This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Germany |
---|
The Politics of Lower Saxony takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Lower Saxony. Since 1948 politics in the state has been dominated by the rightist Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the leftist Social Democratic Party. Lower Saxony was one of the origins of the German environmentalist movement in reaction to the state government's support for underground nuclear waste disposal. This led to the formation of the German Green Party in 1980.
Portrait | Name (Born–Died) | Term of office | Political party | Election | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Days | |||||
State of Lower Saxony (1946–present) | |||||||
British occupation zone of Germany (1946–1949) | |||||||
State of the Federal Republic of Germany (as of 23 May 1949) | |||||||
1 | Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf (1893–1961) | 9 December 1946 | 26 May 1955 | 3090 | Social Democratic Party | 1947 1951 | |
2 | Heinrich Hellwege (1908–1991) | 26 May 1955 | 12 May 1959 | 1447 | German Party | 1955 | |
3 (1) | Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf (1893–1961) | 12 May 1959 | 21 December 1961 (died in office) | 954 | Social Democratic Party | 1959 | |
4 | Georg Diederichs (1900–1983) | 29 December 1961 | 8 July 1970 | 3113 | Social Democratic Party | 1963 1967 | |
5 | Alfred Kubel (1909–1999) | 8 July 1970 | 6 February 1976 (resigned) | 2039 | Social Democratic Party | 1970 1974 | |
6 | Ernst Albrecht (1930–2014) | 6 February 1976 | 21 June 1990 | 5249 | Christian Democratic Union | 1974 1978 1982 1986 | |
7 | Gerhard Schröder (born 1944) | 21 June 1990 | 27 October 1998 (resigned to become Chancellor) | 3050 | Social Democratic Party | 1990 1994 1998 | |
8 | Gerhard Glogowski (born 1943) | 28 October 1998 | 15 October 1999 (resigned) | 352 | Social Democratic Party | 1998 | |
9 | Sigmar Gabriel (born 1959) | 15 October 1999 | 4 March 2003 | 1236 | Social Democratic Party | 1998 | |
10 | Christian Wulff (born 1959) | 4 March 2003 | 30 June 2010 (resigned to become President) | 2675 | Christian Democratic Union | 2003 2008 | |
11 | David McAllister (born 1971) | 1 July 2010 | 19 February 2013 | 964 | Christian Democratic Union | 2008 | |
12 | Stephan Weil (born 1958) | 19 February 2013 | Incumbent | 4261 | Social Democratic Party | 2013 2017 2022 | |
A darkened box under a party in any given year denotes that the party had either not yet been founded, or the party had become defunct, by the date of that election.
Election year | Total seats | Seats won | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SPD | CDU | FDP | GB/BHE | Grüne | DP | KPD | DZP | AfD | Others | ||
1947 | 149 | 65 | 30 | 13 | 27 | 8 | 6 | ||||
1951 | 158 | 64 | 35 | 12 | 21 | [lower-alpha 1] | 2 | 4 | 20 [lower-alpha 2] | ||
1955 | 159 | 59 | 43 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 6 [lower-alpha 3] | ||
1959 | 157 | 65 | 51 | 8 | 13 | 20 | |||||
1963 | 149 | 73 | 62 | 14 | |||||||
1967 | 149 | 66 | 63 | 10 | 10 [lower-alpha 4] | ||||||
1970 | 149 | 75 | 74 | ||||||||
1974 | 155 | 67 | 77 | 11 | |||||||
1978 | 155 | 72 | 83 | ||||||||
1982 | 171 | 63 | 87 | 10 | 11 | ||||||
1986 | 155 | 66 | 69 | 9 | 11 | ||||||
1990 | 155 | 71 | 67 | 9 | 8 | ||||||
1994 | 161 | 81 | 67 | 13 | |||||||
1998 | 157 | 83 | 62 | 12 | |||||||
2003 | 183 | 63 | 91 | 15 | 14 | ||||||
2008 | 152 | 48 | 68 | 13 | 12 | 11 [lower-alpha 5] | |||||
2013 | 137 | 49 | 54 | 14 | 20 | ||||||
2018 | 137 | 55 | 50 | 11 | 12 | 9 | |||||
2022 | 146 | 57 | 47 | 24 | 18 |
No | Constituency | Member | 2021 | Voters | 2017 | 2013 | 2009 | 2005 | 2002 | 1998 | 1994 | 1990 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | Aurich – Emden | Johann Saathoff | SPD | 191,846 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
25 | Unterems | Gitta Connemann | CDU | 238,506 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | |
26 | Friesland – Wilhelmshaven – Wittmund | Siemtje Möller | SPD | 189,047 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
27 | Oldenburg - Ammerland | Dennis Rohde | SPD | 228,705 | SPD | SPD | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
28 | Delmenhorst – Wesermarsch – Oldenburg-Land | Susanne Mittag | SPD | 226,827 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
29 | Cuxhaven – Stade II | Daniel Schneider | SPD | 188,602 | CDU | CDU | CDU | Created for 2009 election | |||||
30 | Stade I – Rotenburg II | Oliver Grundmann | CDU | 198,576 | CDU | CDU | CDU | Abolished | SPD | CDU | CDU | ||
31 | Mittelems | Albert Stegemann | CDU | 233,253 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | |
32 | Cloppenburg - Vechta | Silvia Breher | CDU | 223,948 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | |
33 | Diepholz – Nienburg I | Axel Knoerig | CDU | 194,371 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
34 | Osterholz – Verden | Andreas Mattfeldt | CDU | 197,490 | CDU | CDU | CDU | Abolished | SPD | SPD | SPD | ||
35 | Rotenburg I - Heidekreis | Lars Klingbeil | SPD | 168,927 | SPD | CDU | CDU | Abolished | SPD | CDU | CDU | ||
36 | Harburg | Svenja Stadler | SPD | 201,740 | CDU | CDU | CDU | Abolished | SPD | CDU | CDU | ||
37 | Lüchow-Dannenberg – Lüneburg | Jakob Blankenburg | SPD | 182,673 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
38 | Osnabrück-Land | André Berghegger | CDU | 199,960 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | |
39 | Stadt Osnabrück | Manuel Gava | SPD | 195,467 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
40 | Nienburg II – Schaumburg | Marja-Liisa Völlers | SPD | 193,863 | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | |
41 | Stadt Hannover I | Adis Ahmetovic | SPD | 176,770 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
42 | Stadt Hannover II | Yasmin Fahimi | SPD | 190,336 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
43 | Hannover-Land I | Rebecca Schamber | SPD | 231,250 | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
44 | Celle – Uelzen | Henning Otte | CDU | 214,482 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
45 | Gifhorn – Peine | Hubertus Heil | SPD | 219,966 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
46 | Hameln-Pyrmont – Holzminden | Johannes Schraps | SPD | 184,471 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
47 | Hannover-Land II | Matthias Miersch | SPD | 238,323 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
48 | Hildesheim | Bernd Westphal | SPD | 215,131 | SPD | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
49 | Salzgitter - Wolfenbüttel | Dunja Kreiser | SPD | 200,922 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
50 | Braunschweig | Christos Pantazis | SPD | 187,721 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | |
51 | Helmstedt – Wolfsburg | Falko Mohrs | SPD | 180,147 | SPD | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU | |
52 | Goslar – Northeim – Göttingen II | Frauke Heiligenstadt | SPD | 197,519 | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | |
53 | Göttingen | Andreas Philippi | SPD | 214,542 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU |
Germany is a democratic and federal parliamentary republic, where federal legislative power is vested in the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.
The 2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on 21 April 2002 to elect the members of the 4th Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) minority government led by Minister-President Reinhard Höppner was defeated. The SPD fell to third place, while the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) moved into first. The CDU subsequently formed a coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and CDU leader Wolfgang Böhmer was elected Minister-President.
The 2008 Hessian state election was held on 27 January 2008 to elect the members of the Landtag of Hesse. The incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government led by Minister-President Roland Koch lost its majority. The result of the election was extremely close but inconclusive, with the CDU winning just 3,500 votes (0.1%) more than the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Due to the entrance of The Left to the Landtag, neither the CDU–FDP or SPD–Green bloc garnered a majority. After a year of failed attempts to form government, a new election was held.
The politics of Hesse takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Hesse. The state has a multi-party system where, as in most other states of former Western Germany and the federal level, the three main parties are the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
The politics of North Rhine-Westphalia takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. The two main parties are the Centre-right Christian Democratic Union and the Centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
The politics of Rhineland-Palatinate takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Rhineland-Palatinate. The state has a multi-party system where the two main parties are the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
The Politics of Schleswig-Holstein takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Schleswig-Holstein. The state has a multi-party system.
The politics of Baden-Württemberg takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Baden-Württemberg. Since 1948 politics in the state has been dominated by the rightist Christian Democratic Union (CDU). However, in the 2011 election the CDU lost its majority in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg and since various coalitions were formed by the Green leader Winfried Kretschmann.
The politics of Saarland takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Saarland. The state has a multi-party system where the two main parties are the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) on the left and the Christian Democratic Union on the right.
The Politics of Brandenburg takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Brandenburg. The four main parties are the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the populist left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union.
The Lower Saxon Landtag or the Parliament of Lower Saxony is the state diet of the German state of Lower Saxony. It convenes in Hanover and currently consists of 146 members, consisting of four parties. Since 2022 the majority is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Greens, supporting the cabinet of Minister-President Stephan Weil (SPD).
Stephan Weil is a German politician and the leader of the Social Democratic Party in Lower Saxony. On 20 January 2013, the SPD and the Green party won the 2013 Lower Saxony state election by one seat. On 19 February 2013, he was elected Minister President of Lower Saxony with the votes of SPD and Alliance '90/The Greens. From 1 November 2013 until 31 October 2014 he was President of the Bundesrat and ex officio deputy to the President of Germany. In November 2017, he was again elected Minister President with the votes of SPD and CDU.
The 2016 Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on 13 March 2016 to elect the members of the 7th Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The incumbent grand coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Minister-President Reiner Haseloff lost its majority. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) debuted at 24.3%, with every other parliamentary party recording losses, particularly the SPD and The Left.
The 2017 Lower Saxony state election was held on 15 October 2017 to elect the 18th Landtag of Lower Saxony. The incumbent coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens led by Minister-President Stephan Weil was defeated. Though the SPD became the largest party in the Landtag largely fueled by the personal popularity of Weil, their gains were offset by losses for the Greens, depriving the government of its majority. The SPD subsequently formed a grand coalition with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and Weil continued as Minister-President.
The 2022 Lower Saxony state election was held on 9 October 2022 to elect the 19th Landtag of Lower Saxony. The incumbent government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) led by Minister-President Stephan Weil.
In Germany's federal electoral system, a single party or parliamentary group rarely wins an absolute majority of seats in the Bundestag, and thus coalition governments, rather than single-party governments, are the usually expected outcome of a German election. As German political parties are often associated with particular colors, coalitions are frequently given nicknames based on the colors included. Prominent political parties in Germany are the CDU/CSU (black), the SPD (red), the Greens (green), the Left, the AfD (blue), and the FDP (yellow).
Wolfgang Rauls was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). He was the last leader of the National Democratic Party during the Wende, before its eventual merger into the Free Democratic Party. After German reunification, he entered state politics in Saxony-Anhalt, serving as Minister for the Environment and, eventually, Deputy Minister-President in the CDU cabinets from 1990 to 1994.
The Politics of Thuringia takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Thuringia. The four main parties, following the 2024 elections, are the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, the populist left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), and the left-wing Left Party.
The politics of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt take place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Saxony-Anhalt. The three main parties are the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the left-wing Left Party.
The politics of the German state of Saxony take place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Saxony-Anhalt. The three main parties are the centre-right Christian Democratic Union, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the populist left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).