2016 Baden-Württemberg state election

State election in Germany March 2016 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election Baden-Württemberg parliamentary 5,412,301 (70.4%) 4.2% 2011 Baden-Württemberg state election 2011 2021 Baden-Württemberg state election 2021 All 143 seats in the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg 72 2016 03 13 y 150x150px Winfried Kretschmann Alliance 90/The Greens 36 seats, 24.1% 47 11 1,622,631 30.3% 6.1% 150x150px Guido Wolf Christian Democratic Union (Germany) 60 seats, 39.0% 42 18 1,447,249 27.0% 12.0% 150x150px Jörg Meuthen Alternative for Germany Did not exist 23 23 809,311 15.1% New party 150x150px Nils Schmid Social Democratic Party of Germany 35 seats, 23.1% 19 16 679,872 12.7% 10.4% 150x150px Hans-Ulrich Rülke Free Democratic Party (Germany) 7 seats, 5.3% 12 5 445,430 8.3% 3.0% 150x150px Bernd Riexinger The Left (Germany) 0 seats, 2.8% 0 0 156,211 2.9% 0.1% 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election.svg 300px Results for the single-member constituencies. Minister-President Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann Alliance 90/The Greens Winfried Kretschmann Alliance 90/The Greens The 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election to elect the members of the 15th Landtag of Baden-Württemberg was held on 13 March 2016, the same day as the Rhineland-Palatinate state election and Saxony-Anhalt state election. The incumbent government of The Greens and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann lost its majority, but Kretschmann and the Greens would gain support from the CDU and went on to rule for another 10 years. The Greens achieved a 6% swing and became the largest party in a state legislature for the first time. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which had previously been by far the largest party, lost a third of its voteshare and fell to second place. The new Alternative for Germany (AfD) contested its first state election in Baden-Württemberg, debuting at 15% as the leading opposition party. The SPD lost half its voteshare and fell to fourth place with 12.7%. After the election, the Greens formed a coalition with the CDU, and Kretschmann was re-elected as Minister-President. Campaign and issues The Greens campaigned to keep Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann in office. Their central issues were energy, economics, and education. The CDU aimed to put an end to the green-red state government and usher in its own leading candidate Guido Wolf to head the state government. Themes in focus for the CDU were education policy, internal security, and the issue of infrastructure, including high-speed internet. The SPD, led by Nils Schmid, wanted to win more votes to continue the existing government coalition with The Greens. The SPD's campaign mainly focused on "good jobs", educational equality, and more time for the family. The electoral goal of the FDP, led by Hans-Ulrich Rülke, was to repeat its entry into the state parliament and possibly be involved in a governing coalition. They promised better education, the strengthening of the local business, and improvement of mobility. The AfD party campaigned to be elected into the state parliament for the first time. Its leading candidate Jörg Meuthen saw migration policy as an important election issue, alongside education, security, and energy transition.http://www.stimme.de/themen/wahlen/landtagswahl2016/bawue/Der-Kampf-um-die-Macht-in-Baden-Wuerttemberg;art138202,3546202 Der Kampf um die Macht in Baden-Württemberg Stimme.de 2016-01-10 2016-03-15 The election campaign was overshadowed by the European migrant crisis. In the crisis, Kretschmann supported the policies of Chancellor Angela Merkel.https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/wahl-in-baden-wuerttemberg/wahl-in-baden-wuerttemberg-kretschmann-setzt-auf-europa-in-der-fluechtlingskrise-14096260.html Wahl in Baden-Württemberg: Kretschmann setzt auf Europa in der Flüchtlingskrise - Wahl in Baden-Württemberg Faz.net FAZ 2016-02-28 2016-03-15 Soldt Rüdiger Kretschmann said he saw no other person who could keep Europe together as Angela Merkel did. "Therefore, I pray every day that the Chancellor remains healthy." http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/winfried-kretschmann-im-interview-ich-bete-jeden-tag-fuer-angela-merkel/12900668.html Winfried Kretschmann im Interview: "Ich bete jeden Tag für Angela Merkel" - Politik - Tagesspiegel de Tagesspiegel.de 2016-03-15 CDU candidate Wolf also emphasized support for Merkel's "European solution" in the crisis, but in February 2016 tried to win more conservative voters by a joint proposal along with Rhineland-Palatinate CDU candidate Julia Klöckner for daily refugee quotas and border centers for migrants, which put additional pressure on Merkel.https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/fluechtlingspolitik-195.html Flüchtlingspolitik: CDU-Wahlkämpfer erhöhen Druck auf Merkel Tagesschau.de 2016-03-15 Parties The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag of Baden-Württemberg. Name Ideology Leader(s) 2011 result Votes (%) Seats CDU Christian Democratic Union of GermanyChristlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands Christian democracy Guido Wolf 39.0% 60 138 Christian Democratic Union of Germany Grüne Alliance 90/The GreensBündnis 90/Die Grünen Green politics Winfried Kretschmann 24.2% 36 138 Alliance 90/The Greens SPD Social Democratic Party of GermanySozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands Social democracy Nils Schmid 23.1% 35 138 Social Democratic Party of Germany FDP Free Democratic PartyFreie Demokratische Partei Classical liberalism Hans-Ulrich Rülke 5.3% 7 138 Free Democratic Party (Germany) Opinion polls 800px|thumb|center|Graph of opinion polls conducted, trendlines are local regressions (LOESS) Key #64A12D solid 5px Green #000000 solid 5px CDU #EB001F solid 5px SPD #009EE0 solid 5px AfD #FFED00 solid 5px FDP #BE3075 solid 5px Left #FF820A solid 5px Pirates Polling firm Fieldwork date Samplesize CDU Grüne SPD FDP Linke Piraten AfD Others Lead 2016 state election 13 Mar 2016 – 27.0 30.3 12.7 8.3 2.9 0.4 15.1 3.3 3.3 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 7–10 Mar 2016 1,711 29 32 14 6 4 – 11 4 3 YouGov 2–9 Mar 2016 974 30 32 12 8 4 – 11 3 2 Forsa 2–8 Mar 2016 1,002 27 32 16 7 3 – 11 4 5 INSA 1–5 Mar 2016 1,005 28.5 33.5 12.5 6.0 3.0 – 12.5 4.0 5.0 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 29 Feb–3 Mar 2016 1,058 30 32 13 7 4 – 11 3 2 Infratest dimap 29 Feb–2 Mar 2016 1,002 28 32 13 8 4 – 13 2 4 INSA 25–27 Feb 2016 1,030 30.0 30.5 16.5 6.5 3.5 – 9.0 4.0 0.5 Forsa 16–22 Feb 2016 1,069 30 30 16 6 3 – 11 4 Tie INSA 19–20 Feb 2016 1,000 30.0 30.5 16.0 7.0 3.0 – 10.0 3.5 0.5 Infratest dimap 11–16 Feb 2016 1,000 31 28 14 8 4 – 12 3 3 Customer Research 42 27 Jan–7 Feb 2016 1,000 33.1 26.1 15.6 5.1 5.5 – 10.5 4.1 7.0 INSA 26 Jan–1 Feb 2016 1,000 33.5 28.5 13.5 7.0 3.5 – 10.0 4.0 5.0 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 18–20 Jan 2016 1,069 34 28 15 6 3 – 11 3 6 INSA 11–18 Jan 2016 1,000 35 29 13 6.5 2.5 – 11.5 2.5 6 Infratest dimap 7–12 Jan 2016 1,000 35 28 15 6 3 – 10 3 7 Forsa 2–11 Dec 2015 1,064 35 28 19 5 3 – 7 3 7 Infratest dimap 26 Nov–1 Dec 2015 1,000 37 25 18 5 4 – 8 3 12 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 16–18 Nov 2015 1,040 37 27 18 5 3 – 6 4 10 INSA 24 Sep–6 Oct 2015 1,003 40 24 16 5 5 – 8 2 16 Infratest dimap 17–22 Sep 2015 1,000 39 26 17 5 4 – 5 4 13 Allensbach 18 Jul–12 Aug 2015 1,047 40.5 24.0 20.0 4.5 4.0 – 3.0 4.0 16.5 Forsa 23 Apr–7 May 2015 1,010 38 26 20 4 4 – 4 4 12 Infratest dimap 19–24 Mar 2015 1,000 38 25 18 5 5 – 4 5 13 Infratest dimap 10–11 Nov 2014 1,000 41 22 20 3 4 – 5 5 19 TNS Infratest 17 Sep 2014 – 41 23 19 4 4 – 4 5 18 2014 European election 25 May 2014 – 39.3 13.2 23.0 4.1 3.6 1.2 7.9 7.7 16.3 Infratest dimap 6–11 May 2014 1,000 41 21 20 3 4 – 6 5 20 Infratest dimap 4–5 Nov 2013 1,004 43 22 19 4 4 – 5 3 21 2013 federal election 22 Sep 2013 – 45.7 11.0 20.6 6.2 4.8 2.3 5.2 4.2 25.1 Infratest dimap 13–15 May 2013 1,005 39 28 19 4 2 3 2 3 11 Infratest dimap 7–8 May 2012 1,000 37 28 21 4 2 6 – 2 9 Emnid 15–17 Nov 2011 1,002 34 32 20 4 3 4 – 3 2 Infratest dimap 8–16 Nov 2011 2,403 37 29 22 3 2 4 – 3 8 Infratest dimap 16–17 Aug 2011 1,000 36 29 23 4 3 – – 5 7 Forsa 18–29 Apr 2011 1,004 36 30 22 4 2 – – 6 6 2011 state election 27 Mar 2011 – 39.0 24.2 23.1 5.3 2.8 2.1 – 3.5 14.8 Results 2016 Baden-Württemberg state election Summary of the 13 March 2016 Landtag of Baden-Württemberg elections results< 2011  30px  > 2021   |- |colspan=7 | center|300px |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:left; background:#e9e9e9; width:400px;"|Party ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Popular vote ! style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Seats |- ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:60px;"|Votes ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:40px;"|% ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:50px;"|+/– ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:30px;"|Seats ! style="text-align:right; background:#e9e9e9; width:30px;"|+/– |- | Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Bündnis 90/Die Grünen || 1,622,631 || 30.3 || 6.1 || 47 || 11 |- | Christian Democratic Union (Germany) Christian Democratic Union #000000 Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands – CDU || 1,447,249 || 27.0 || 12.0 || 42 || 18 |- | Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany Alternative für Deutschland – AfD || 809,311 || 15.1 || 15.1 || 23 || 23 |- | Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands – SPD || 679,872 || 12.7 || 10.4 || 19 || 16 |- | Free Democratic Party (Germany) Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei – FDP || 445,430 || 8.3 || 3.0 || 12 || 5 |- | The Left (Germany) Left Party #FF6699 Die Linke || 156,211 || 2.9 || 0.1 || 0 || |- | Alliance for Progress and Renewal Alliance for Progress and Renewal Allianz für Fortschritt und Aufbruch – ALFA || 54,764 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 0 || |- | Ecological Democratic Party Ecological Democratic Party Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei – ÖDP || 38,509 || 0.7 || 0.2 || 0 || |- | National Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands – NPD || 23,605 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 0 || |- | Pirate Party Germany Pirate Party Piratenpartei || 21,773 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 0 || |- | style="background:white;"| || align=left |Other parties|| || || || || |- style="background:#e9e9e9;" | style="text-align:right;" colspan="2"| Valid votes | 5,360,351 | 99.0 | 0.4 | colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="color:#bab9b9;"| |- style="background:#e9e9e9;" | style="text-align:right;" colspan="2"| Invalid votes | 51,950 | 1.0 | 0.4 |- style="background:#e9e9e9;" | style="text-align:right;" colspan="2"| Totals and voter turnout | 5,412,301 | 70.4 | 4.2 | 143 | 5 |- style="background:#bab9b9;" | colspan="2" | Electorate | 7,685,778 | 100.00 | — | colspan=2| |- | colspan="11" style="text-align:left;"| Source: Landeswahlleiterhttp://statistik-bw.de/Wahlen/Landtag/02035000.tab?R=LA Landtagswahl 2016 - Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg statistik-bw.dehttp://wahl.tagesschau.de/wahlen/2016-03-13-LT-DE-BW/index-content.shtml tagesschau.de tagesschau.de wahl.tagesschau.de 13 March 2016 16 March 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160316125345/http://wahl.tagesschau.de/wahlen/2016-03-13-LT-DE-BW/index-content.shtml dead |} Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px GRÜNE Alliance 90/The Greens 30.27 CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany 27.00 AfD Alternative for Germany 15.10 SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany 12.68 FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) 8.31 LINKE The Left (Germany) 2.91 ALFA Alliance for Progress and Renewal 1.02 Other #777777 1.56 Landtag seats #ddd 600px 410px GRÜNE Alliance 90/The Greens 32.87 CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany 29.37 AfD Alternative for Germany 16.08 SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany 13.29 FDP Free Democratic Party (Germany) 8.39 Aftermath In the prior election of 2011, the Green/SPD coalition obtained a majority (73 of 138) of votes in the Landtag, including two opposition votes;https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article13367450/Kretschmann-erhaelt-sogar-zwei-Oppositionsstimmen.html Erster grüner Ministerpräsident: Kretschmann erhält sogar zwei Oppositionsstimmen Die Welt 12 May 2011 however after the 2016 vote, the coalition fell short of a majority, with a combined total of 66 seats (72 needed for a majority). Kretschmann's popularity propelled the Green Party to a gain of 11 seats, making history as the first time the Green party has been the largest party in State-level election results. However, the Greens' coalition partner, the SPD, lost 16 seats, thus depriving the Greens' of a clear majority of leftists.https://www.dw.com/en/greens-face-rightward-shift-despite-victory/a-19118310 Greens face rightward shift despite victory 15 March 2016 Ben Knight Deutsche Welle en 8 July 2019 There were several possible and probable working majorities among the five parties in the Landtag. Expanding the existing coalition into a three-party "traffic light" coalition (green-red-yellow) by including the FDP would have given the administration a working majority of 6.http://www.merkur.de/politik/live-ticker-landtagswahl-baden-wuerttemberg-2016-ergebnisse-zr-6194314.html Landtagswahl Baden-Württemberg: Studenten verpassen AfD einen Dämpfer 15 October 2017 However, it was ruled out by FDP.Regierungsbildung in BW: FDP verhindert Dreier-Koalitionen Baden-Württemberg Nachrichten https://www.swr.de/landesschau-aktuell/bw/regierungsbildung-in-bw-fdp-verhindert-dreier-koalitionen/-/id=13831004/did=17134864/nid=13831004/ijl393/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160321131855/https://www.swr.de/landesschau-aktuell/bw/regierungsbildung-in-bw-fdp-verhindert-dreier-koalitionen/-/id=13831004/did=17134864/nid=13831004/ijl393/index.html 2016-03-21 2025-09-19 swr.online de-DE Coalitions with AfD appeared unlikely: a CDU-AfD coalition would be 7 short of a majority in the Landtag, so would have also needed to include the FDP to make a majority and remove Kretschmann as minister-president. Removal of Kretschmann was unlikely; CDU leader Guido Wolf briefly sought to get the Social Democrats into a right-of-centre coalition with the FDP (with Wolf as state minister-president), but his SPD counterpart Nils Schmid pointed out that such a coalition would frustrate voters due to the personal popularity of Kretschmann. If it were possible to elect the minister-president directly, Kretschmann would have won an outright majority according to polls; he was even favored by 45% of CDU supporters.http://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2016-03/landtagswahlen-die-gruenen-winfried-kretschmann-umfrage-baden-wuerttemberg ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl In May 2016, the Landtag confirmed Kretschmann's leadership in a secret ballot.http://www.dw.com/en/baden-w%C3%BCrttemberg-debuts-green-led-coalition-with-merkels-conservative-party/a-19229906 Baden-Württemberg debuts Green-led coalition with Merkel's conservative party | DW | 02.05.2016 He won 82 votes leading a "green-black" coalition with a nominal majority of 89 Landestag members (Green 47, CDU 42). A similar "black-green" coalition headed by the CDU has governed in Hesse since the similarly indecisive 2013 elections, but this is the first time the Green Party is the lead coalition partner in a coalition with the CDU (previously, they led a coalition with the SPD). Kretschmann formed the Cabinet Kretschmann II as the state government. References External links Electoral programs of all parties, Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Baden-Württemberg, in German Category:2016 elections in Germany 2016 Category:March 2016 in Germany Category:2010s in Baden-Württemberg