1990 East German general election

none East Germany 1986 1990(reunification) yes 1990 03 18 List of members of the ninth Volkskammer All 400 seats in the Volkskammer 201 93.38% yes Christian Democratic Union (East Germany) Lothar de Maizière Christian Democratic Union (East Germany) 40.82 163 Social Democratic Party in the GDR Ibrahim Böhme 21.88 88 Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany) Gregor Gysi 16.40 66 German Social Union (East Germany) Hans-Wilhelm Ebeling 6.31 25 Association of Free Democrats Rainer OrtlebBruno MenzelJürgen Schmieder 5.28 21 Alliance 90 Jens Reich 2.91 12 Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany Günther Maleuda 2.18 9 Green–UFV Carlo Jordan de 1.97 8 Democratic Awakening Wolfgang Schnur 0.92 4 National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany) Wolfgang Rauls 0.38 2 DFD Eva Rohmann 0.33 1 United Left Thomas Klein #800080 0.18 1 300px Results of the election by Kreis (left), Bezirk (top right) and (prospective) State (bottom right) 300px Distribution of seats in the election 1 Government Modrow cabinet National unity government Government after election de Maizière cabinet Alliance for Germany–SPD–BFD General elections were held in East Germany on 18 March 1990. These were the first free elections held in the region since the turbulent Weimar days of 1932 and would become the only truly democratic vote in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The election stood as a final verdict on four decades of one-party rule by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)–led National Front. It took place against the backdrop of the German reunification process, which had already begun to gather momentum. The contest was swept by the Alliance for Germany, a coalition led by the newly reconstituted East German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which captured 192 of the 400 seats in the Volkskammer and had run on a promise of swift reunification with West Germany. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), re-established only months earlier after its forced 1946 merger with the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), was widely tipped to win but instead came second with 88 seats. In third was the former ruling SED, now rebranded as the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), which secured 66 seats. The Alliance fell just short of an outright majority having needed 201 seats to govern alone.https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/19/world/conservatives-backed-kohl-top-east-german-vote-solidly-but-appear-need-coalition.html Conservatives Backed By Kohl Top East German Vote Solidly, But Appear To Need Coalition Kamm Henry The New York Times 1990-03-19 Lothar de Maizière, the CDU's leader, invited the SPD to join a broad coalition alongside the German Social Union (DSU) and Democratic Awakening (DA). The SPD hesitated, wary of the DSU's right-wing populist tone, having earlier vowed to collaborate with all but the PDS and DSU.https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/20/world/upheaval-in-the-east-german-losers-reject-victor-s-invitation.html German Losers Reject Victor's Invitation Kamm Henry The New York Times 1990-03-20 However, a grand coalition was ultimately formed. This government, commanding a two-thirds supermajority in the Volkskammer, set about the task of dismantling the East German state and laying the legal groundwork for reunification, although the coalition would collapse later that August. On 3 October 1990, the GDR ceased to exist and all its territories joined the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). 144 Volkskammer members were integrated into the West German Bundestag, serving until the all-German federal election on 2 December that year. Background Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution of 1989 resulted in the Socialist Unity Party of Germany giving up its monopoly on power, and permitting opposition parties to operate for the first time. They began to form in large numbers throughout November and December 1989. Opposition groups formed the East German Round Table, which was joined by representatives of the SED to negotiate reforms; at its first meeting on 7 December 1989, the Round Table agreed that elections to the Volkskammer would be held on 6 May 1990.Goals of the Central Round Table (December 7, 1989) http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=441 https://web.archive.org/web/20070503083933/http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=441 2007-05-03 germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org Electoral system thumb|Ballot paper On 20 February 1990 the Volkskammer passed a new electoral law, reducing it in size to 400 members elected via party-list proportional representation, with no electoral threshold. Joint lists between parties were allowed, and a number of parties formed alliances for the election, including the Association of Free Democrats, Alliance 90, and an alliance between the Green Party and Independent Women's Association. Seats were calculated nationally using the largest remainder method, and distributed in multi-member constituencies corresponding to the fifteen Bezirke.http://www.kai-hamm.de/recht/019-20.pdf People's Chamber Election Law 20 February 1990 Translation:Law on the Elections to the People's Chamber of the German Democratic Republic (1990) Law on the Elections to the People's Chamber of the German Democratic Republic (1990) Campaign The campaign for was unusually short, lasting only seven weeks after the vote was brought forward from May to 18 March following negotiations between the Round Table and the government of Hans Modrow on 28 January. This tight schedule posed significant organizational challenges. Only the PDS, as the successor to the SED, possessed the necessary infrastructure and financial resources for a full campaign. In contrast, newly formed opposition parties and civil rights groups were still defining their platforms and had minimal experience in electioneering. Their shortcomings were partially mitigated by substantial support from West German parties, which provided logistical and strategic assistance to their Eastern counterparts. Western support facilitated the creation of several electoral alliances. The CDU partnered with the German Social Union and Democratic Awakening to form the Alliance for Germany. The FDP backed the Association of Free Democrats, which included the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD) and the minor FDP of the GDR. These alliances were established only weeks before the election, relying heavily on Western assistance such as the CDU's "district partnerships" and the participation of West German campaigners. At the outset, the SPD appeared likely to win, benefiting from historical roots in the region and strong backing from the West German SPD. Early polls showed it leading with 54 percent support, ahead of the PDS and CDU.https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsche-einheit/deutsche-teilung-deutsche-einheit/43770/volkskammerwahl-1990 Volkskammer Election 1990 bpb.de 19 March 2009 Despite early advantages, the SPD's momentum declined as reunification became the dominant issue. West German SPD leader Oskar Lafontaine was cautious about unification and criticized possible NATO membership for a united Germany, which may have weakened the party's appeal. Meanwhile, Helmut Kohl and the Western CDU made unification the central theme of their campaign, drawing large crowds to rallies in cities such as Erfurt and Chemnitz.Kai Diekmann, Ralf Georg Reuth: Helmut Kohl: "I wanted Germany's unity". 3rd edition. Propylaea, Berlin 1996, 3-549-05597-8, p. 316. The Alliance for Germany organised over 1,400 campaign events and mobilised high-profile Western politicians. In a final blow to the opposition, Democratic Awakening's lead candidate Wolfgang Schnur was exposed by Der Spiegel as a Stasi informant just days before the vote, damaging the credibility of one of the key parties in the alliance. Party programs Alliance for Germany The Alliance for Germany presented its election manifesto under the slogan "Never again socialism" („Nie wieder Sozialismus“). Its main objectives included achieving German reunification based on the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany as a unified constitution, guaranteeing rights to private property and unrestricted freedom of trade, and removing all barriers to Western investment. The alliance called for the immediate introduction of the Deutsche Mark at a 1:1 exchange rate to the East German mark. Social policy commitments included establishing a social security network, environmental protection measures, securing energy supplies, and harmonising laws with the West, notably abolishing criminal offences linked to political activities. Other priorities were monument preservation, education reform, maintaining day nurseries, restoring the federal states (Länder), and ensuring press freedom.https://www.kas.de/upload/ACDP/CDU/Programme_Bundestag/1990_Wahlaufruf-und-Sofortprogramm-der-Allianz-fuer-Deutschland-zur-Volkskammerwahl-in-der-DDR.pdf "Nie wieder Sozialismus" – Election appeal and program of the Alliance for Germany for the Volkskammer election in the GDR on 18 March 1990 Alliance for Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany At the first party conference of the re-established SPD, held in Leipzig from 22 to 25 February 1990, the party adopted its basic programme and election manifesto centred on the promotion of an ecologically oriented social market economy.For the Leipzig policy program see: Dieter Dowe, Kurt Klotzbach (ed.): Programmatic documents of German social democracy (= Politics in paperback. 2). 3rd, revised and updated edition. J. H. W. Dietz Nachf., Bonn 1990, 3-8012-0100-7, pp. 447-490. Party of Democratic Socialism The PDS campaign was titled "Democratic Freedom for All – Social Security for Everyone". It characterised itself as a democratic socialist party advocating a socially and ecologically oriented market economy that ensured social security based on merit. The PDS emphasised preserving the GDR's social achievements under the SED, including the right to work, childcare systems, cooperative and public ownership in the economy, and values of anti-fascism and internationalism. The programme demanded disarmament of both East and West and supported maintaining the status of former SED members and land reforms. Rejecting immediate unification, the PDS proposed a confederal structure between East and West Germany, preserving their separate statehood while gradually moving towards a neutral and demilitarised German confederation.https://www.wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/565/set_id/46 First free election to the People's Chamber, surrounding area of Berlin, January to March 1990: PDS poster "Election Program" wir-waren-so-frei.de Interference by West Germany 150 KAS-BV Dresden, Delegiertenkonferenz in Bautzen 1987-Bild-11229-1.jpg Ost-CDU poster from 1987 KAS-Karlsruhe-Nordweststadt-Bild-2765-1.jpg West-CDU poster from 1987 KAS-Freundschaft-Bild-11013-1.jpg Ost-CDU poster in the 1990 Volkskammer elections The posters used by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the 1990 election (left) resembled those of its western counterpart (center) rather than its own distinct pre-1990 posters (right) The elections, while a landmark of democratic transformation, were also shaped significantly by external influences particularly from West Germany. Writer Michael Schneider was among those who criticised what he viewed as overwhelming interference by West German politicians and institutions. In his work, he described the campaign environment as one saturated with West German personalities, party activists and messaging. West German political parties, especially its branches of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD), sent campaigners and resources across the border to bolster their East German affiliates. According to Schneider, taxpayer funds from West Germany were used to support this mobilisation, raising questions about the balance of influence and the fairness of the electoral playing field.Michael Schneider: The Aborted Revolution. From the State Company to the DM Colony (= Elefanten-Press. 371). Verlag Elefanten-Press, Berlin 1990, 3-88520-371-5, p. 114 ff. Civil rights activist and co-founder of the New Forum, Jens Reich, echoed these concerns from the perspective of the East German opposition. Speaking two decades after the vote, he reflected that the entire West German political apparatus had been transplanted into the East, overwhelming grassroots democratic movements that had played a key role in the Peaceful Revolution. In his words, "The Bonn hippopotamus came in such a mass that you were simply helpless." Reich observed that the election campaign bore little resemblance to a homegrown democratic process and instead felt like a western-style election exported wholesale into a fragile new democracy. This imbalance, he argued, made it difficult for indigenous East German parties and civic movements to compete on equal terms.4 November 2009 Civil rights activist Jens Reich: "Politics is not my job." https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/20-jahre-wende/tid-16017/buergerrechtler-jens-reich-politik-ist-nicht-mein-beruf_aid_449297.html https://web.archive.org/web/20160514093532/https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/20-jahre-wende/tid-16017/buergerrechtler-jens-reich-politik-ist-nicht-mein-beruf_aid_449297.html 2016-05-14 FOCUS Online focus.de This large-scale West German involvement was not limited to campaign workers and funding. West German media, political advertisements and party materials flooded East German spaces in the run-up to the election, promoting a vision of rapid reunification under Western terms. While many East Germans were eager for economic stability and political freedom, critics argue that this form of campaigning blurred the lines between support and manipulation. The West German framing of the vote as a de facto referendum on reunification placed enormous pressure on the East German electorate and marginalised alternative visions for East Germany's future. Although the election was formally free, the conditions surrounding it raise ongoing debate over whether it represented a fully sovereign exercise in democracy or a lopsided contest shaped by the overwhelming influence of West Germany. Opinion polls In 2005 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen researcher Matthias Jung, who was involved in organising opinion polling for the election, spoke of the difficulties of the task. He attributed this to the unpredictable behaviour of the electorate as well as the total lack of infrastructure and methods for gauging public opinion, which forced the institute to build an entirely new polling model. Despite beginning work at the end of 1989, FW only released one poll before the election, which Jung claimed accurately predicted the CDU victory.https://www.forschungsgruppe.de/Umfragen/Archiv__weitere_Umfragen/Volkskammerwahl/ "The party strategists should not forget the People's Chamber election" 18 March 2005 Forschungsgruppe Wahlen This may refer to a FW poll showing that 35% of voters believed an Alliance for Germany-led government would be most capable of solving the country's problems, while only 27% believed an SPD-led government would; 29% believed a grand coalition would be most capable.https://www.kas.de/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=31465360-ed98-7da7-0fa9-7fe2684a4f1f&groupId=252038 Unity expectations Konrad Adenauer Foundation This starkly contrasted with other polls, conducted without reliable methods, which predicted a landslide SPD victory. Firm Date Sample Abs. Abstention CDU DSU DA SPD PDS LDPD FDP NDPD B90 Grüne DBD VL Und. Undecided Lead Election result 18 March 1990 N/A 6.6 40.8 6.3 0.9 21.9 16.4 5.3 0.4 2.9 2.0 2.2 0.2 – 18.9 InfratestSchindler, Peter: Data manual on the history of the German Bundestag: 1949 to 1999, volume 3, p. 3808 12 March 1990 Unknown – 20 5 1 44 10 2 2 – 1 1 3 – – 24 Central Institute for Youth Research Leipzig 8 March 1990 ~1200 16 21 7 2 34 17 4 2 1 2New Forum 1%, Democracy Now 1%. 3 3 – – 13 Society for Social Research and Statistical Analysis 2 March 1990 984 9 24 53 11 3 – 3 3 – – 29 Central Institute for Youth Research Leipzig 6 February 1990 1,000 – 11 – – 54 12 4 – – 3New Forum 3%. – – – – 44 Academy of Social Sciences 30–31 December 1989 Unknown 7.3 7.9 – 2.0 5.4 34 2.6 – 2.0 5.8New Forum 5.8%. 1.0 1.6 0.7 28.2 26.1 SternStern Issue No. 48/23 November 1989 - Germany intoxicated 17–19 November 1989 Unknown – 12 – – 10 14 15 22New Forum 22%. – – 24 7 Results thumb|350px|Maps showing the distribution of party votes per circle.The map in the bottom right shows the largest party in each district (several circles make a district). 300px|thumb|Strongest party in the districts File:1990 Volkskammer.svg Alliance for Germany 4 Christian Democratic Union 4710598 163 +111 German Social Union 727730 25 New Democratic Awakening 106146 4 New 5544474 192 +140 Social Democratic Party 2525534 88 New Party of Democratic Socialism 1892381 66 –61 Association of Free Democrats 608935 21 –31 Alliance 90 336074 12 New Democratic Farmers' Party 251226 9 –43 Green Party–Independent Women's Association 226932 8 New National Democratic Party 44292 2 –50 Democratic Women's League 38192 1 –31 United Left 20342 1 New red Alternative Youth List (DJP–GJ–MJV–FDJ) 14616 0 –37 Christian League 10691 0 New Communist Party 8819 0 New Independent Social Democratic Party 3891 0 New European Federalist Party 3636 0 New Independent People's Party 3007 0 New German Beer Drinkers' Union 2534 0 New Spartacist Workers Party 2417 0 New Unity Now 2396 0 New Federation of Socialist Workers 386 0 New Association of Working Groups for Work Policy and Democracy 380 0 New 63263 0 12426443 Nohlen & Stöver,Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p779 978-3-8329-5609-7 IPU, Wahlen in Deutschland Votes by Bezirk BezirkCDUSPDPDSDSUBFDB90DBDG–UFVDANDPDDFDVL OthersRostock 211,774 34.3 153,137 24.8 142,929 23.2 17,238 2.8 20,843 3.4 16,478 2.7 27,288 4.4 11,769 1.9 4,049 0.7 2,443 0.4 3,159 0.5 1,079 0.2 4,845 0.8Schwerin 161,712 39.8 103,103 25.4 72,464 17.8 7,979 2.0 18,489 4.5 10,337 2.5 16,408 4.0 9,605 2.4 2,354 0.6 2,176 0.5 – – 627 0.2 1,252 0.4Neubrandenburg 151,562 36.0 89,146 21.2 108,589 25.8 8,618 2.0 12,757 3.0 6,700 1.6 26,304 6.3 7,587 1.8 2,172 0.5 2,759 0.7 2,404 0.6 693 0.2 1,378 0.3Potsdam 244,569 31.2 269,041 34.4 129,627 16.6 23,022 2.9 38,508 4.9 29,919 3.8 17,530 2.2 16,822 2.1 5,903 0.8 2,759 0.4 – – 1,657 0.2 3,665 0.4Frankfurt (Oder) 134,222 27.8 153,904 31.9 106,412 22.1 16,920 3.5 20,413 4.2 15,200 3.2 13,954 2.9 10,761 2.2 3,476 0.7 2,060 0.4 2,393 0.5 937 0.2 1,871 0.4Magdeburg 386,694 44.2 240,205 27.5 124,391 14.2 17,058 2.0 38,578 4.4 17,011 1.9 15,616 1.8 17,427 2.0 5,926 0.7 3,382 0.4 4,246 0.5 1,168 0.1 2,854 0.3Cottbus 255,435 42.8 115,001 19.3 106,733 17.9 28,476 4.8 31,258 5.2 15,976 2.7 20,285 3.4 11,841 2.0 4,723 0.8 3,983 0.7 – – 1,106 0.2 2,551 0.4Halle 557,694 45.1 257,430 20.8 170,808 13.8 34,026 2.8 123,336 10.0 29,529 2.4 21,793 1.8 19,868 1.6 7,155 0.6 3,999 0.3 5,297 0.4 2,257 0.2 3,242 0.2Leipzig 371,346 39.6 201,703 21.5 135,718 14.5 94,520 10.1 50,462 5.4 31,230 3.3 15,431 1.6 17,381 1.9 6,482 0.7 3,044 0.3 3,867 0.4 1,296 0.1 4,235 0.4Erfurt 485,297 56.3 161,558 18.7 85,764 9.9 21,212 2.5 39,166 4.5 15,661 1.8 12,005 1.4 17,694 2.1 16,457 1.9 2,395 0.3 2,690 0.3 1,289 0.1 1,502 0.2Dresden 538,240 45.0 115,893 9.7 176,629 14.8 165,280 13.8 66,392 5.5 43,702 3.7 33,770 2.8 21,475 1.8 12,897 1.1 6,429 0.5 5,267 0.4 1,638 0.1 9,282 0.8Karl-Marx-Stadt 594,166 45.0 206,673 15.6 149,176 11.3 195,427 14.8 79,078 6.0 27,352 2.1 14,084 1.1 21,319 1.6 12,966 1.0 3,847 0.3 5,233 0.4 2,323 0.2 10,086 0.7Gera 253,524 48.9 85,523 16.5 65,072 12.5 42,574 8.2 26,471 5.1 13,393 2.6 7,023 1.4 10,626 2.0 8,709 1.7 1,917 0.4 1,908 0.4 831 0.2 1,093 0.2Suhl 202,403 50.6 64,384 16.1 50,235 12.6 35,647 8.9 16,593 4.1 7,508 1.9 5,670 1.4 9,192 2.3 3,845 1.0 1,541 0.4 1,728 0.4 578 0.1 847 0.3East Berlin 161,960 18.3 308,833 34.8 267,834 30.2 19,733 2.2 26,591 3.0 56,078 6.3 4,065 0.5 23,565 2.7 9,032 1.0 1,558 0.2 – – 2,863 0.3 4,070 0.4 Seats by Bezirk BezirkTotalseatsSeats wonCDUSPDPDSDSUBFDB90DBDG–UFVDANDPDDFDVLRostock217551111Schwerin1564311Neubrandenburg135341Potsdam27810411111Frankfurt (Oder)155541Magdeburg30138411111Cottbus219441111Halle4419961411111Leipzig33137532111Erfurt3117631111Dresden4319466221111Karl-Marx-Stadt45207573111Gera1693211Suhl1372211East Berlin336119112111Total4001638866252112984211 Votes by state Germany 1987 1990 yes 1990 10 3 All 663 seats in the Bundestag 332 Co-optation of Volkskammer members into the Bundestag yes Christian Democratic Union (Germany) Helmut Kohl 248 185 Christian Social Union in Bavaria Theodor Waigel 49 49 Social Democratic Party of Germany Hans-Jochen Vogel 226 186 Free Democratic Party (Germany) Otto Graf Lambsdorff 57 46 Alliance 90/The Greens Petra Kelly 51 42 Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany) Gregor Gysi 23 New German Social Union (East Germany) Hansjoachim Walther 8 New United Left Thomas Klein #800080 1 New Government Third Kohl cabinet CDU/CSU–FDP Government after election Third Kohl cabinet CDU/CSU/DSU–FDP Bundestag 1987 after cooptations.svg In order to determine the composition of the East German representatives in the Bundestag between German reunification and the first post-reunification elections in December 1990, the results of the 1990 Volkskammer election were recounted, using the new states of Germany as constituencies. This was possible since the original election results were declared on the Kreis level, and the states were re-established by simply amalgamating Kreise together. The results in each Kreis forming a state were summed up to determine the statewide result. The recount fixed the number of Volkskammer members from each party who would be co-opted into the Bundestag.Mandatsverteilung der ehemaligen Volkskammerabgeordneten im XI. Bundestag am 03.10.1990 https://web.archive.org/web/20221003171756/https://www.wahlen-in-deutschland.de/bovkBundestag.htm 2022-10-03 Wahlen in Deutschland StateCDUSPDPDSDSUBFDB90DBDG–UFVDANDPDDFDVL Others Brandenburg 615,975 33.6 548,912 29.9 335,822 18.3 61,001 3.3 86,188 4.7 59,945 3.3 51,678 2.8 39,359 2.1 13,869 0.8 8,392 0.5 2,763 0.2 3,637 0.2 7,763 0.4 East Berlin 161,960 18.3 308,833 34.8 267,834 30.2 19,733 2.2 26,591 3.0 56,078 6.3 4,065 0.5 23,565 2.7 9,032 1.0 1,558 0.2 – – 2,863 0.3 4,070 0.4 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 486,038 36.3 313,020 23.4 305,123 22.8 31,947 2.4 47,981 3.6 31,678 2.4 65,422 4.9 26,785 2.0 8,152 0.6 6,849 0.5 5,193 0.4 2,218 0.2 7,161 0.5 Saxony 1,506,832 43.4 522,580 15.1 472,037 13.6 454,298 13.1 197,644 5.7 102,987 3.0 65,274 1.9 60,667 1.7 32,282 0.9 13,711 0.4 13,955 0.4 5,348 0.2 23,739 0.7 Saxony-Anhalt 933,276 44.5 496,606 23.7 293,605 14.0 50,393 2.4 161,580 7.7 46,255 2.2 37,696 1.8 36,978 1.8 12,650 0.6 7,351 0.4 9,402 0.4 3,410 0.2 6,053 0.3 Thuringia 1,006,517 52.5 335,583 17.5 217,960 11.4 110,358 5.8 88,951 4.6 39,131 2.0 27,091 1.4 39,578 2.1 30,161 1.6 6,431 0.3 6,879 0.4 2,866 0.1 3,987 0.2 Aftermath The newly elected Volkskammer was constituted on 5 April 1990, and elected Sabine Bergmann-Pohl of the CDU as its president. As the State Council of the GDR was dissolved at the same time, she became East Germany's interim head of state. Four days later, after protracted negotiations, Lothar de Maizière announced the formation of a grand coalition between the Alliance for Germany, SPD, and BFD. On 12 April 1990, he was elected Prime Minister of the GDR by the Volkskammer with 265 votes in favour, 108 against, and 9 abstentions. The new cabinet was also confirmed. The partners in the coalition commanded a two-thirds supermajority in the Volkskammer, making it an übergroß coalition with enough seats to pass amendments to the constitution.http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/history/parlia/east_1949_89.html History of German parliamentarianism: 1949–89: Volkskammer of the GDR (East-Germany) 2008-11-19 German Bundestag 2008-11-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20090209055336/http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/history/parlia/east_1949_89.html 2009-02-09 dead https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/10/world/upheaval-in-the-east-east-germans-form-grand-coalition.html East Germans Form 'Grand Coalition' Schmemann Serge The New York Times 1990-04-09 The new parliament quickly passed several pieces of major legislation, including a new law regarding local government on 17 May, a law ratifying the monetary, economic, and social union with the Federal Republic of Germany on 18 May (which became effective on 1 July), and constitutional amendments on 17 June. On 21 June, the Volkskammer formed a special committee, chaired by Joachim Gauck, to control the dissolution of the Ministry for State Security (Stasi).BStU annual review 1989/90. https://web.archive.org/web/20131019075544/https://www.bstu.bund.de/DE/BundesbeauftragterUndBehoerde/Chronologie/1989-90/1989-90_node.html 2013-10-19 In: BStU.Bund.de; Resolution decision in the 9th session of the 10th People's Chamber of May 31, 1990, see video https://web.archive.org/web/20200714145707/https://www.bundestag.de/mediathek?videoid=526529#url=L21lZGlhdGhla292ZXJsYXk=&mod=mod536668 2020-07-14 and and Decision (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20140212121226/http://volkskammer.bundestag.de/dokumente/drucksachen/100027.pdf 2014-02-12 at the German Bundestag. On 20 September 1990, the Volkskammer voted 299–80 to accept the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, which had earlier been approved in a 442–47 vote by the West German Bundestag. The treaty stipulated that East Germany would unify its territory with Federal Republic of Germany via Article 23 of the Basic Law, meaning that East Germany and the Volkskammer would cease to exist. The chamber's last legislative period therefore only lasted four and a half months. The treaty took effect on 3 October 1990; on the same day, 144 of the 400 Volkskammer deputies became members of the Bundestag (63 from the CDU, 33 from the SPD, 24 from the PDS, 9 from the BFD, 8 from the DSU, and 7 from Alliance 90 and the Green Party). The 8 DSU members joined the CDU/CSU Bundestag Group, briefly renamed CDU/CSU/DSU. The distribution of seats between these parties was determined by recalculating the results of the 1990 elections on a per-state basis. Their tenure came to an end two months later with the first all-German federal election on 2 December 1990.http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~rdalton/germany/ch2/chap2.htm Politics in Germany: The Online Edition 2008-11-19 University of California, Irvine Notes References East Germany General East Category:Democratization Category:Peaceful Revolution Category:Elections in East Germany East Germany