East German Constitutional Assembly election, 1949
Elections for a Constitutional Assembly were held in East Germany in May 1949.[1] Voters were presented with a "Unity List" from the "Bloc of the Anti-Fascist Democratic Parties," which in turn was dominated by the Communist Socialist Unity Party.[1] They only had the option of approving or rejecting the list. In much of the country, the vote was not secret.[2]
According to official figures, 95.2% of voters turned out, and 66% of them approved the list.[1] This would be the lowest vote share an SED-dominated bloc would claim during the four decades of Communist rule in East Germany. In subsequent years the National Front, successor to the Democratic Bloc, would claim to win vote shares in excess of 99%.[2]
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Unity List | 7,943,949 | 66.1 |
| Against | 4,080,272 | 33.9 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 863,013 | – |
| Total | 12,887,234 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 13,533,071 | 95.2 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||
Aftermath
The Constitutional Assembly adopted East Germany's first constitution in October, and proclaimed the establishment of the German Democratic Republic on 7 October. It then transformed itself into the first People's Chamber (Volkskammer) of East Germany.
