19 September 1965 (1965-09-19) 1969 → 203 67 217 50 | 251 203 251 217 Start date September 19, 1965 | |
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Turnout 86.8% (voting eligible) Winner Ludwig Erhard | ||
Federal elections were held in West Germany on 19 September 1965. The CDU/CSU remained the largest faction, while the Social Democratic Party remained the largest single party in the Bundestag, winning 251 of the 518 seats (including 15 of the 22 non-voting delegates for West Berlin).
Contents
Campaign
Federal Chancellor Ludwig Erhard was initially popular as the acclaimed "father" of West Germany's economic miracle of the 1950s and early 1960s. West Germany's economy still seemed solid in 1965, and thus not enough West German voters wanted to change the party of Federal Chancellor. To ensure his victory in this Bundestag election, Erhard promised to cut income tax and to increase social program spending.
Results
^† — includes the non-voting delegates for West Berlin (15 SPD, 6 CDU, 1 FDP).Aftermath
The coalition between the CDU/CSU and the FDP returned to government, with Ludwig Erhard as Chancellor. In 1966, the FDP left the coalition over budget issues, and Erhard resigned. Kurt Georg Kiesinger (also CDU) formed a new grand coalition between the CDU/CSU and the SPD which lasted until the next election.