State Election Saxony-Anhalt 2016 All parties lose votes, except the AfD
Hauptinhalt
15. März 2016, 20:52 Uhr
The CDU-SPD-government has lost its majority in Sunday’s election. To continue governing Saxony-Anhalt for the next term, both parties need to look out for an additional partner. One party in question is the green party, which barely made it into the parliament at all. The winner of this election is the party “Alternative für Deutschland”, AfD, which is now the second-strongest party in the parliament, despite it being the first time it ran.
Saxony-Anhalt now faces a tricky process of government formation. The government of Minister President Reiner Haseloff has lost its majority.
His party, the CDU, got 29,8 percent of the votes, a slight loss from last election. The SPD, also part in the governing coalition lost dropped by 10,9 percentage points to a mere 10,6 percent of the cast votes.
So, to be able to form a new government, CDU and SPD have to look out for a new partner. One likely candidate is the green party, who got 5,2 percent of the votes. Third largest fraction in the parliament after this election will be the leftist party Die LINKE, with 16,3 percent.
Biggest winner in Sunday’s election is the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). She ran for the first time ever in Saxony-Anhalt and scored a staggering 24,2 percent. It’s the best result ever for a party running for the first time for a state election.
Rising voter turnout
Voter turnout has risen by roughly ten percentage points from the last state election five years ago, up to 61,2 percent.
Background: Forming a government The German constitution requires the new parliament to get together for the first time till April 12. The new Minister President is usually elected in this first, constitutive session of the parliament. If there is no working coalition for a new government, the old one remains as executive in office.
