Saarland state election, 2012
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All 51 seats of the Landtag of the Saarland 26 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Saarland state elections, 2012 were held in Saarland on 25 March 2012. The CDU, led by incumbent Minister-President Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, received a plurality of the vote and formed a grand coalition with the SPD.[1] On 9 May, Kramp-Karrenbauer was re-elected as Minister-President.[2]
Background
The Jamaica Coalition, led by the CDU, collapsed on 6 January 2012.[3] The decision was based on internal problems within the Free Democratic Party.[3] Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Minister-President of Saarland and chairwoman of the Saarland Christian Democratic Union, stated that "[a] credible and reliable cooperation is no longer completely possible in this coalition."[3] The CDU went into coalition talks with the Social Democratic Party that ultimately failed, which prompted the snap election.[4]
Polling
The following opinion polls were conducted during the campaign:
Pollster | Date | CDU | SPD | The Left | Greens | FDP | Pirates | Other |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Forsa[5] | 9 March 2012 | 35% | 37% | 14% | 4% | 1% | 5% | 4% |
Infratest Dimap | 23 Feb 2012 | 35% | 36% | 15% | 4% | 2% | 5% | 3% |
Emnid[6] | 27 Jan 2012 | 36% | 36% | 15% | 5% | 2% | 4% | 2% |
FGW[7] | 26 Jan 2012 | 34% | 38% | 13% | 5% | 2% | 5% | 2% |
Results
25 March 2012 election results for the Landtag of Saarland
Party | Party list votes | Vote % (change) | Seats (change) | Seat % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 169,594 | 35.2 (+0.7) | 19 (0) | 37.25 | |
Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 147,160 | 30.6 (+6.1) | 17 (+4) | 33.33 | |
Die Linke | 77,612 | 16.1 (-5.2) | 9 (-2) | 17.65 | |
Pirate Party Germany (PIRATEN) | 35,646 | 7.4 (+7.4) | 4 (+4) | 7.84 | |
Alliance '90/The Greens (Grüne) | 24,248 | 5.0 (-0.9) | 2 (-1) | 3.92 | |
Family Party (FAMILIE) | 8,393 | 1.7 (-0.3) | 0 (0) | 0 | |
Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 5,871 | 1.2 (-8.0) | 0 (-5) | 0 | |
National Democratic Party of Germany (NDP) | 5,604 | 1.2 (-0.3) | 0 (0) | 0 | |
Free Voters (FREIE WÄHLER) | 4,172 | 0.9 (+0.9) | 0 (0) | 0 | |
Die PARTEI | 2,229 | 0.5 (+0.5) | 0 (0) | 0 | |
Initiative Direct Democracy (Direkte Demokratie) | 720 | 0.1 (+0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 | |
Totals | 481,249 | 100 | 51 | 100 |
Aftermath
Having been reelected as the largest party in the Landtag, CDU was tasked with forming the government. Minister-President Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said that she was seeking to form a grand coalition with the SPD, which have 37 seats altogether. Both parties reached a coalition agreement on 24 April 2012. The CDU and SPD would control 3 ministries each. Kramp-Karrenbauer will also head the new government which will be sworn in 9 May 2012.[8]
On 9 May 2012 Kramp-Karrenbauer's new government gained the vote of confidence with 37 votes. There was 12 votes against and 2 abstentions. Her cabinet was later endorsed by the Landtag with the same number of votes.[9]
References
- ↑ "CDU gewinnt Landtagswahl". tagesschau. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ↑ "Große Koalition im Saarland: Kramp-Karrenbauer als Ministerpräsidentin wiedergewählt". Focus (in German). 9 May 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- 1 2 3 Zuvela, Matt (6 January 2012). "One-of-a-kind coalition falls apart in German state". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ↑ Charlotte Chelsom-Pill; Richard Connor (20 January 2012). "Early Saarland elections planned as coalition talks fail". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ↑ "Forsa Poll". Spiegel Online (in German). 14 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ↑ "Umfragen Saarland" (in German). wahlrecht.de. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ↑ "Saarland steht vor Neuwahlen". ZDF. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ↑ "Strategiespiel ums Kabinett". SZ Online. 24 April 2012.
- ↑ "Kramp-Karrenbauer als Ministerpräsidentin wiedergewählt". Süddeutsche. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.