1950 East German general election

15 October 1950 (1950-10-15)
All 466 seats in the Volkskammer
Turnout	98.50% (3.27pp)
First party   Leader Walter Ulbricht Party SED Alliance National Front Leader since 25 July 1950 Seats won 110
Chairman of the Council of Ministers before election Otto Grotewohl SED Chairman of the Council of Ministers after election Otto Grotewohl SED

Politics of East Germany
Constitution 1949 1968
Leadership Socialist Unity Party General Secretary President (1949–1960) State Council (1960–1990) Head of State Council of Ministers Head of Government
Legislature President Chamber of States
Elections Referendums Constitutional Assembly 1949 General elections 1950 1954 1958 1963 1967 1971 1976 1981 1986 1990 Referendums 1951 1954 1968
Political parties Christian Democratic Union Democratic Farmers' Party Liberal Democratic Party National Democratic Party
Administrative divisions East Berlin (independent) Cottbus Dresden Erfurt Frankfurt Gera Halle Karl-Marx-Stadt Leipzig Magdeburg Neubrandenburg Potsdam Rostock Schwerin Suhl Leaders
Other countries

General elections were held in East Germany on 15 October 1950. They were the first held since the founding of the country on 7 October 1949. There were 466 deputies in the Volkskammer, including 66 from East Berlin who were not directly elected.

This election set the tone for all elections held in East Germany until the Peaceful Revolution. Voters were presented with a single list from the National Front of Democratic Germany, which in turn was controlled by the Socialist Unity Party. Only one candidate appeared on the ballot; voters simply took the ballot paper and dropped it into the ballot box. Those who wanted to vote against the candidate had to go to a special booth, without any secrecy.^[1] Seats were apportioned based on a set quota, not actual vote totals.^[2] By ensuring that its candidates dominated the list, the SED effectively predetermined the composition of the Volkskammer.

According to official figures, the National Front list received the approval of 99.6% of voters, with turnout reported to be 98.5%.^[3]

Results

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats
	National Front		Socialist Unity Party of Germany	12,088,745	99.71	110
			Christian Democratic Union			67
			Liberal Democratic Party of Germany			66
			Free German Trade Union Federation			49
			National Democratic Party of Germany			35
			Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany			33
			Free German Youth			25
			Cultural Association of the GDR			24
			Democratic Women's League of Germany			20
			Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime			19
			Peasants Mutual Aid Association			12
			Social Democratic Party (Eastern Bureau)			6
Against				35,544	0.29	–
Total				12,124,289	100.00	466
Valid votes				12,124,289	99.87
Invalid/blank votes				15,643	0.13
Total votes				12,139,932	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				12,325,168	98.50
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Sternberger et al.

References