6 March 1983 (1983-03-06) 1987 → 237 seats 228 seats 18 26 | 1973 – 255 202 Start date March 6, 1983 | |
 | ||
Turnout 89.1% (voting eligible) Winner Helmut Kohl | ||
German federal elections took place on 6 March 1983, to elect members to the 10th Bundestag (parliament) of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Contents
Issues and campaign
In October 1982 CDU chairman Helmut Kohl was elected Chancellor by a CDU/CSU and FDP majority in the Bundestag, while the FDP in 1980 still was on the side of the SPD. Early elections were arranged. The SPD encountered difficulties because on the left a new party was emerging, the Greens.
A major issue in this election was the armament question after the NATO Double-Track Decision.
Results
^a — includes the non-voting delegates for West Berlin (11 CDU, 9 SPD, 1 FDP, 1 AL). ^b — known as Alternative Liste für Demokratie und Umweltschutz (AL) in West Berlin. ^c — The Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria call themselves sister parties. They do not compete against each other in the same geographical regions and they form one group within the Bundestag.Post-election
The coalition between the CDU/CSU and the FDP returned to government, with Helmut Kohl as Chancellor. This was the first election in which the Greens secured representation in the Bundestag, and the first which saw a fourth (fifth) party in the parliament since 1960.