Lower Saxony state election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony
in north-western Germany
on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union
(CDU) held on to its position as the leading party in the state. The CDU's coalition with the Free Democratic Party
(FDP) was able to continue after the election, although their majority was cut from 29 to 10.
was seen as likely to easily defeat the Social Democrats
. The election in Lower Saxony took place at the same time as an election in the state of Hesse
and Wulff was seen as a more moderate leader than Roland Koch
in Hesse
and consequently more likely to perform better in the election. The CDU government had held spending down, introduced tuition fees for university
students, while supporting the minimum wage
. The Social Democrats (SPD) led their campaign
with a call for a national minimum wage for all workers. The SPD leader in Lower Saxony, Wolfgang Jüttner
, was little known to voters and unusually during the campaign made an attack on Wolff for his personal life.
An opinion poll
conducted from 2–4 January showed the CDU on 45% and their coalition allies the Free Democrats
on 7%, sufficient to retain a majority together. The Social Democrats were on 33%, the The Green Party
on 8% and The Left
on 3%. This was similar to what a poll in December had shown and confirmed the strong position of the CDU in the election.
. The 30.3% of the vote that the Social Democrats won was the worst performance by the party in Lower Saxony since the Second World War, which was described as a 'disaster' for the party. Turnout
in the election was 57%.
The Left Party entered the Lower Saxony assembly for the first time after winning 7.1% of the vote, safely above the 5% threshold
required in order to win seats. Along with the election in Hesse this was the first time the Left Party had won seats in any large state in western Germany.
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in north-western 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...
on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union
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...
(CDU) held on to its position as the leading party in the state. The CDU's coalition with the 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) was able to continue after the election, although their majority was cut from 29 to 10.
Campaign
Lower Saxony was seen as a stronghold of the Christian Democratic Union and their leader Christian WulffChristian Wulff
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff is the President of Germany and a politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was elected President on 2010 and publicly swore the oath of office on . A lawyer by profession, he served as Premier of the state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.-Early life and...
was seen as likely to easily defeat the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
. The election in Lower Saxony took place at the same time as an election in the state of Hesse
Hesse state election, 2008
The state election to elect members of the Landtag of Hesse was held in the German state of Hesse on 27 January 2008.-Background and issues:...
and Wulff was seen as a more moderate leader than Roland Koch
Roland Koch
Roland Koch is a German jurist and former conservative politician. He was Minister-President of Hesse from April 7, 1999, immediately becoming President of the Bundesrat, completing the term begun by his predecessor as Minister President, Hans Eichel, until his resignation on August 31, 2010...
in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
and consequently more likely to perform better in the election. The CDU government had held spending down, introduced tuition fees for university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
students, while supporting the minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
. The Social Democrats (SPD) led their campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
with a call for a national minimum wage for all workers. The SPD leader in Lower Saxony, Wolfgang Jüttner
Wolfgang Jüttner
Wolfgang Jüttner is a German politician, representative of the Social Democratic Party . He was his party's candidate for position of chief of state of Lower Saxony in 2008. After his election defeat, he became chair of the parliamentary group of the SPD in the parliament of Lower Saxony.-References:...
, was little known to voters and unusually during the campaign made an attack on Wolff for his personal life.
An opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
conducted from 2–4 January showed the CDU on 45% and their coalition allies the Free Democrats
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...
on 7%, sufficient to retain a majority together. The Social Democrats were on 33%, the 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...
on 8% and 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....
on 3%. This was similar to what a poll in December had shown and confirmed the strong position of the CDU in the election.
Election results
The results saw the Christian Democratic Union easily defeat the Social Democrats, despite suffering a drop in votes and seats. As a result their leader Christian Wulff was seen as having strengthened his chances of succeeding national CDU leader Angela MerkelAngela 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 30.3% of the vote that the Social Democrats won was the worst performance by the party in Lower Saxony since the Second World War, which was described as a 'disaster' for the party. Turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 57%.
The Left Party entered the Lower Saxony assembly for the first time after winning 7.1% of the vote, safely above the 5% threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
required in order to win seats. Along with the election in Hesse this was the first time the Left Party had won seats in any large state in western Germany.