For the third consecutive state election in Germany, the Pirate Party has won seats, France24 reports. This time, in Schleswig-Holstein, where first estimates from today’s election show the party on 8.2%. This puts them just behind the Free Democrats, who are on 8.3%. This result for the FDP is a lot better than they have done in other recent state elections, or were expected to do in this contest.
The combined vote for the ruling coalition of the FDP and Christian Democrats is well below 50%, with the latter on only 30.6%. However, the alternate coalition, while bigger, also lacks a majority: Social Democrats 29.9% and Greens 13.6%.
Presumably this result will mean a grand coalition of the two big parties will now rule the state.
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Detailed results (which are largely in line with earlier estimates) are available in German here.
Seed planted by Manuel Alvarez-Rivera — 06 May 2012 @ 23:08
Wikipedia indicates this election was require as the previous configuration of MMP was unconstitutional. Any more information about that or about the new system?
Seed planted by JD — 07 May 2012 @ 04:04
A party called SSW, which stands for Südschleswigscher Wählerverband, won 4.6% of the vote, and won 3 seats.
These were list seats; SSW is a party for the Danish minority, and is thus exempt from the threshold.
There are 35 single-seat districts, and 34 list seats. The CDU won 22 districts and no list seats, while the SPD has 13 district seats and 9 list seats.
The rest of the seats (all from the list) are Green 10, FDP 6, Pirate 6, SSW 3.
(This is all from a PDF at the site Manuel linked to.)
Seed planted by MSS — 07 May 2012 @ 11:30
I assume there will be a grand coalition. It is not likely either party would take the Pirates as a partner.
SPD + Greens + SSW would be a bare majority, but I have no idea whether that is politically feasible.
The other combos that could work would be both Greens and FDP with either big party, but that is probably not likely.
Seed planted by MSS — 07 May 2012 @ 11:36
As far as I know, the threshold in Schleswig-Holstein is five percent. However, the South Schleswig Voters’ League (SSW) – which represents the Danish minority in Schleswig-Holstein – is exempt from the threshold requirement under the terms of a 1955 treaty between Germany and Denmark.
Seed planted by Manuel Alvarez-Rivera — 07 May 2012 @ 11:38
What happened to the MMP ‘balancing seats’? I understand that was the constitutional problem with the old system, and seems to have been altered, with the current assembly size fixed at 69.
Seed planted by JD — 07 May 2012 @ 11:43
If memory serves me well, a few years ago there was a huge controversy over a possible SPD-Green-SSW coalition – in a nutshell, CDU felt that it was totally inappropriate for SSW, as an ethnic minority party exempt from the threshold, to tip the scales in favor of its opponents, and in the end the deal collapsed.
Seed planted by Manuel Alvarez-Rivera — 07 May 2012 @ 11:48
I am getting more and more interested in German regional elections and their electoral systems. Do you know whether the 5% threshold is applicable in all the Landers or only in some of them? Do they have at the subnational level just like in the federal some sort of clause that allow parties to get PR seats if they win a certain number of seats in the nominal tier (that is, a number of single-member districts)?
Seed planted by Pedro — 07 May 2012 @ 15:55
Pedro, according to Wahlen, Wahlrecht und Wahlsysteme, Schleswig-Holstein has a five percent threshold clause, and one direct mandate waiver clause.
The aforementioned site covers the electoral laws of the Lander in detail. It’s in German but you can get a more-or-less understandable translation with Google Translate.
Seed planted by Manuel Alvarez-Rivera — 07 May 2012 @ 17:40
Thanks a lot, Manuel. This is really appreciated!
Seed planted by Pedro — 07 May 2012 @ 19:44
Is the collapse of the Left Party vote in the western Länder (outside of the Saar, and even there there was a substantial fall) due to the arrival of the Pirate Party, or the return of socialist voters to the SPD fold, or both? After the Front de Gauche did (relatively) well in France in the presidential election, it would be ironic if the inspiration for its creation started to falter…
Seed planted by DC — 08 May 2012 @ 05:22