North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 1995
Encyclopedia
The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 1995 was held on May 14, 1995 to elect 221 members of the Landtag
(state legislature) of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
. The incumbent state government at that time was a SPD
majority government led by Johannes Rau
that tried to defend its majority after 15 years in power. The main opposition was the CDU led by Helmut Linssen since 1990.
The election took place several months after Helmut Kohl
was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany for the fifth time after his CDU
/CSU
/FDP
coalition government defended its majority in the 1994 federal election. Thus, this state election had the potential to result in possible alternative coalitions which could be a useful model for the forming of the next federal government.
As a result of this state election, the SPD government lost its majority in the Landtag so that it had to form a coalition with the Greens
who doubled their share of votes and seats compared to 1990. Despite maintaining its share of votes the CDU was far away of forming a government as its most probable coalition partner, the FDP
failed to surpass the 5%-threshold needed to gain seats in the Landtag.
The main opposition focused on topics such as education, domestic security (e.g. crime) and the support of local industries. As these topics have rather been debated in a rather consensual manner most controversy was between the SPD and the Greens during the election campaign.
. After this election, Johannes Rau's succession was also planned so that Wolfgang Clement
, his Chief of staff from 1989 to 1995, became minister for economic affairs in Rau's cabinet. Eventually, Clement took over the office of Minister-President from Rau in May 1998 whereas Franz Müntefering
succeeded Rau as the leader of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Despite on agreeing to form a government, cooperation between both parties was in a very tough atmosphere, especially due to a missing agreement on Garzweiler II. The conflict so far that the Greens even filed a lawsuit against the project at the constitutional court of NRW in 1997 which nevertheless remained unsuccessful.
On the federal level, a SPD-Green coalition became an established option of coalition for the opposition, especially because SPD and the Greens prove effective cooperation in the Bundesrat
when they vetoed several pieces of legislation proposed by the federal government of Helmut Kohl.
This blockade by the opposition and a deteriorating economy eventually led to a dramatic decline of public support for the Kohl government and to the victory of Gerhard Schröder
in the 1998 federal election
who then formed a coalition government of SPD and Greens. This way, due to a new majority of SPD and Greens in the Bundesversammlung
, Johannes Rau could finally be elected President of Germany
in 1999 after one unsuccessful attempt in 1994.
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
(state legislature) of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. The incumbent state government at that time was a SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
majority government led by Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau
Johannes Rau was a German politician of the SPD. He was President of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004, and Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1978 to 1998.-Education and work:...
that tried to defend its majority after 15 years in power. The main opposition was the CDU led by Helmut Linssen since 1990.
The election took place several months after Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany for the fifth time after his 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...
/CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
/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...
coalition government defended its majority in the 1994 federal election. Thus, this state election had the potential to result in possible alternative coalitions which could be a useful model for the forming of the next federal government.
As a result of this state election, the SPD government lost its majority in the Landtag so that it had to form a coalition with 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 doubled their share of votes and seats compared to 1990. Despite maintaining its share of votes the CDU was far away of forming a government as its most probable coalition partner, 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...
failed to surpass the 5%-threshold needed to gain seats in the Landtag.
Election campaign
Beside the influence of national politics, where people's support for the Kohl government slowly began to drop as a result of growing economic problems, environmental issues were the main topic of the election campaign. It was especially the Green party that highlighted the issue of Garzweiler II, a lignite-mining project that was strongly criticised by local inhabitants because they would have to be resettled then.The main opposition focused on topics such as education, domestic security (e.g. crime) and the support of local industries. As these topics have rather been debated in a rather consensual manner most controversy was between the SPD and the Greens during the election campaign.
Election results
- citizens eligible to vote: 13041964
- voters: 8353056
- turnout: 64,05%
- number of valid votes: 8294235
| votes | percentage | number of candidates | mandates won in ridings | seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPD | 3816639 | 46,02 | 151 | 108 | 108 |
| CDU | 3124758 | 37,67 | 151 | 43 | 89 |
| GRÜNE | 830861 | 10,02 | 151 | 24 | |
| FDP | 332634 | 4,01 | 151 | ||
| REP | 65509 | 0,79 | 105 | ||
| Graue | 58155 | 0,70 | 116 | ||
| ÖDP | 21159 | 0,26 | 88 | ||
| Naturgesetz | 12948 | 0,16 | 68 | ||
| Tierschutz | 9936 | 0,12 | 28 | ||
| DKP | 6008 | 0,07 | 47 | ||
| PBC | 5777 | 0,07 | 20 | ||
| Statt | 3034 | 0,04 | 10 | ||
| RP | 2757 | 0,03 | 5 | ||
| BüSo Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität , or the Civil Rights Movement Solidarity, is a German political party founded by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, wife of U.S. political activist Lyndon LaRouche.... |
850 | 0,01 | 10 | ||
| CM | 556 | 0,01 | 3 | ||
| APD | 516 | 0,01 | 2 | ||
| Familie | 273 | 0,00 | 1 | ||
| UAP | 152 | 0,00 | 3 | ||
| Bewußtsein | 103 | 0,00 | 2 | ||
| HP | 40 | 0,00 | 1 | ||
| Einzelbewerber | 1570 | 0,02 | 9 | ||
| Total | 8294235 | 1122 | 151 | 221 |
Political consequences
The results of this election terminated a 15-year period of a SPD majority government. Thus, the SPD had to form a coalition government with the Greens with Johannes Rau serving a fifth term as Minister-PresidentMinister-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...
. After this election, Johannes Rau's succession was also planned so that Wolfgang Clement
Wolfgang Clement
Wolfgang Clement is a German politician. Clement was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany . He was Premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from 1998 to 2002 and Federal Minister of Economics and Labour from 2002 to 2005.Wolfgang Clement is an Honorary Member of the...
, his Chief of staff from 1989 to 1995, became minister for economic affairs in Rau's cabinet. Eventually, Clement took over the office of Minister-President from Rau in May 1998 whereas Franz Müntefering
Franz Müntefering
Franz Müntefering is a German politician and industrial manager. He was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party from 18 October 2008 to 13 November 2009, a position he already held from 2004 to 2005...
succeeded Rau as the leader of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Despite on agreeing to form a government, cooperation between both parties was in a very tough atmosphere, especially due to a missing agreement on Garzweiler II. The conflict so far that the Greens even filed a lawsuit against the project at the constitutional court of NRW in 1997 which nevertheless remained unsuccessful.
On the federal level, a SPD-Green coalition became an established option of coalition for the opposition, especially because SPD and the Greens prove effective cooperation in the Bundesrat
Bundesrat of Germany
The German Bundesrat is a legislative body that represents the sixteen Länder of Germany at the federal level...
when they vetoed several pieces of legislation proposed by the federal government of Helmut Kohl.
This blockade by the opposition and a deteriorating economy eventually led to a dramatic decline of public support for the Kohl government and to the victory of Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
in the 1998 federal election
German federal election, 1998
A German federal election was conducted on September 27, 1998, to elect members to the 14th Bundestag, the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.- Issues and campaign :...
who then formed a coalition government of SPD and Greens. This way, due to a new majority of SPD and Greens in the Bundesversammlung
Bundesversammlung (Germany)
The Federal Convention is a special body in the institutional system of Germany, convened solely for the purpose of electing the German Federal President , either every five years or within 30 days of a president's resignation, death or removal from office.The Bundesversammlung includes the entire...
, Johannes Rau could finally be elected President of Germany
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
in 1999 after one unsuccessful attempt in 1994.