2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election

The 2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was held on 4 September 2011 to elect the members of the 6th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.[1] The incumbent grand coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Minister-President Erwin Sellering retained its majority and continued in government.

2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election
4 September 2011
All 71 seats in the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
36 seats needed for a majority
Turnout651,375 (51.5%)
7.7%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Erwin Sellering Lorenz Caffier Helmut Holter
Party SPD CDU Left
Last election 23 seats, 30.2% 22 seats, 28.8% 13 seats, 17.3%[lower-alpha 1]
Seats won 27 18 14
Seat change 4 4 1
Popular vote 242,251 156,969 125,528
Percentage 35.6% 23.0% 18.4%
Swing 5.4% 5.8% 1.1%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Silke Gajek Udo Pastörs Gino Leonhard
Party Green NPD FDP
Last election 0 seats, 3.4% 6 seats, 7.3% 7 seats, 9.6%
Seats won 7 5 0
Seat change 7 1 7
Popular vote 59,004 40,642 18,943
Percentage 8.7% 6.0% 2.8%
Swing 5.3% 1.3% 6.8%
Minister-President before election

Erwin Sellering
SPD

 Elected Minister-President

Erwin Sellering
SPD

Issues and campaign

Christian Democratic Union

The Christian Democrats 30-page election platform was called "clear and decisive".[2] The platform includes education policy, finances and population change.[3]

The Christian Democrats campaigned with the slogan "C wie Zukunft" ("C for Future"). This was intended to link the first letter of both the party's and the frontrunner Lorenz Caffier's name with the positive term "future". However, recipients understood that the CDU suggested to write the word "Zukunft" with a "C". This earned the conservatives scorn and derision.[4][5]

Social Democratic Party

Social Democrats focused on issues of economy, labor, energy change, social justice, family and education.[6]

In the government SPD plans same time to cancel the tax release of the hotels and restaurants with a value of 1.7 billion euros, collect 2 billion euros by the higher peak tax and further 1.7 billion euros by increase of the nuclear plant fuel tax.[7]

The Left

The Left platform includes employment and economic rights, social justice, environmental protection and more democratic participation.

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 5th Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Name Ideology Leader(s) 2006 result
Votes (%) Seats
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands		 Social democracy Erwin Sellering 30.2%
23 / 71
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands		 Christian democracy Lorenz Caffier 28.8%
22 / 71
Linke The Left
Die Linke		 Democratic socialism Helmut Holter 17.3%[lower-alpha 2]
13 / 71
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei		 Classical liberalism Gino Leonhard 9.6%
7 / 71
NPD National Democratic Party of Germany
Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands		 Neo-Nazism Udo Pastörs 7.3%
6 / 71

Opinion polling
Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size		 SPD CDU Linke FDP NPD Grüne Others Lead
2011 state election 4 Sep 2011 – 35.6 23.0 18.4 2.8 6.0 8.7 5.6 12.6
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 22–25 Aug 2011 1,349 35 28 16.5 4 4.5 8 4 7
Infratest dimap 23–25 Aug 2011 1,000 36 26 17 4.5 4.5 8 4 10
Forsa 15–18 Aug 2011 602 34 27 17 5 5 7 5 7
Infratest dimap 12–17 Aug 2011 1,000 37.0 28.0 17.5 3.5 4.0 7.0 3.0 9.0
Emnid 8–11 Aug 2011 1,000 34 28 19 4 4 7 4 6
Emnid 29 Jul–4 Aug 2011 1,007 34 29 19 3 – 7 8 5
Infratest dimap 29 Jul–2 Aug 2011 1,001 34 30 18 3 4 8 3 4
Infratest dimap 24–28 Jun 2011 1,000 34 30 17 4 4 8 3 4
Infratest dimap 8–11 Apr 2011 1,001 34 27 20 3 3 10 3 7
Emnid 25 Feb–1 Mar 2011 1,000 34 29 17 5 4 6 4 5
Forsa 3–6 Jan 2011 601 32 29 15 6 5 8 5 3
Infratest dimap 11–13 May 2009 1,000 25 32 22 10 4 5 2 7
polis+sinus 1–16 Dec 2008 1,205 27 30 23 11 4 3 2 3
Infratest 8–11 Oct 2007 1,000 34 32 17 7 4 3 3 2
Forsa 20 Aug–18 Sep 2007 1,009 28 31 18 9 7 3 4 3
2006 state election 17 Sep 2006 – 30.2 28.8 16.8 9.6 7.3 3.4 3.9 1.4

Election result

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) were the clear winners of election with 35.7 percent of the votes. It increased 5.5 percentage points over the last election in 2006. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) support fell by 5.7 percent, ending up with 23.1 percent.[8] The Free Democratic Party (FDP) got only 2.7 percent of the vote, a massive drop of 6.9 percent compared to the last election, when it received 9.6 percent.[9] The FDP failed to qualify for the Landtag for the fifth time in the last six state elections.[10] The FDP Chairman Philipp Rösler claimed responsibility for failing to qualify for the Landtag.[11] The Green Party reached the 5% minimum and qualified for the first time in Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.[10] The Greens have now seats in all of Germany's 16 state parliaments.[9]

The far right National Democratic Party (NPD) won in excess of 30% of the votes in 2 of the districts in this election and 26% to 29% in some communities near Anklam and Torgelow.[12] In Koblentz, the NPD finished 15% higher than the CDU and the SPD.[12] Leaders of some of the parties have come out and stated their opposition and shock at the success of the NPD. Rösler also stated that "it is shocking that the radical right-wing NPD has received twice as many votes as the FDP".[11] SPD leader Erwin Sellering wasn't happy about the NPD re-entering the Landtag and stated "It’s a shame that they’ve made it in again and very regrettable".[13]

Summary of the 4 September 2011 election results for the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Party Votes % +/- Seats +/- Seats %
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 242,251 35.6 5.4 27 4 38.0
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 156,969 23.0 5.8 18 4 25.4
The Left (Linke) 125,528 18.4 1.1[lower-alpha 3] 14 1[lower-alpha 4] 19.7
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 59,004 8.7 5.3 7 7 9.9
National Democratic Party (NPD) 40,642 6.0 1.3 5 1 7.0
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 18,943 2.8 6.8 0 7 0
Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) 12,727 1.9 1.9 0 ±0 0
Family Party (Familie) 10,538 1.5 0.3 0 ±0 0
Others 14,773 2.2 0 ±0 0
Total 681,375 100.0 71 ±0
Voter turnout 51.5 7.7
Popular Vote
SPD
 
 35.55%
CDU
 
 23.04%
DIE LINKE
 
 18.42%
GRÜNE
 
 8.66%
NPD
 
 5.96%
FDP
 
 2.78%
PIRATEN
 
 1.87%
FAMILIE
 
 1.55%
Other
 
 2.17%
Bürgerschaft seats
SPD
 
 38.03%
CDU
 
 25.35%
DIE LINKE
 
 19.72%
GRÜNE
 
 9.86%
NPD
 
 7.04%

Notes
  1. Results for PDS (16.8%) and WASG (0.5%).
  2. Results for PDS (16.8%) and WASG (0.5%).
  3. Results for PDS (16.8%) and WASG (0.5%).
  4. Results for PDS (13 seats) and WASG (0 seats).

References
  1. "SPD and Greens set for power in Hamburg". The Local. February 13, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  2. "CDU: "Klar und entschlossen" in den Wahlkampf". NDR.de. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  3. "Caffier will in Staatskanzlei". Norddeutsche Neueste Nachrichten. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  4. ""C wie Zukunft" – CDU wird für Wahlp lakat veräppelt", Der Spiegel (in German), 26 July 2011, retrieved 16 Aug 2011
  5. "C wie Zukunft", Die Welt (in German), 27 July 2011, retrieved 16 Aug 2011
  6. "Sellering erwartungsgemäß Spitzenkandidat". NRD.de (in German). 14 May 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  7. "SPD plant massive Steuererhöhungen". Der Spiegel (in German). 4 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  8. Smith, David Gordon (5 September 2011). "'Germany's Social Democrats Are Back'". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  9. "Merkel's CDU Suffers Setback in State Election". Der Spiegel. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  10. "'Something is deeply wrong when the NPD is more successful than the FDP'". The Local. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  11. "Schuld sind nur die regionalen Themen". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  12. "Wo ein Drittel der Wähler für die NPD stimmt". Die Welt (in German). 6 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  13. Fox, Holly (5 September 2011). "Far-right party strengthening its influence in eastern Germany". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
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