Results of 2005 German federal election

September 18, 2005

Red-Green alliance loses majority, yet future government uncertain
The alliance consisting of chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens has lost its majority. And while Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) got the most votes it performed much worse than projected and the SPD is only three seats behind thanks to several overhang seats. But that could change slightly, when the outstanding by-election in Dresden is over. So who will govern the country for the next four years is completely uncertain. Both Schröder and Merkel reaffirmed their ambitions for the office of chancellor. But neither the CDU and the Free Democrats (FDP) nor SPD and the Greens have a majority of seats in the Bundestag. A grand coalition between the CDU and the SPD now seems to be the likely option for a future government. But also a SPD-Greens-FDP or a CDU-Greens-FDP coalition seems possible. However FDP chair Guido Westerwelle said this party would not be available for a coalition with the SPD. The Left also doesn't want to form a coalition with any of the parties in Bundestag. They, along with the Free Democrats, are the only real winners of this election. After The Left only had 2 MPs in the last Bundestag, they are now stronger than ever before, getting 54 seats. The Free Democrats also scored one of their best results in their history, gaining 3% and getting 61 seats, which makes them the third biggest party in the Bundestag.

CDU/CSU

 * Angela Merkel, CDU chair: "The campaign is over. We have the mandate to form the government. [...] We will talk with all parties except The Left."
 * Edmund Stoiber, CSU chair: "CDU/CSU is biggest fraction in the German Bundestag. [That means that] Mrs. Merkel has got the mandate for governance [...]. CSU [...] will do everything to succeed and to form a stable government [...]."
 * The governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, Jürgen Rüttgers (CDU): "Frankly, I'm disappointed by the result. [...] But whats important is that the red-green alliance has lost its majority."
 * Markus Söder, CSU: "It's certain. Red-Green is history. Gerhard Schröder is history. [...] The Germans want a political change."

SPD

 * Chancellor Gerhard Schröder: "We have achieved something that many journalists have thought to be impossible. I'm proud of the people in our country. [...] Those who wanted a change in the office of chancellor have failed miserably. I feel responsible to ensure that this country will have a stable government under my leadership. If Merkel wants to form a government with the FDP and the Greens I can't stop her. But she won't form a government with my SPD under her leadership."
 * Franz Müntefering, SPD chair: "The result of the CDU is a personal defeat for Mrs. Merkel. [...] The people have confidence in Gerhard Schröder, not Merkel. [...] This result is a huge success for the German Social Democrats."
 * Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit, SPD: "The people have said: 'Angela Merkel does not have our trust'. The voters actually wanted Gerhard Schröder as chancellor."

FDP

 * Guido Westerwelle, FDP chair: "We are the winners of this day. [...] Now its about a good policy for our country.
 * Jörg van Essen, FDP: "Our program was crystal clear. That's why the people voted for us."

Greens

 * Joschka Fischer, Greens: "We have to admit that red-green does not have a majority. But we can also see that Merkel's policy of social coldness also does not have a majority."
 * Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Greens: "The result confirmed our campaign for a safe environment. [...] We are ready for opposition."

The Left

 * Lothar Bisky, The Left chair: "We will establish a strong opposition against a policy that discriminates the underprivileged."
 * Gregor Gysi, The Left: "There is a majority left of the CDU. [...]The people want more social justice, higher wages."

Background
About 61,9 million citizens were eligible to participate in this early election to the 16th German Bundestag. It became necessary because chancellor Schröder deliberately lost a motion of confidence on July 1st. 3648 candidates are competing for the 598 seats (more in case of overhang seats) in the Bundestag. The voters in the constituency of Dresden I are not participating in today's election, the death of a candidate there forced a delayed by-election for the 2nd of October. The all dominating topics of the election campaign were unemployment and the state of the German economy. Other hot issues include a taxation reform and changes to the health insurance system. The race was wide open till the end. Contrary to tradition, all parties concluded their campaigns on Saturday rather than Friday.

Coalitions
All parties say the possible coalitions exclude the Left, who might support the minority government of SPD-Greens. The Grand coalition (CDU/SPD) is possible only with Schroeder in power according to Schroeder, and only with Merkel in power according to Merkel.

The traffic light coalition (SPD-Green-FDP) is excluded by FDP. CDU is likely to try to lure the Greens into coalition, the only option that was not excluded. Also possible are the minority governments. It is still not clear who will be the new leader, and both CDU and SPD claim the right to appoint new chancellor. Although the leftists won, it is possible that conservatives will form government if Greens are willing.

Preliminary Results
Participation: 77.7%