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2008 Lower Saxony state election

State election in Lower Saxony, Germany

State election in Lower Saxony, Germany

FieldValue
election_name2008 Lower Saxony state election
countryLower Saxony
typeparliamentary
ongoingno
previous_election2003 Lower Saxony state election
previous_year2003
next_election2013 Lower Saxony state election
next_year2013
seats_for_electionAll 152 seats in the Landtag of Lower Saxony
majority_seats77
election_date27 January 2008
turnout3,422,552 (57.0%)
10.0%
<!-- CDU -->image1[[File:Landtag Niedersachsen DSCF7769.JPG150x150px]]
leader1Christian Wulff
party1Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
last_election191 seats, 48.3%
seats168
seat_change123
popular_vote11,455,687
percentage142.5%
swing15.8%
<!-- SPD -->image2[[File:Landtag Niedersachsen DSCF7302.JPG150x150px]]
leader2Wolfgang Jüttner
party2Social Democratic Party of Germany
last_election263 seats, 33.4%
seats248
seat_change215
popular_vote21,035,894
percentage230.3%
swing23.1%
<!-- FDP -->image3[[File:Roesler-klein.jpg150x150px]]
leader3Philipp Rösler
party3Free Democratic Party (Germany)
last_election315 seats, 8.1%
seats313
seat_change32
popular_vote3279,557
percentage38.2%
swing30.1%
<!-- Grüne -->image4[[File:Landtag Niedersachsen DSCF7803.JPG150x150px]]
leader4Stefan Wenzel
party4Alliance 90/The Greens
last_election414 seats, 7.6%
seats412
seat_change42
popular_vote4273,934
percentage48.0%
swing40.4%
<!-- Linke -->image5[[File:Landtag Niedersachsen DSCF7385.JPG150x150px]]
leader5Kreszentia Flauger
party5The Left (Germany)
last_election50 seats, 0.5%
seats511
seat_change511
popular_vote5243,106
percentage57.1%
swing56.6%
map_image2008 Lower Saxony state election.svg
map_size400px
map_captionResults for the single-member constituencies
<!-- Result -->titleMinister-President
before_electionChristian Wulff
before_partyChristian Democratic Union of Germany
after_electionChristian Wulff
after_partyChristian Democratic Union of Germany
elected_memberselected members
outgoing_membersoutgoing members

10.0%

The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held on 27 January 2008 to elect the members of the 16th Landtag of Lower Saxony. The incumbent coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Minister-President Christian Wulff was re-elected with a reduced majority.

Campaign

Lower Saxony was seen as a stronghold of the Christian Democratic Union and their leader Christian Wulff was seen as likely to easily defeat the Social Democrats. The election in Lower Saxony took place on the same day as the 2008 Hessian state election; Wulff was seen as a more moderate leader than Roland Koch in Hesse and consequently more likely to perform better in the election. The CDU government had held spending down, introduced tuition fees for university students, while supporting the minimum wage. The Social Democrats (SPD) led their campaign with a call for a national minimum wage for all workers. The SPD leader in Lower Saxony, Wolfgang Jüttner, was little known to voters and unusually during the campaign made an attack on Wolff for his personal life.

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 15th Landtag of Lower Saxony.

NameIdeologyLeader(s)2003 resultVotes (%)Seats
Christian Democratic Union of Germany}}**CDU**Christian Democratic Union of Germany
*Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands*Christian democracyChristian Wulff48.3%
Social Democratic Party of Germany}}**SPD**Social Democratic Party of Germany
*Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands*Social democracyWolfgang Jüttner33.6%
Free Democratic Party (Germany)}}**FDP**Free Democratic Party
*Freie Demokratische Partei*Classical liberalismPhilipp Rösler8.1%
Alliance 90/The Greens}}**Grüne**Alliance 90/The Greens
*Bündnis 90/Die Grünen*Green politicsStefan Wenzel7.6%

Opinion polling

Polling firmFieldwork dateSample
sizeCDUSPDFDPGrüneLinkeOthersLeadChristian Democratic Union of Germany}};"Social Democratic Party of Germany}};"Free Democratic Party (Germany)}};"Alliance 90/The Greens}};"The Left (Germany)}};"
[2008 state election](http://www.wahlrecht.de/news/2008/ni-2008.htm)27 Jan 2008–**42.5**30.38.28.07.13.9Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"12.2
[Forschungsgruppe Wahlen](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)14–17 Jan 20081,001**46**337752Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"13
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)14–16 Jan 20081,000**44**347753Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"10
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)2–4 Jan 20081,000**45**337834Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"12
[Emnid](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)10 Dec 2007 – 2 Jan 2008800**45**328942Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"13
[AMR Düsseldorf](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)29 Dec 20071,000**44**347843Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"10
[Forschungsgruppe Wahlen](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)4–6 Dec 20071,056**44**347744Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"10
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)2–5 Nov 20071,000**44**337943Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"11
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)5–10 Oct 20071,001**45**336853Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"12
[Emnid](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)2–6 Oct 20071,000**45**3171043Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"14
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)3–5 Sep 20071,000**44**347933Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"10
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)1–14 Aug 20071,160**47**297944Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"18
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)14–29 May 20071,047**46**298844Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"17
[Infratest](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)3–6 May 20071,000**41**368843Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"5
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)29 Jan–13 Feb 20071,193**46**299934Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"17
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)19–24 Jan 20071,000**43**3481023Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"9
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)2–14 Nov 20061,080**45**2910844Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"16
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)25 Sep–17 Oct 20061,054**44**3010943Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"14
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)23–27 Aug 20061,000**40**368943Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"4
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)17 Jul–1 Aug 20061,086**46**319833Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"15
[Forsa](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)17 May–6 Jun 20061,039**42**368833Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"6
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)17–22 Feb 20061,000**42**378742Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"5
[Emnid](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)7–12 Feb 20051,000**43**37710–3Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"6
[Emnid](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)28 Feb 2005?**44**34710–5Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"10
[Infratest dimap](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)26–31 Jan 20041,000**51**2988–4Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"22
[GMS](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)28 Nov–1 Dec 20031,000**48.5**30.58.59.0–3.5Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"17.0
[Emnid](http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/landtage/niedersachsen.htm)27–31 May 20031,000**48**3181012Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"17
[2003 state election](http://www.wahlrecht.de/news/2003/ni-2003.htm)2 Feb 2003–**48.3**33.48.17.60.52.0Christian Democratic Union of Germany}};color:#FFFFFF;"14.9

Election result

Main article: List of members of the Lower Saxon Landtag 2008–2013

|- ! colspan="2" | Party ! Votes ! % ! +/- ! Seats ! +/- ! Seats %

-
-
-
-
-
! colspan=8
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-
! align=right colspan=2
! align=right
! align=right
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! align=right
! align=right
-
! align=right colspan=2
! align=right
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! align=right
! align=right
! align=right
! align=right
}

Outcome

The results saw the Christian Democratic Union easily defeat the Social Democrats, despite suffering a drop in votes and seats. As a result, their leader Christian Wulff was seen as having strengthened his chances of succeeding national CDU leader Angela Merkel. The 30.3% of the vote that the Social Democrats won was the worst performance by the party in Lower Saxony since the Second World War, Turnout in the election was 57%.

The Left entered the Landtag for the first time with 7.1% of the vote, comfortably exceeding the 5% electoral threshold. Along with the election in Hesse held on the same day in which The Left also won seats, this was the first time they had achieved representation in any large state in western Germany.

References

References

  1. Kulish, Nicholas. (2008-01-28). "Merkel Party’s Edge Is Tiny in Crucial State". [[The New York Times]].
  2. Benoit, Bertrand. (2007-12-04). "Merkel in attack on US-style pay awards". [[Financial Times]].
  3. (2008-01-19). "Europe: Pay and punishment; Germany's state elections". [[The Economist]].
  4. Scally, Derek. (2008-01-26). "German state polls apolitical test for Merkel". [[The Irish Times]].
  5. (2008-02-02). "Europe: Hessen lesson; German state elections". [[The Economist]].
  6. Benoit, Bertrand. (2007-12-28). "SPD to focus on minimum wage". [[Financial Times]].
  7. (2008-01-26). "Dossier: German State Elections in Hesse and Lower Saxony". [[Deutsche Welle]].
  8. Quetteville, Harry de. (2008-01-28). "Support for Merkel slumps in state poll". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
  9. Benoit, Bertrand. (2008-01-29). "Merkel emerges with prize from Hesse poll". [[Financial Times]].
  10. Scally, Derek. (2008-01-28). "Setback for Merkel as support for CDU slips in state elections". [[The Irish Times]].
  11. (2008-01-28). "Merkel's CDU suffers setback in two state elections (Roundup)". Monsters and Critics.
  12. Benoit, Bertrand. (2008-01-28). "German elections offer scant cheer for big parties". [[Financial Times]].
  13. Benoit, Bertrand. (2008-01-29). "Merkel relief over German poll result". [[Financial Times]].
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