Saxony state election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The Saxony state election of 2004, was conducted on September 19, 2004, to elect members to the Landtag of Saxony
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Turnout was at 59.6%, a decline of 1.5% from the previous elections
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Landtag of Saxony
The Landtag of Saxony, also referred to as the Parliament of Saxony or the Saxon Parliament, is the German state of Saxony's legislature...
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Outcome
- The most striking result of the election, gaining international attention, was the entrance into the Landtag of the nationalist (and quasi-national-socialistNational Socialist German Workers PartyThe National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
) NPDNational Democratic PartyThe National Democratic Party could refer to* Afar National Democratic Party* Kamerun National Democratic Party* National Democratic Party * National Democratic Party * National Democratic Party...
, which won 12 seats. Its strength was mostly in the rural areas. Commentators attributed the NPD's success to alienation stemming from economic depression. - The continuing strength in Saxony of the east-German communist SEDSocialist Unity Party of GermanyThe Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
's-successor party, the PDS, was also notable. - The CDUChristian 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...
remained the strongest party with 55 of 124 seats, but lost its majority. This meant that it had to find coalition partners. The most logical was the free-market FDP. The FDP had won only 7 seats, though, which was just barely insufficient to form a CDU-FDP government. Coalition with the reformed-Communist PDS (which was later to merge into the LinkeLinkeLinke is a German surname deriving from the German word meaning "left". It can refer to:* Armin Linke, Italian artist* Carsten Linke, German football player* Ed Linke, American baseball player* Erika C...
party) or with the left-wing Greens was ideologically impossible. The CDU could have, mathematically, formed a government with the far-right NPD (which gained 12 seats), but this too was out of the question. The result was a much-bemoaned grand coalitionGrand Coalition (Germany)In modern Germany, grand coalition describes a governing coalition of the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, as they are the two largest parties.-Weimar Republic:...
of the two centrist-parties (CDU and SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
). This grand-coalition outcome was later mirrored nationally in the 2005 Bundestag electionsGerman federal election, 2005German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
. - Georg MilbradtGeorg MilbradtGeorg Milbradt is a German politician . He was the Minister-president of the Free State of Saxony from 2002 to 2008.-Life:...
remained in office as Prime Minister. Notably however, the far-right NPD received two more votes on the ballot for Prime Minister than it had members in the Landtag. It is presumed that two CDU Landtag members backed the NPD, as a protest against the grand coalition.
Results
Saxony state election, 1999
The Saxony state election of 1999 was held on September 19, 1999, to elect members of the Landtag of Saxony.-Results:Turnout was 61.1%, an increase of 2.7% over the previous Landtag elections....
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See also
- Saxony state election, 1994
- Saxony state election, 1999Saxony state election, 1999The Saxony state election of 1999 was held on September 19, 1999, to elect members of the Landtag of Saxony.-Results:Turnout was 61.1%, an increase of 2.7% over the previous Landtag elections....
- Saxony state election, 2004
- Saxony state election, 2009Saxony state election, 2009State elections took place in Saxony on 30 August 2009, the same day as the Saarland and Thuringia state elections. The election results decided control of the Landtag of Saxony...