Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The Baden-Württemberg state election 2011, was held on March 27, 2011, to elect members to Baden-Württemberg
's State diet
, the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg
in Stuttgart
. It was the 14th state election since the foundation of Baden-Württemberg in 1952. Before, Stefan Mappus
(CDU) had led a coalition government of his party with the FDP
, which in the election lost its majority to Alliance '90/The Greens
, who scored their all-time best state election result, and the Social Democrats
.
Like in all German states
, elections in Baden-Württemberg follow the mixed member proportional representation
. There are 70 constituency seats and at least 50 additional seats to be filled, making up a total of seats of at least 120. A higher number can be reached through overhang seat
s and additional seats to restore proportional representation. Unlike all other states, there are no party lists. Instead, the seats for a party which are not filled by constituency winners go to the party's remaining constituency candidates with the highest percentages of votes. For the first time, Sainte-Laguë
is used to calculate the seat allocation.
As a result, the top candidate of the Alliance '90/The Greens, Winfried Kretschmann, was elected as Baden-Württemberg's new Minister-President
, the first of his party holding such an office in Germany
, by the new majority of Greens and Social Democrats in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg, and at least two votes from the opposition.
The agenda of the new government includes changing from nuclear power as soon as possible, major education reforms, an increase to the land transfer tax to support the expansion of child care funding and eliminating tuition fees.
Angela Merkel
. The state had been her party's stronghold for about 58 years.
was an election issue in Baden-Württemberg
. Work for this project, that sets out to transform the Stuttgart Main Station from a terminus station into a subterranean non-terminus station, was started in the summer of 2010 despite massive protests by the Stuttgart
population. The main reasons for the protests are the questionable necessity of the transformation, i.e. the disproportionate costs (between 4 and 5 billion Euros) in relation to the (small) gains in travel time (the current station is a functioning station with 90% of the passengers ending their journey here anyway), the dismantling and partial destruction of the old station building (generally considered to be cultural heritage
), the destruction of some of the inner-city's park ("Schlossgarten"), the geological risks posed by the tunnels that would have to be drilled into the Stuttgart ground, endangering Europe's second largest mineral water
sources and spa
s, and the danger of some of the buildings above the tunnels collapsing.
Christian Democratic Union
The CDU government of Stefan Mappus
was a supporter of the project and even used police force, including tear gas and water cannons, to break up demonstrations and civil disobedience
campaigns of the opponents. Mappus basically linked his political fate to the success or failure of the project.
Social Democratic Party
The SPD leadership is also a supporter of Stuttgart 21, but since early 2010 has called for a referendum
on the issue "to pacify the city" and end the ongoing protests. In general, the party hasn't really taken a clear stance on the issue, though, as some of its (lower) members are also opposed to the project.
Alliance '90/The Greens
The opposition to Stuttgart 21
has led to "unprecedented popularity" for the Alliance '90/The Greens
in Baden-Württemberg
, and has led the party into the role of being the senior partner in a new coalition government
with the Social Democratic Party
.
Free Democratic Party
The FDP as a coalition partner of the CDU in the Mappus government has also supported Stuttgart 21. It was criticized of being a civil rights party in name only, as it was not protesting against the harsh police force used against demonstrators in the late summer of 2010.
started.
Christian Democratic Union
Social Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Following the Fukushima I nuclear accidents, Chancellor
Angela Merkel
changed policy on nuclear power by announcing the temporary shutdown of the seven nuclear power stations built before 1980. She also stated that she was committed to total withdrawal from nuclear power sooner than the revisited nuclear exit plan dates.
|- bgcolor=#E9E9E9
! colspan="2" | Party
! | Ideology
! colspan="2" | Vote % (change)
! colspan="2" | Seats (change)
! | Seat %
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#000000 align="center" |
| align="left" | Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
| align="left" | Christian democracy
, Conservatism
| align="right" |39
| align="right" |-5.2
| align="right" |60
| align="right" |-9
| align="right" | -15
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#99CC33 align="center" |
| align="left" | Alliance '90/The Greens
(Die Grünen)
| align="left" | Green politics
| align="right" |24.2
| align="right" |+12.5
| align="right" |36
| align="right" |+19
| align="right" |+111.8
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#DC241f align="center" |
| align="left" | Social Democratic Party
(SPD)
| align="left" | Social democracy
, Third way
| align="right" |23.1
| align="right" |-2.1
| align="right" |35
| align="right" |-3
| align="right" |-7.9
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#FFFF00 align="center" |
| align="left" | Free Democratic Party
(FDP)
| align="left" | Classical liberalism
| align="right" |5.3
| align="right" |-5.4
| align="right" |7
| align="right" |-8
| align="right" |-53.3
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#AA0000 align="center" |
| align="left" | Die Linke (formerly WASG)
| align="left" | Democratic socialism
| align="right" |2.8
| align="right" |-0.3
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#FF8800 align="center" |
| align="left" | Pirate Party (Pirates)
| align="left" | Freedom of Information
| align="right" |2.1
| align="right" |+2.1
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#386ABC align="center" |
| align="left" | The Republicans
| align="left" | Nationalism
, National conservatism
| align="right" |1.1
| align="right" |-1.4
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=white align="center" |
| align="left" | All Others
| align="left" |
| align="right" |2.4
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan=3 | Total
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | 100.0%
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" |
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | 138
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | -1
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | 100.0%
|}
announced his resignation as chairman of the Christian Democratic Union
in Baden-Württemberg
. Federal Social Democratic Party
leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier
has insisted that Chancellor
Angela Merkel should call for new elections after the defeat of the Christian Democratic Union in Baden-Württemberg.
On 27 April 2011, the Green party
and the Social Democratic Party announced that they have finalized their coalition agreement. Winfried Kretschmann and Social Democratic Party leader Nils Schmid presented an 83-page document called "The Change Begins". The only minister named was Nils Schmid. He will become Deputy Minister-President and "super-minister" for finance and the economy. Other than Nils Schmid's appointment, the Red-Green Alliance
only announced which parties would get each ministry
. The Social Democrats will get the majority of the ministerial positions but the Greens will have a majority in the cabinet
. The Greens are to obtain the ministries of the environment, transportation, science, rural areas, consumer protection and a ministry for civil society. The Social Democrats will get the ministries of the economy, finance, justice, labour, schools, welfare, and the interior ministry. As part of the coalition agreement, the Red-Green Alliance agreed to have a referendum
on Stuttgart 21
. They would like to have the referendum by mid-October. The Red-Green Alliance also agreed on "radical changes" to the education system and transport policy and to accelerate the phasing out of nuclear power. Hermann Gröhe, the secretary general of the CDU, "condemned" the coalition agreement
.
On 12 May 2011, Winfried Kretschmann was sworn in as Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg. Kretschmann became the first Minister-President in Germany
to represent the Green Party. Kretschmann received 2 votes from the opposition.
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
's State diet
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
, the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg
Landtag of Baden-Württemberg
The Landtag of Baden-Württemberg is the state diet of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. It convenes in Stuttgart and currently consists of 139 members of four Parties...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. It was the 14th state election since the foundation of Baden-Württemberg in 1952. Before, Stefan Mappus
Stefan Mappus
Stefan Mappus is a former German politician from the Christian Democratic Union . He was Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg since 2010 and chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg since 2009....
(CDU) had led a coalition government of his party with the FDP
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
, which in the election lost its majority to Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
, who scored their all-time best state election result, and the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
.
Like in all German states
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
, elections in Baden-Württemberg follow the mixed member proportional representation
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
. There are 70 constituency seats and at least 50 additional seats to be filled, making up a total of seats of at least 120. A higher number can be reached through overhang seat
Overhang seat
Overhang seats can arise in elections under the traditional mixed member proportional system, when a party is entitled to fewer seats as a result of party votes than it has won constituencies.-How overhang seats arise:...
s and additional seats to restore proportional representation. Unlike all other states, there are no party lists. Instead, the seats for a party which are not filled by constituency winners go to the party's remaining constituency candidates with the highest percentages of votes. For the first time, Sainte-Laguë
Sainte-Laguë method
The Sainte-Laguë method is one way of allocating seats approximately proportional to the number of votes of a party to a party list used in many voting systems. It is named after the French mathematician André Sainte-Laguë. The Sainte-Laguë method is quite similar to the D'Hondt method, but uses...
is used to calculate the seat allocation.
As a result, the top candidate of the Alliance '90/The Greens, Winfried Kretschmann, was elected as Baden-Württemberg's new Minister-President
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
, the first of his party holding such an office in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, by the new majority of Greens and Social Democrats in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg, and at least two votes from the opposition.
The agenda of the new government includes changing from nuclear power as soon as possible, major education reforms, an increase to the land transfer tax to support the expansion of child care funding and eliminating tuition fees.
Campaign and issues
Despite its local scope, the Baden-Württemberg elections have been designated a pivotal event for federal chancellorChancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
. The state had been her party's stronghold for about 58 years.
Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21 is an urban development and under construction transport project in Stuttgart as part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway project in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the replacement of the tracks and platforms of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's...
was an election issue in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. Work for this project, that sets out to transform the Stuttgart Main Station from a terminus station into a subterranean non-terminus station, was started in the summer of 2010 despite massive protests by the Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
population. The main reasons for the protests are the questionable necessity of the transformation, i.e. the disproportionate costs (between 4 and 5 billion Euros) in relation to the (small) gains in travel time (the current station is a functioning station with 90% of the passengers ending their journey here anyway), the dismantling and partial destruction of the old station building (generally considered to be cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
), the destruction of some of the inner-city's park ("Schlossgarten"), the geological risks posed by the tunnels that would have to be drilled into the Stuttgart ground, endangering Europe's second largest mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
sources and spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
s, and the danger of some of the buildings above the tunnels collapsing.
Christian Democratic Union
The CDU government of Stefan Mappus
Stefan Mappus
Stefan Mappus is a former German politician from the Christian Democratic Union . He was Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg since 2010 and chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg since 2009....
was a supporter of the project and even used police force, including tear gas and water cannons, to break up demonstrations and civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
campaigns of the opponents. Mappus basically linked his political fate to the success or failure of the project.
Social Democratic Party
The SPD leadership is also a supporter of Stuttgart 21, but since early 2010 has called for a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on the issue "to pacify the city" and end the ongoing protests. In general, the party hasn't really taken a clear stance on the issue, though, as some of its (lower) members are also opposed to the project.
Alliance '90/The Greens
The opposition to Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21 is an urban development and under construction transport project in Stuttgart as part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway project in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the replacement of the tracks and platforms of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's...
has led to "unprecedented popularity" for the Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, and has led the party into the role of being the senior partner in a new coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
.
Free Democratic Party
The FDP as a coalition partner of the CDU in the Mappus government has also supported Stuttgart 21. It was criticized of being a civil rights party in name only, as it was not protesting against the harsh police force used against demonstrators in the late summer of 2010.
Transparent government
Transparent government has become an issue since the controversy about Stuttgart 21Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21 is an urban development and under construction transport project in Stuttgart as part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway project in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the replacement of the tracks and platforms of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's...
started.
Christian Democratic Union
Social Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Nuclear
Christian Democratic UnionSocial Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Direct Democracy
Christian Democratic UnionSocial Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Media
Christian Democratic UnionSocial Democratic Party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Free Democratic Party
Nuclear power
Christian Democratic UnionFollowing the Fukushima I nuclear accidents, Chancellor
Chancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
changed policy on nuclear power by announcing the temporary shutdown of the seven nuclear power stations built before 1980. She also stated that she was committed to total withdrawal from nuclear power sooner than the revisited nuclear exit plan dates.
Polls
The reference for the poll is wahlrecht.de| Party | Last election Baden-Württemberg state election, 2006 The Baden-Württemberg state election, 2006, was conducted on March 26, 2006, to elect members to the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg.-Results:-Post-election:... |
2010-07-27 Infratest |
2010-09-01 Forsa |
2010-09-08 Infratest |
2010-10-08 abs |
2010-10-09 TNS |
2010-11-19 Allensbach |
2010-11-26 FGW |
2010-12-02 Infratest |
2010-12-19 Emnid |
2011-02-28 Forsa |
2011-03-17 Infratest |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDU Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
44.2% | 37% | 37% | 35% | 28% | 34% | 38% | 39% | 39% | 41% | 39% | 39% | |
| SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
25.2% | 25% | 24% | 21% | 17% | 19% | 22% | 19% | 18% | 19% | 26% | 22% | |
| The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
11.7% | 20% | 24% | 27% | 36% | 32% | 26% | 26% | 28% | 29% | 19% | 25% | |
| FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
10.7% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 8% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 6% | |
| The Left The Left (Germany) The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag.... |
3.1% (WASG) | 5% | 4% | 5% | 7% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 5% | |
| Other | 5.2% | 6% | 5% | 7% | -- | 4% | 4% | 7% | 5% | -- | 7% | 5% | |
Results
Summary of the 27 March 2011 election results for the Landtag of Baden-WürttembergLandtag of Baden-Württemberg
The Landtag of Baden-Württemberg is the state diet of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. It convenes in Stuttgart and currently consists of 139 members of four Parties...
|- bgcolor=#E9E9E9
! colspan="2" | Party
! | Ideology
! colspan="2" | Vote % (change)
! colspan="2" | Seats (change)
! | Seat %
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#000000 align="center" |
| align="left" | Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
| align="left" | Christian democracy
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
, Conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
| align="right" |39
| align="right" |-5.2
| align="right" |60
| align="right" |-9
| align="right" | -15
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#99CC33 align="center" |
| align="left" | Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
(Die Grünen)
| align="left" | Green politics
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
| align="right" |24.2
| align="right" |+12.5
| align="right" |36
| align="right" |+19
| align="right" |+111.8
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#DC241f align="center" |
| align="left" | Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD)
| align="left" | Social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
, Third way
Third way (centrism)
The Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies. Third Way approaches are commonly viewed from within the first- and second-way perspectives as...
| align="right" |23.1
| align="right" |-2.1
| align="right" |35
| align="right" |-3
| align="right" |-7.9
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#FFFF00 align="center" |
| align="left" | Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
(FDP)
| align="left" | Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
| align="right" |5.3
| align="right" |-5.4
| align="right" |7
| align="right" |-8
| align="right" |-53.3
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#AA0000 align="center" |
| align="left" | Die Linke (formerly WASG)
| align="left" | Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
| align="right" |2.8
| align="right" |-0.3
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#FF8800 align="center" |
| align="left" | Pirate Party (Pirates)
| align="left" | Freedom of Information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
| align="right" |2.1
| align="right" |+2.1
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=#386ABC align="center" |
| align="left" | The Republicans
| align="left" | Nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, National conservatism
National conservatism
National conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right...
| align="right" |1.1
| align="right" |-1.4
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
|style="width: 20px" bgcolor=white align="center" |
| align="left" | All Others
| align="left" |
| align="right" |2.4
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
| align="right" |
|-
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" colspan=3 | Total
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | 100.0%
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" |
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | 138
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | -1
! align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9" | 100.0%
|}
Post-election
After the loss, Stefan MappusStefan Mappus
Stefan Mappus is a former German politician from the Christian Democratic Union . He was Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg since 2010 and chairman of the CDU Baden-Württemberg since 2009....
announced his resignation as chairman of the Christian Democratic Union
CDU Baden-Württemberg
The CDU Baden-Württemberg is the biggest political party in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and the second largest state party of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany with 77,800 members...
in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. Federal Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
leader Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Frank-Walter Steinmeier is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , and currently the leader of the opposition in the Bundestag. Steinmeier was a close aide of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, serving as Chief of Staff in the German Chancellery from 1999 to 2005...
has insisted that Chancellor
Chancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
Angela Merkel should call for new elections after the defeat of the Christian Democratic Union in Baden-Württemberg.
On 27 April 2011, the Green party
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
and the Social Democratic Party announced that they have finalized their coalition agreement. Winfried Kretschmann and Social Democratic Party leader Nils Schmid presented an 83-page document called "The Change Begins". The only minister named was Nils Schmid. He will become Deputy Minister-President and "super-minister" for finance and the economy. Other than Nils Schmid's appointment, the Red-Green Alliance
Red-green alliance
In politics, a red-green alliance is an alliance of "red" social-democratic or democratic socialist parties with "green" environmentalist parties. The alliance is often based on common left political views, especially a shared distrust of corporate or capitalist institutions...
only announced which parties would get each ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
. The Social Democrats will get the majority of the ministerial positions but the Greens will have a majority in the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
. The Greens are to obtain the ministries of the environment, transportation, science, rural areas, consumer protection and a ministry for civil society. The Social Democrats will get the ministries of the economy, finance, justice, labour, schools, welfare, and the interior ministry. As part of the coalition agreement, the Red-Green Alliance agreed to have a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21 is an urban development and under construction transport project in Stuttgart as part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway project in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the replacement of the tracks and platforms of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's...
. They would like to have the referendum by mid-October. The Red-Green Alliance also agreed on "radical changes" to the education system and transport policy and to accelerate the phasing out of nuclear power. Hermann Gröhe, the secretary general of the CDU, "condemned" the coalition agreement
Coalition agreement
In multiparty democracies, a coalition agreement is an agreement between the parties that form the cabinet. It codifies the most important goals and objectives of the cabinet. It is often written by the leaders of the parliamentary parties.-Examples:...
.
On 12 May 2011, Winfried Kretschmann was sworn in as Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg. Kretschmann became the first Minister-President in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to represent the Green Party. Kretschmann received 2 votes from the opposition.