2004 Hamburg state election

Last updated
2004 Hamburg state election
Flag of Hamburg.svg
  2001 29 February 2004 2008  

All 121 seats in the Hamburg Parliament
61 seats needed for a majority
Turnout824,317 (68.7%)
Decrease2.svg 2.4%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Ole von Beust 3289c.JPG
Leader Ole von Beust Thomas Mirow
Party CDU SPD Greens
Last election33 seats, 26.2%46 seats, 36.5%11 seats, 8.6%
Seats won634117
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 30Decrease2.svg 5Increase2.svg 6
Popular vote389,170251,441101,227
Percentage47.2%30.5%12.3%
SwingIncrease2.svg 21.0%Decrease2.svg 6.0%Increase2.svg 3.7%

 Fourth partyFifth party
 
Leader Mario Mettbach
Party FDP PRO
Last election6 seats, 5.1%25 seats, 19.4%
Seats won00
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 6Decrease2.svg 25
Popular vote23,3733,046
Percentage2.8%0.4%
SwingDecrease2.svg 2.3%Decrease2.svg 19.0%

Mayor before election

Ole von Beust
CDU

Elected Mayor

Ole von Beust
CDU

The 2004 Hamburg state election was held on 29 February 2004 to elect the members of the 18th Hamburg Parliament. The election was triggered by the collapse of the coalition government between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Party for a Rule of Law Offensive (PRO), and Free Democratic Party (FDP). The election saw a collapse in support for PRO which had split after its leader Ronald Schill left in 2003. The original party and Schill's new party captured 3.5% of the vote between them, down from 19.4% in 2001. A huge amount of support flowed to the CDU, which won 63 of the 121 seats in Parliament, forming a majority government. First Mayor Ole von Beust continued in office. [1]

Contents

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 17th Hamburg Parliament.

NameIdeologyLeader(s)2001 result
Votes (%)Seats
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Social democracy Thomas Mirow 36.5%
46 / 121
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian democracy Ole von Beust 26.2%
33 / 121
PRO Party for a Rule of Law Offensive
Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive
Right-wing populism Mario Mettbach 19.4%
25 / 121
GAL Green Alternative List
Grün-Alternative-Liste Hamburg
Green politics 8.6%
11 / 121
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei
Classical liberalism 5.1%
6 / 121

Background

In August 2003, Mayor von Beust made moves to dismiss an Interior official suspected of corruption. In response, Senator of the Interior Ronald Schill threatened to spread rumours of an affair between von Beust and the Senator of Justice. Schill was subsequently dismissed from the government. In December of the same year, Schill left his own party along with five of its members of Parliament, depriving the government of its majority. He subsequently joined Pro DM. [2]

Opinion polling

Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size
SPD CDU PRO GAL FDP ProDMOthersLead
2004 state election 29 Feb 200430.547.20.412.32.83.13.716.7
Emnid 20–26 Feb 20041,009304411444314
Emnid 24 Feb 20041,000304611333416
Forsa 18–23 Feb 20041,005294511443416
Psephos 19–22 Feb 20041,00330461123.53.5416
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 16–19 Feb 20041,00829471343418
Infratest dimap 12–16 Feb 20041,000294511444316
Forsa 10–14 Feb 20041,002304511443315
Forsa 6–9 Feb 2004804294611443317
Infratest dimap 28 Jan–1 Feb 20041,000304511533315
Forsa 20–24 Jan 20041,001284811343320
Emnid 19 Jan 20041,000314621242315
Infratest dimap 8–12 Jan 20041,000304511344315
Psephos 9 Jan 20041,002304721124417
Forsa 17 Dec 2003 ?31463134315
Infratest 10–11 Dec 20031,00033434124410
Emnid 10 Dec 20031,0003743212426
Psephos 9–10 Dec 20038083641511345
Infratest dimap 8–9 Dec 20031,0003540513435
Emnid 2–3 Dec 20031,0003541513336
Psephos 10 Oct 2003 ?3739610442
Infratest dimap 5–9 Sep 20031,0003639513433
Psephos 23 Aug 20037313640610534
NFO Infratest 20–21 Aug 2003~1,0003740511433
Emnid 20 Aug 20031,0023538613533
Emnid 4–5 Feb 20031,000264212135216
Psephos 25 Oct 20021,0033634813542
Emnid 7 Feb 2002 ?3732129645
Emnid 2–4 Feb 20021,00840321011438
Psephos 2 Feb 20021,0033632149544
Forsa 22–23 Jan 20021,00135311510454
2001 state election 23 Sep 200136.526.219.48.65.10.24.010.3

Election result

Summary of the 29 February 2004 election results for the Hamburg Parliament
PartyVotes %+/-Seats+/-Seats %
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)389,17047.2Increase2.svg21.063Increase2.svg3052.1
Social Democratic Party (SPD)251,44130.5Decrease2.svg6.041Decrease2.svg533.9
Green Alternative List (GAL)101,22712.3Increase2.svg3.717Increase2.svg614.0
Pro Deutsche Mitte – Initiative Pro D-Mark (Pro DM)25,7633.1Increase2.svg2.90±00
Free Democratic Party (FDP)23,3732.8Decrease2.svg2.30Decrease2.svg60
Rainbow – For a new left (REGENBOGEN)9,2001.1Decrease2.svg0.60±00
The Grays – Gray Panthers (GRAUEN)8,8781.1Increase2.svg1.10±00
Others15,2651.90Decrease2.svg250
Total824,317100.0121±0
Voter turnout68.7Decrease2.svg2.4
Popular Vote
CDU
47.21%
SPD
30.50%
GAL
12.28%
PRO DM
3.13%
FDP
2.84%
Other
4.04%
Bürgerschaft seats
CDU
52.07%
SPD
33.88%
GAL
14.05%

See also

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References

  1. Mayor von Beust to govern alone after victory in Hamburg election, Deutsche Welle, 2004, retrieved 2008-08-13
  2. "A scandal in Germany". European press review. bbc.co.uk. 2003-08-21. Retrieved 2009-08-30.