2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election

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2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election
Flag of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.svg
  2006 4 September 2011 2016  

All 71 seats in the Landtag
36 seats needed for a majority
Turnout651,375 (51.5%) Decrease2.svg 7.7pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
  13-06-20-erwin-sellering-07.jpg Lorenz Caffier Portrat.JPG Helmut Holter, DIE LINKE 03.jpg
Candidate Erwin Sellering Lorenz Caffier Helmut Holter
Party SPD CDU Left
Last election30.2%, 23 seats28.8%, 22 seats17.3%, 13 seats [a]
Seats won271814
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 4Decrease2.svg 4Increase2.svg 1
Popular vote242,251156,969125,528
Percentage35.6%23.0%18.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 5.4ppDecrease2.svg 5.8ppIncrease2.svg 1.1pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Silke Gajek 6204061.jpg Pastoers cropped.jpg FDP
CandidateSilke Gajek Udo Pastörs Gino Leonhard
Party Greens NPD FDP
Last election3.4%, 0 seats7.3%, 6 seats9.6%, 7 seats
Seats won750
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 7Decrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 7
Popular vote59,00440,64218,943
Percentage8.7%6.0%2.8%
SwingIncrease2.svg 5.3ppDecrease2.svg 1.3ppDecrease2.svg 6.8pp

2011 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election.svg
Results for the single-member constituencies

Minister-President before election

Erwin Sellering
SPD

Elected Minister-President

Erwin Sellering
SPD

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.

Contents

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.

NameIdeologyLeader(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% [b]
13 / 71
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei
Classical liberalism Gino Leonhard9.6%
7 / 71
NPD National Democratic Party of Germany
Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Neo-Nazism Udo Pastörs 7.3%
6 / 71

Opinion polling

Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
size
SPD CDU Linke FDP NPD Grüne OthersLead
2011 state election 4 Sep 201135.623.018.42.86.08.75.612.6
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 22–25 Aug 20111,349352816.544.5847
Infratest dimap 23–25 Aug 20111,0003626174.54.58410
Forsa 15–18 Aug 201160234271755757
Infratest dimap 12–17 Aug 20111,00037.028.017.53.54.07.03.09.0
Emnid 8–11 Aug 20111,00034281944746
Emnid 29 Jul–4 Aug 20111,0073429193785
Infratest dimap 29 Jul–2 Aug 20111,00134301834834
Infratest dimap 24–28 Jun 20111,00034301744834
Infratest dimap 8–11 Apr 20111,001342720331037
Emnid 25 Feb–1 Mar 20111,00034291754645
Forsa 3–6 Jan 201160132291565853
Infratest dimap 11–13 May 20091,000253222104527
polis+sinus 1–16 Dec 20081,205273023114323
Infratest 8–11 Oct 20071,00034321774332
Forsa 20 Aug–18 Sep 20071,00928311897343
2006 state election 17 Sep 200630.228.816.89.67.33.43.91.4

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
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landtag 2011.svg
PartyVotes%+/-Seats+/-Seats %
Social Democratic Party (SPD)242,25135.6Increase2.svg 5.427Increase2.svg 438.0
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)156,96923.0Decrease2.svg 5.818Decrease2.svg 425.4
The Left (DIE LINKE)125,52818.4Increase2.svg 1.1 [c] 14Increase2.svg 1 [d] 19.7
Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE)59,0048.7Increase2.svg 5.37Increase2.svg 79.9
National Democratic Party (NPD)40,6426.0Decrease2.svg 1.35Decrease2.svg 17.0
Free Democratic Party (FDP)18,9432.8Decrease2.svg 6.80Decrease2.svg 70
Pirate Party Germany (PIRATEN)12,7271.9Increase2.svg 1.90Steady2.svg 00
Family Party (FAMILIE)10,5381.5Increase2.svg 0.30Steady2.svg 00
Other parties14,7732.2Decrease2.svg 0.60Steady2.svg 00
Total681,375100.071Steady2.svg 0
Voter turnout51.5Decrease2.svg 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%
Landtag 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. 1 2 "Merkel's CDU Suffers Setback in State Election". Der Spiegel . 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  10. 1 2 "'Something is deeply wrong when the NPD is more successful than the FDP'". The Local . 5 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Schuld sind nur die regionalen Themen". Süddeutsche Zeitung . 5 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
  12. 1 2 "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.