4 September 2011 2016 → 18 14 35.7 23.1 Start date September 4, 2011 | 28 18 +5 –4 23.1 18.4 | |
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Winner Erwin Sellering | ||
The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was conducted on 4 September 2011, to elect members to the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania). The State Landtag was controlled by a grand coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union prior to the election.
Contents
Fifty-two percent of the 1.4 million eligible voters turned-out which is a decrease of 7 percent. The state election for the electoral district of Rügen is delayed until 18 September due to the death of the Christian Democrat candidate.
The SPD was the clear winner of election with 35.7 percent of the votes. It increased 5.5 percentage points over the last election in 2006. The CDU support fell by 5.7 percent, ending up with 23.1 percent.
Christian Democratic Union
The Christian Democrats 30-page election platform was called "clear and decisive". The platform includes education policy, finances and population change.
The Christian Democrats campaigned with the slogan "C wie Zukunft" ("C for Future"). This was intended to link the first letter of both the party's and the frontrunner Lorenz Caffier's name with the positive term "future". However, recipients understood that the CDU suggested to write the word "Zukunft" with a "C". This earned the conservative scorn and derision.
Social Democratic Party
Social Democrats focused on issues of economy, labor, energy change, social justice, family and education.
In the government SPD plans same time to cancel the tax release of the hotels and restaurants with a value of 1.7 billion euros, collect 2 billion euros by the higher peak tax and further 1.7 billion euros by increase of the nuclear plant fuel tax.
The Left
The Left platform includes employment and economic rights, social justice, environmental protection and more democratic participation.
Results
Source: Elections administrator of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Post-election
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) were the clear winners of election with 35.7 percent of the votes. It increased 5.5 percentage points over the last election in 2006. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) support fell by 5.7 percent, ending up with 23.1 percent. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) got only 2.7 percent of the vote, a massive drop of 6.9 percent compared to the last election, when it received 9.6 percent. The FDP failed to qualify for the Landtag for the fifth time in the last six state elections. The FDP Chairman Philipp Rösler claimed responsibility for failing to qualify for the Landtag. The Green Party reached the 5% minimum and qualified for the first time in Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Greens have now seats in all of Germany's 16 state parliaments.
The far right National Democratic Party (NPD) won in excess of 30% of the votes in 2 of the districts in this election and 26% to 29% in some communities near Anklam and Torgelow. In Koblentz, the NPD finished 15% higher than the CDU and the SPD. Leaders of some of the parties have come out and stated their opposition and shock at the success of the NPD. Rösler also stated that "it is shocking that the right-wing NPD has received twice as many votes as the FDP". SPD leader Erwin Sellering wasn't happy about the NPD re-entering the Landtag and stated "It’s a shame that they’ve made it in again and very regrettable".
The governing grand coalition between the SPD and CDU retained its majority and thus continued to work together.