The website of the Federal Returning Officer in Germany has great maps showing the results of the German election (as well as the previous election). In particular, they’ve produced maps showing the results in each constituency. Germany’s Bundestag includes 299 MPs representing single-member constituenncy, as well as at least 299 list MPs. I’ve posted the maps after the fold, very interesting.
The 2005 result was as follows:
- CDU/CSU – 150
- SPD – 145
- Left – 3
- Greens – 1
The Left Party won three seats in East Berlin, and the Greens also won one seat in Berlin. In 2002, the Party of Democratic Socialism (forerunner to the Left Party) had fallen below the threshold and only won two constituency seats, thus they were not eligible to win any list seats and only held two seats.
In yesterday’s election, the constituency result was:
- CDU/CSU – 218 (+68)
- SPD – 64 (-81)
- Left – 16 (+13)
- Greens – 1 (-)
So do the SPD bounce back next election or do they perhaps gradually die off to be replaced by Die Linke and the Greens?
I think they are bound to bounce back. Junior coalition partners regularly suffer at election time, and when a major party like the SPD is a junior partner to its main opposition, it is bound to suffer badly. Once they have served in opposition for four years they will recover ground.
Wow, not a single constituency in Bavaria which was not won by the CSU.
I think you’re right, but looking at the maps above they’ve lost a lot of ground to Die Linke in the East which I’m not sure will be easily regained. Having said that the major population centres outside of Berlin are in the West so there is plenty of room for improvement there. But unless they decide for a grand coalition again (and alienate their left leaning supporter base again), they would probably have to side with Die Linke (and so alienate their right leaning supporters) unless the Greens come more to the fore. They are between a rock and a hard place.
The greens won their seat in Berlin with 46.8% of the first votes. Not bad going.
It was a tough platform for the SPD, having to both take credit for the Government while criticising it. Now that they can fully attack the Gov they’ll bounce back.
Does anyone know what the margins were for the seats that the CDU won in and around Berlin. It seems quite bizarre that they one seats given it seems to be a very left voting area
@Adam, just taking a quick look at the results, the CDU won 5/12 seats in Berlin, in four of those seats there was a clear majority for SPD+GRN+LINKE, but in all four the vote was split. In the fifth the left and right each got about the same vote in the seat. In all five they won a vote in the 30s, ranging from 30.8% to 39%.
The SPD have decided to go into coalition with the CDU in Thuringia:
http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20091001-22285.html
Very interesting Charles – I would have thought they’d chuck in coalitions with the CDU now the “Grand Coalition” is finished, but clearly they prefer to work with the CDU than Die Linke. Which should really come as no surprise I suppose, but social democratic parties really do seem to want alliances with the right rather than other left parties…
It could wreak havoc with the the SPD’s vote next election, but then so could siding with Die Linke. They will have to work hard demonstrating that they can pull the CDU to the left, which it could be argued they failed to do at the federal level.