2011 Hamburg state election

2011 Hamburg state election
All 121 seats in the Hamburg Parliament ; 61 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	3,444,602 (57.3%); 6.2%
Mayor before election; Christoph Ahlhaus ; CDU	Elected Mayor ; Olaf Scholz ; SPD

Last updated January 28, 2025

The 2011 Hamburg state election was held on 20 February 2011 to elect the members of the 20th Hamburg Parliament. The election was triggered by the collapse of the coalition government between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Green Alternative List (GAL), which had governed the state since 2008.^[1] The election was a landslide defeat for the CDU, which lost half its voteshare and seats. The margin of defeat for the incumbent Ahlhaus Senate is the largest in post-war German history and has not been met since. Much of this lost support flowed to the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which won 62 of the 121 seats in Parliament, forming a majority government led by Olaf Scholz.^[2]^[3]

Background

After the 2008 state election, the CDU formed a coalition government with the GAL. This was the first time such a government had been formed in Germany, as the Greens were seen as aligned with the SPD, typically in opposition to the CDU. Popular CDU mayor Ole von Beust was seen as a stabilising force for the government. After his retirement in August 2010 and the election of Christoph Ahlhaus as his successor, relations between the two parties became increasingly strained.^[1]^[4]^[5] In November 2010, GAL left the government.^[6] Ahlhaus formed a minority CDU Senate and the Parliament subsequently voted to dissolve itself and hold early elections.^[7]

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 19th Hamburg Parliament.

Name			Ideology	Leader(s)	2008 result
Name			Ideology	Leader(s)	Votes (%)	Seats
	CDU	Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands	Christian democracy	Christoph Ahlhaus	42.58%	56 / 121
	SPD	Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands	Social democracy	Olaf Scholz	34.15%	45 / 121
	GAL	Green Alternative List Grün-Alternative-Liste Hamburg	Green politics	Anja Hajduk	9.58%	12 / 121
	Linke	The Left Die Linke	Democratic socialism	Dora Heyenn	6.45%	8 / 121

Opinion polling

Polling firm	Fieldwork date	Sample size	CDU	SPD	GAL	Linke	FDP	Others	Lead
Polling firm	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Others	Lead
2011 state election	20 Feb 2011	–	21.9	48.4	11.2	6.4	6.7	5.5	26.5
GMS	15–17 Feb 2011	1,002	25	43	15	6	5	6	18
Infratest dimap	8–10 Feb 2011	1,004	23.5	45	14	5.5	5	7	21.5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen	7–10 Feb 2011	1,686	23	46	14.5	6	5	5.5	23
Emnid	4–10 Feb 2011	1,002	24	45	15	6	5	5	21
Infratest dimap	28 Jan–2 Feb 2011	1,000	25	46	14	6	5	4	21
Trend Research Hamburg	26–31 Jan 2011	627	25	45	16	6	4	4	20
Infratest dimap	7–11 Jan 2011	1,000	26	43	17	5	4	5	17
Trend Research Hamburg	10–14 Dec 2010	648	24	45	16	8	3	4	21
Infratest dimap	10–12 Dec 2010	1,000	22	43	19	7	4	5	21
Trend Research Hamburg	2–7 Dec 2010	678	22	45	17	7	3	6	23
Trend Research Hamburg	29 Nov–2 Dec 2010	653	24	44	17	7	4	5	20
Psephos	29 Nov–1 Dec 2010	1,002	28	45	14	6	3	4	17
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen	29–30 Nov 2010	1,006	22	41	21	7	4	5	19
Psephos	6–10 Nov 2010	1,004	35	40	12	6	4	3	5
Trend Research Hamburg	15–19 Oct 2010	612	25	35	17	11	4	8	10
Psephos	19–20 Jul 2010	1,005	35	41	10	6	4	4	6
Psephos	29 Jun–2 Jul 2010	1,007	36	39	11	6	5	3	3
Psephos	19–23 Apr 2010	1,004	34	37	10	8	8	?	3
Infratest dimap	17–21 Feb 2009	1,000	31	31	16	10	7	5	Tie
Psephos	December 2009	1,001	38	34	11	8	6	3	4
Psephos	26–30 Nov 2009	1,004	36	33	13	8	8	2	3
Infratest dimap	19–22 Feb 2009	1,000	36	33	12	8	9	2	3
Psephos	22–27 Nov 2008	1,003	44	31	11	6	5	3	13
Psephos	29 April–5 May 2008	1,004	43	34	10	7	4.5	1.5	9
2008 state election	24 Feb 2008	–	42.6	34.1	9.6	6.4	4.8	2.5	8.5

Election result

Summary of the 20 February 2011 election results for the Hamburg Parliament

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	1,667,804	48.42	14.27	62	17
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	753,805	21.88	20.70	28	28
	Green Alternative List (GAL)	384,502	11.16	1.58	14	2
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	229,125	6.65	1.90	9	9
	The Left (Linke)	220,428	6.40	0.05	8
	Pirate Party Germany (Piraten)	73,126	2.12	2.12	0
	Others	115,812	3.36	1.68	0
Total		3,444,602	100.00	–	121	–

Registered voters/turnout			57.3	6.2

Popular Vote

SPD			48.42%
CDU			21.88%
GAL			11.16%
FDP			6.65%
DIE LINKE			6.40%
PIRATEN			2.12%
Other			3.36%

Bürgerschaft seats

SPD			51.24%
CDU			23.14%
GAL			11.57%
FDP			7.44%
DIE LINKE			6.61%

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References

1 2 3 "Hamburg vote set for February after coalition collapses". The Local. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
↑ "Merkel's party hammered in state elections". Deutsche Welle. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
↑ Pidd, Helen (20 February 2011). "Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats suffer heavy Hamburg defeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
↑ "Germany's only CDU-Green coalition falls". The Local. 28 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
↑ Knight, Dennis (February 18, 2011). "Trend-Setting Loss Would Spell Trouble for Merkel". Spiegel Online. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
↑ "Veit Medick: 'Union schäumt, SPD träumt. Koalitionsbruch in Hamburg.'" Der Spiegel, 28 November 2010
↑ "Greens in Hamburg end coalition with CDU". Deutsche Welle. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.

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[TheLocal1-1] 1 2 3 "Hamburg vote set for February after coalition collapses". The Local. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

[DW1-2] "Merkel's party hammered in state elections". Deutsche Welle. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2011.

[Guardian1-3] Pidd, Helen (20 February 2011). "Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats suffer heavy Hamburg defeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2011.

[TheLocal2-4] "Germany's only CDU-Green coalition falls". The Local. 28 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

[Spiegel1-5] Knight, Dennis (February 18, 2011). "Trend-Setting Loss Would Spell Trouble for Merkel". Spiegel Online. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

[6] "Veit Medick: 'Union schäumt, SPD träumt. Koalitionsbruch in Hamburg.'" Der Spiegel, 28 November 2010

[7] "Greens in Hamburg end coalition with CDU". Deutsche Welle. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.

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