhmer
Party CDU PDS
Last election 28 seats, 22.0% 25 seats, 19.6%
Seats won 48 25
Seat change 20 0
Popular vote 433,521 236,484
Percentage 37.3% 20.4%
Swing 15.3% 0.8%

  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Reinhard Höppner
Party SPD FDP
Last election 47 seats, 35.9% 0 seats, 4.2%
Seats won 25 17
Seat change 22 17
Popular vote 231,732 154,145
Percentage 20.0% 13.3%
Swing 15.9% 9.1%

Minister-President before election

Reinhard Höppner
SPD

Elected Minister-President

Wolfgang Böhmer
CDU

Background

After both the 1994 and 1998 state elections, the SPD formed a minority government with the external support of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). This marked the first time the PDS had been involved in determining government in a German state, and was a unique arrangement, dubbed the "Magdeburg model" after the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. In Germany, governments are typically coalition governments, in which the parties which support the government take part in cabinet and hold a majority of seats between them. However, the SPD/PDS arrangement functioned on a model of "tolerance", in which the PDS remained outside cabinet and abstained from the vote for Minister-President, rather than voting in favour, allowing the SPD to form a minority government. In 1994, this allowed the investment of an SPD–Green minority government; in 1998, after the Greens lost their Landtag representation, the SPD governed alone.

Campaign and issues

At the time, Saxony-Anhalt was the "poorest" state of Germany, and that with the highest unemployment rate. The state election campaign was also influenced by the upcoming federal election.

The German People's Union, which won 12.9% of the vote and 12 seats in 1998, did not run in the election. This came after internal strife and the secession of the Freedom and Democracy People's Party (FDVP), which did run in the election.

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 3rd Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt.

Name Ideology Leader(s) 1998 result
Votes (%) Seats
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Social democracy Reinhard Höppner 35.9%
47 / 116
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian democracy Wolfgang Böhmer 22.0%
28 / 116
PDS Party of Democratic Socialism
Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus
Democratic socialism 19.6%
25 / 116
DVU German People's Union
Deutsche Volksunion
German nationalism 12.9%
16 / 116

Opinion polling

Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size
SPD CDU PDS DVU FDP Grüne Schill Others Lead
2002 state election 21 Apr 2002 20.0 37.3 20.4 13.3 2.0 4.5 2.6 16.9
Forsa 19 Apr 2002 ? 24 34 22 10 2 6 2 10
Infratest dimap 5–9 Apr 2002 1,000 25 32 23 9 2 5 4 7
Emnid 28 Mar 2002 ? 24 33 26 8 2 5 2 9
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 15 Mar 2002 ? 28 36 19 7 3 4 3 8
Infratest dimap 21–26 Feb 2002 1,000 30 35 20 7 2 4 2 5
IfM Leipzig 25 Feb 2002 ? 31 39 19 6 2 2 1 8
Forsa 24 Jan 2002 ? 25 37 25 7 2 2 2 12
Uni Halle 17 Jan 2002 ? 29.3 40.6 19.3 6.7 2.1 1.8 0.2 11.3
Infratest dimap 11–16 Dec 2001 1,000 31 35 20 2 5 2 3 2 4
Uni Halle 28 Aug 2001 ? 37.4 33.0 18.3 7.5 3.0 0.8 4.4
1998 state election 26 Apr 1998 35.9 22.0 19.6 12.9 4.2 3.2 2.2 13.9

Election result

Summary of the 21 April 2002 election results for the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/- Seats %
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 433,521 37.3 15.3 48 20 41.7
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) 236,484 20.4 0.8 25 0 21.7
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 231,732 20.0 15.9 25 22 21.7
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 154,145 13.3 9.1 17 17 14.8
Party for a Rule of Law Offensive (Schill party) 52,589 4.5 New 0 New 0
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 22,696 2.0 1.2 0 ±0 0
Others 29,818 2.6 0 ±0 0
Total 1,160,985 100.0 115 1
Voter turnout 56.5 15.0
Popular Vote
CDU
37.34%
PDS
20.37%
SPD
19.96%
FDP
13.28%
SCHILL
4.53%
GRÜNE
1.95%
Other
2.57%
Landtag seats
CDU
41.74%
PDS
21.74%
SPD
21.74%
FDP
14.78%

Outcome

The SPD suffered a major defeat, falling to third place behind both the CDU and PDS. The CDU became the largest party with 37% of the vote. The FDP achieved an unexpected victory with 13% of the vote. The Party for a Rule of Law Offensive (Schill party) failed to win seats, despite polling suggesting they would narrowly enter the Landtag.

While polls before the election indicated the SPD and PDS would likely retain a slim majority, the success of the FDP at the SPD's expense meant that the CDU and FDP held a comfortable majority between them. Thus, the PDS-backed SPD government no longer had the numbers to retain power. The CDU and FDP negotiated a coalition, with CDU leader Wolfgang Böhmer heading the new government.

The election, which took place five months before the 2002 federal election, was a major defeat for the federal SPD–Green government, and weakened its standing in the Bundesrat.

Sources

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