2004 Saxony state election

The 2004 Saxony state election was held on 19 September 2004 to elect the members of the 4th Landtag of Saxony. The incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government led by Minister-President Georg Milbradt lost its majority. The CDU subsequently formed a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and Milbradt was re-elected as Minister-President.

2004 Saxony state election

19 September 2004

All 124 seats in the Landtag of Saxony
63 seats needed for a majority
Turnout2,080,135 (59.6%)
1.5%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Georg Milbradt Peter Porsch Thomas Jurk
Party CDU PDS SPD
Last election 76 seats, 56.9% 30 seats, 22.2% 14 seats, 10.7%
Seats won 55 31 13
Seat change 21 1 1
Popular vote 855,203 490,488 204,438
Percentage 41.1% 23.6% 9.8%
Swing 15.8% 1.4% 0.9%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Holger Apfel Holger Zastrow Antje Hermenau
Party NPD FDP Green
Last election 0 seats, 1.4% 0 seats, 1.1% 0 seats, 2.6%
Seats won 12 7 6
Seat change 12 7 6
Popular vote 190,909 122,605 106,771
Percentage 9.2% 5.9% 5.1%
Swing 7.8% 4.8% 2.5%

Minister-President before election

Georg Milbradt
CDU

Elected Minister-President

Georg Milbradt
CDU

Parties

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

Name Ideology Leader(s) 1999 result
Votes (%) Seats
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian democracy Georg Milbradt 56.9%
76 / 120
PDS Party of Democratic Socialism
Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus
Democratic socialism Peter Porsch 22.2%
30 / 120
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Social democracy Thomas Jurk 10.7%
14 / 120

Opinion polling

Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size
CDU PDS SPD Grüne NPD FDP Others Lead
2004 state election 19 September 2004 41.1 23.6 9.8 5.1 9.2 5.9 5.3 17.5
IfM Leipzig 7–9 Sep 2004 803 44 19 14 7 7 6 3 25
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 6–9 Sep 2004 1,035 47 19 11 6 9 4 4 28
Infratest dimap 2–6 Sep 2004 1,000 44 23 12 6 7 5 3 21
Forsa 31 Aug–4 Sep 2004 1,002 46 24 12 6 4 4 4 22
IfM Leipzig 31 Aug 2004 1,006 46 21 12 7 3 5 6 25
Forsa 16–20 Aug 2004 1,007 48 24 11 5 4 4 4 24
IfM Leipzig 21 Aug 2004 ? 48 22 10 6 3.5 5 5.5 26
IfM Leipzig 15 Aug 2004 810 45 25 10 6 2 6 6 20
Infratest dimap 30 Jul–3 Aug 2004 1,000 44 25 12 6 4.5 8.5 19
IfM Leipzig 30 Jul 2004 808 48 27 12 5 4 4 21
Emnid 4–8 Jul 2004 1,078 50 23 10 5 4 8 27
IfM Leipzig 17 Jul 2004 808 54 21 13 5 3 4 33
IfM Leipzig 19 May 2004 825 55 18 17 5 3 2 37
IfM Leipzig 5–6 May 2004 1,042 56 17 17 5 3 2 39
Emnid 25 Nov–20 Dec 2003 1,100 57 22 12 2 2 5 35
IfM Leipzig 30 Dec 2003 814 59 18 13 4 4 2 41
Emnid Jun–Jul 2003 1,010 53 22 14 4 2 5 31
Emnid December 2002 1,056 57 21 13 3 2 4 36
IfM Leipzig 30 Dec 2002 800 57 20 13 4 1 5 37
IfM Leipzig 7 Mar 2002 ? 52 21 19 2 4 2 31
Emnid Nov–Dec 2001 1,009 43 25 18 3 5 6 18
Emnid June 2001 1,023 46 20 22 2 4 6 24
Emnid December 2000 1,083 47 20 22 3 3 5 25
Emnid July 2000 ? 49 21 20 2 3 5 28
1999 state election 19 September 1999 56.9 22.2 10.7 2.6 1.4 1.1 5.1 34.7

Election result

Summary of the 19 September 2004 election results for the Landtag of Saxony

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/- Seats %
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 855,203 41.1 15.8 55 21 44.4
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) 490,488 23.6 1.4 31 1 25.0
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 204,438 9.8 0.9 13 1 10.5
National Democratic Party (NPD) 190,909 9.2 7.8 12 12 9.7
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 122,605 5.9 4.8 7 7 5.6
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 106,771 5.1 2.5 6 6 4.8
Human Environment Animal Protection (Tierschutz) 34,068 1.6 1.6 0 ±0 0
Others 75,652 3.6 0 ±0 0
Total 2,080,135 100.0 124 4
Voter turnout 59.6 1.5
Popular Vote
CDU
41.11%
PDS
23.58%
SPD
9.83%
NPD
9.18%
FDP
5.89%
B'90/GRÜNE
5.13%
Other
5.27%
Landtag seats
CDU
44.35%
PDS
25.00%
SPD
10.48%
NPD
9.68%
FDP
5.65%
B'90/GRÜNE
4.84%

Outcome

The most striking result of the election was the entrance of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) into the Landtag with 12 seats. This gained international attention. The party's support was concentrated in the rural areas; commentators attributed its success to alienation stemming from economic depression. The continuing strength of the SED successor party, the Party of Democratic Socialism, which again was the second largest party, was also notable.

The CDU remained the largest party with 55 of 124 seats, but lost its majority, forcing it to find coalition partners. The most logical was the classical liberal Free Democratic Party, who entered the Landtag in the election, but a CDU–FDP government would be one seat short of the necessary majority. Cooperation with the PDS or The Greens was ideologically unfeasible. A theoretical alliance between the CDU and NPD would hold a majority, but this was out of the question. The result was a grand coalition CDU and SPD. This government outcome was later mirrored in the 2005 federal election. The CDU's Georg Milbradt remained in office as Minister-President. Notably, the NPD received two more votes on the ballot for Minister-President than it had members in the Landtag. It is presumed that two CDU Landtag members backed the NPD as a protest against the grand coalition.

Notes

    Sources

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