It’s official, the Green Party has “won” the Baden-Wurttemberg state assembly election today. It won 24.2%, nearly doubling its showing of 12.5% in the last election. Via DW:
“It’s a dream come true… we could never have dreamed of a result like this a few days ago,” said Franz Untersteller, a Green party spokesman.
To say the Greens “won” with less than 25% is, of course, in need of some qualification, given that this does not even make them the plurality party. That would be the Christian Democrats (CDU), on 39%. However, the Greens edged out the Social Democrats (23.1%), and the “Green-Red” combo thus has a majority. That means the Greens will have the premiership in the new coalition government.
The CDU’s partners, the Free Democrats (FDP), just held on to their place in the assembly, with 5.3%.
In neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, the FDP fell below the 5% threshold and thus will not be in the assembly. There the incumbent SPD lots its majority (36.1), but the Greens won 15.1% (up by 10.5 points), making a Red-Green coalition the most likely result there.
As noted previously, the Green surge owes much to the Fukushima effect.
I should have said that I am Green with envy!
And I mean it. I am deeply envious of voters who can vote against both big parties, and shift to a former also-ran that is on the favored side of a newly salient issue. And have it actually mean something.
It must be nice, this democracy thing.
Seed planted by MSS — 28 March 2011 @ 17:14
Oh, democracy’s not perfect, MSS. Occasionally it throws up bad results. (Therefore it should be abolished. I mean, logically. QED.)
Seed planted by Tom Round — 28 March 2011 @ 19:43
Some are imperfecter than others.
Seed planted by MSS — 28 March 2011 @ 21:10