2002 German federal election
22 September 2002 (2002-09-22)
All 603 seats in the Bundestag
302 seats needed for a majority
Registered61,432,868 Increase 1.1%
Turnout48,582,761 (79.1%) Decrease 3.1pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
2004-09-13, El canciller de Alemania (cropped).jpg
Edmund Stoiber, Europapolitischer Dialog Berlin, 2003-2 (cropped).jpg
Joschka Fischer, Europapolitischer Dialog Berlin, 2003 (cropped).jpg
Candidate Gerhard Schröder Edmund Stoiber Joschka Fischer
Party SPD CDU/CSU Greens
Last election 40.9%, 298 seats 35.1%, 245 seats 6.7%, 47 seats
Seats won 251 248 55
Seat change Decrease 47 Increase 3 Increase 8
Popular vote 18,488,668 18,482,641 4,110,355
Percentage 38.5% 38.5% 8.6%
Swing Decrease 2.4pp Increase 3.4pp Increase 1.9pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Guido Westerwelle Headshot 2005.jpg
Foto von Gabi Zimmer.jpg
Candidate Guido Westerwelle Gabi Zimmer[lower-alpha 1]
Party FDP PDS
Last election 6.2%, 43 seats 5.1%, 36 seats
Seats won 47 2
Seat change Increase 4 Decrease 34
Popular vote 3,538,815 1,916,702
Percentage 7.4% 4.0%
Swing Increase 1.2pp Decrease 1.1pp
The left side shows constituency winners of the election by their party colours. The right side shows party list winners of the election for the additional members by their party colours.
Government before election

First Schröder cabinet
SPD–Green

 Government after election

Second Schröder cabinet
SPD–Green

Federal elections were held in Germany on 22 September 2002 to elect the members of the 15th Bundestag. Incumbent Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's centre-left "red-green" governing coalition retained a narrow majority, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) retained their status as the largest party in the Bundestag by three seats.

Issues and campaign

Several issues dominated the campaign, with the opposition CDU/CSU attacking the government's performance on the economy which fell back into recession due to the Telecoms crash and the introduction of the euro, as well as campaigning on family values and against taxes (particularly on fuel).

In the run up to the election, the CSU/CDU held a huge lead in the opinion polls and Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Edmund Stoiber famously remarked that "... this election is like a football match where it's the second half and my team is ahead by 2–0."[1]

However, event soon overtook Stoiber and the CDU/CSU campaign. The SPD and the Greens were helped by broad support for its opposition to an invasion of Iraq, continued media attention on the CDU funding scandal and by Gerhard Schröder's personal popularity relative to the opposition's candidate for chancellor, Stoiber.

The SPD was also boosted by Schröder's swift response to the August floods in eastern Germany, as compared to Stoiber, who was on vacation and responded late to the events.[2][3]

With Guido Westerwelle, leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the FDP presented a chancellor candidate for the first time, usually a title reserved for the main election leaders of the SPD and CDU/CSU. This was met with general derision and Westerwelle was excluded from the chancellor television debate, the first one, against which he unsuccessfully sued.

Opinion polling

Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size		 SPD Union Grüne FDP PDS Others Lead
2002 federal election 22 Sep 2002 – 38.5 38.5 8.6 7.4 4.0 3.0 0.01
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 9–12 Sep 2002 1,326 40.0 37.0 7.0 7.5 4.5 4.0 3.0
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 2–5 Sep 2002 1,476 38 38 7 8 4 5 Tie
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 26–29 Aug 2002 1,254 38 39 7 8 4 4 1
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 19–22 Aug 2002 1,292 38 39 7 9 4 3 1
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 12–15 Aug 2002 1,068 36 41 7 9 4 3 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 5–8 Aug 2002 1,106 36 41 6 9 5 3 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 22–25 Jul 2002 1,262 36 41 6 9 5 3 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 8–11 Jul 2002 1,031 37 40 6 8 5 4 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 24–27 Jun 2002 1,281 36 39 7 9 5 4 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 10–13 Jun 2002 1,018 35 39 7 10 5 4 4
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 24–29 May 2002 1,312 35 40 6 9 5 5 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 6–9 May 2002 1,014 36 41 6 8 5 4 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 22–25 Apr 2002 1,287 36 41 6 8 5 4 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 8–11 Apr 2002 1,000 36 41 6 8 5 4 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 18–21 Mar 2002 1,274 36 40 6 8 6 4 4
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 4–7 Mar 2002 1,050 37 41 5 8 5 4 4
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 18–21 Feb 2002 1,191 38 40 5 8 5 4 2
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 4–7 Feb 2002 1,027 39 40 4 8 6 3 1
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 14–17 Jan 2002 1,306 38 40 5 7 6 4 2
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 8–10 Jan 2002 1,038 39 39 5 7 6 4 Tie
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 10–13 Dec 2001 1,254 41 37 5 7 6 4 4
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 12–14 Nov 2001 1,098 41 38 5 7 6 3 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 8–11 Oct 2001 1,250 41 38 5 7 5 4 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 12–13 Sep 2001 1,031 40 38 5 7 5 5 2
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 20–23 Aug 2001 1,245 39 37 6 8 5 5 2
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 16–19 Jul 2001 1,224 41 35 5 9 5 5 6
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 18–21 Jun 2001 1,237 41 36 5 8 5 5 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 14–17 May 2001 1,266 41 36 5 8 5 5 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 2–5 Apr 2001 1,264 41 38 6 6 5 4 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 12–15 Mar 2001 1,264 42 37 6 6 5 4 5
Allensbach 14 Mar 2001 – 39.3 32.4 7.5 10.0 6.2 4.6 7.1
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 12–15 Feb 2001 1,207 43 36 5 7 5 4 7
Allensbach 14 Feb 2001 – 38.7 32.8 8.0 9.6 6.1 4.8 5.9
Allensbach 24 Jan 2001 – 39.1 33.1 7.3 9.7 6.3 4.5 6.0
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 15–18 Jan 2001 1,276 41 38 6 6 5 4 3
Allensbach 20 Dec 2000 – 38.1 35.2 7.4 9.6 6.0 3.7 2.9
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 11–14 Dec 2000 1,271 41 38 6 6 5 4 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 13–16 Nov 2000 1,259 41 38 6 6 5 4 3
Allensbach 15 Nov 2000 – 37.8 33.8 7.4 9.6 6.1 5.3 4.0
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 16–19 Oct 2000 1,294 41 37 6 6 5 5 4
Allensbach 18 Oct 2000 – 38.0 34.0 6.9 9.5 6.0 5.6 4.0
Allensbach 27 Sep 2000 – 39.0 33.1 7.4 9.8 6.2 4.5 5.9
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 18–21 Sep 2000 1,174 40 38 6 6 5 5 2
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 21–24 Aug 2000 1,219 42 36 6 7 5 4 6
Allensbach 16 Aug 2000 – 39.0 32.4 6.9 10.1 6.3 5.3 6.6
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 24–27 Jul 2000 1,255 40 38 5 7 5 5 2
Allensbach 19 Jul 2000 – 37.1 32.3 7.1 11.5 6.8 5.2 4.8
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 23 Jun 2000 – 38 39 6 7 5 5 1
Allensbach 14 Jun 2000 – 35.9 33.0 7.9 11.1 6.5 5.6 2.9
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 19 May 2000 – 40 37 6 7 5 5 3
Allensbach 19 Apr 2000 – 38.6 32.0 8.4 8.4 7.1 5.5 6.6
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 14 Apr 2000 – 42 36 6 6 5 5 6
Allensbach 22 Mar 2000 – 39.8 31.3 8.5 7.9 7.1 5.4 8.5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 17 Mar 2000 – 43 35 6 6 5 5 8
Allensbach 23 Feb 2000 – 40.3 31.3 8.0 7.7 6.7 6.0 9.0
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 18 Feb 2000 – 42 35 7 6 6 4 7
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 21 Jan 2000 – 39 40 6 5 6 4 1
Allensbach 19 Jan 2000 – 36.9 37.8 7.5 6.3 6.5 5.0 0.9
Infratest dimap 24 Dec 1999 – 35 43 6 5 7 4 8
Infratest dimap 18 Dec 1999 – 35 45 6 5 6 3 10
Emnid 17 Dec 1999 – 37 39 7 5 6 6 2
Forsa 16 Dec 1999 – 37 42 6 5 6 4 5
Allensbach 15 Dec 1999 – 32.3 41.6 7.5 6.4 7.1 5.1 9.3
Infratest dimap 11 Dec 1999 – 34 45 7 5 5 4 11
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 10 Dec 1999 – 36 45 5 4 6 4 9
Emnid 10 Dec 1999 – 36 40 6 5 7 7 4
Forsa 9 Dec 1999 – 34 45 6 5 6 4 11
Infratest dimap 4 Dec 1999 – 32 47 5 5 6 5 15
Emnid 3 Dec 1999 – 33 44 5 5 7 6 11
Forsa 2 Dec 1999 – 34 45 5 4 7 5 11
Infratest dimap 27 Nov 1999 – 31 48 5 4 7 5 17
Emnid 26 Nov 1999 – 32 46 5 4 7 6 14
Forsa 25 Nov 1999 – 33 47 5 4 7 4 14
Infratest dimap 20 Nov 1999 – 31 48 6 5 6 4 17
Emnid 19 Nov 1999 – 32 45 6 4 7 6 13
Forsa 18 Nov 1999 – 33 46 6 4 6 5 13
Allensbach 17 Nov 1999 – 30.4 44.7 6.9 6.9 6.8 4.3 14.3
Infratest dimap 13 Nov 1999 – 30 49 6 5 6 4 19
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 12 Nov 1999 – 33 48 5 4 6 4 15
Emnid 12 Nov 1999 – 32 45 6 4 7 6 13
Forsa 11 Nov 1999 – 32 45 5 5 7 6 13
Infratest dimap 6 Nov 1999 – 30 49 6 5 6 5 19
Emnid 5 Nov 1999 – 33 45 5 4 7 6 12
Forsa 4 Nov 1999 – 31 47 5 4 7 6 16
Infratest dimap 30 Oct 1999 – 30 49 5 5 8 3 19
Emnid 29 Oct 1999 – 33 45 5 4 7 6 12
Forsa 28 Oct 1999 – 34 44 5 4 8 5 10
Infratest dimap 23 Oct 1999 – 30 48 6 5 8 3 18
Emnid 22 Oct 1999 – 33 47 6 4 7 3 14
Forsa 21 Oct 1999 – 33 44 5 4 8 6 11
Infratest dimap 16 Oct 1999 – 31 48 6 5 7 3 17
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 15 Oct 1999 – 33 47 6 4 6 4 14
Emnid 15 Oct 1999 – 32 46 5 5 6 6 14
Forsa 14 Oct 1999 – 33 43 6 4 8 6 10
Allensbach 13 Oct 1999 – 30.8 44.5 6.8 5.9 7.2 4.8 13.7
Infratest dimap 9 Oct 1999 – 31 48 6 5 7 3 17
Emnid 8 Oct 1999 – 35 44 6 4 6 5 9
Forsa 7 Oct 1999 – 34 43 6 4 7 6 9
Infratest dimap 2 Oct 1999 – 31 48 6 4 7 4 17
Emnid 1 Oct 1999 – 34 44 5 5 7 5 10
Forsa 30 Sep 1999 – 33 45 6 5 6 5 12
Infratest dimap 25 Sep 1999 – 31 48 6 5 7 3 17
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 24 Sep 1999 – 34 47 5 5 5 4 13
Emnid 24 Sep 1999 – 33 45 5 5 6 6 12
Forsa 23 Sep 1999 – 32 46 6 5 6 5 14
Infratest dimap 18 Sep 1999 – 32 47 6 5 6 4 15
Emnid 17 Sep 1999 – 35 44 6 4 6 5 9
Forsa 16 Sep 1999 – 31 47 6 5 7 4 16
Allensbach 15 Sep 1999 – 32.9 42.0 7.2 6.6 7.0 4.3 9.1
Infratest dimap 11 Sep 1999 – 33 46 6 5 5 5 13
Emnid 10 Sep 1999 – 35 43 6 5 6 5 8
Forsa 9 Sep 1999 – 31 48 5 5 7 4 17
Infratest dimap 4 Sep 1999 – 32 46 7 6 5 4 14
Emnid 3 Sep 1999 – 35 43 5 6 6 5 8
Forsa 2 Sep 1999 – 33 45 7 5 6 4 12
Infratest dimap 28 Aug 1999 – 32 47 6 5 6 4 15
Emnid 27 Aug 1999 – 35 42 6 6 6 5 7
Forsa 26 Aug 1999 – 32 47 6 5 6 4 15
Infratest dimap 21 Aug 1999 – 32 47 6 5 6 4 15
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 20 Aug 1999 – 36 45 5 5 5 4 9
Emnid 20 Aug 1999 – 35 43 6 5 6 5 8
Forsa 19 Aug 1999 – 34 45 5 5 7 4 11
Allensbach 18 Aug 1999 – 32.6 42.2 7.4 6.6 6.0 5.2 9.6
Infratest dimap 14 Aug 1999 – 33 46 6 5 6 4 13
Emnid 13 Aug 1999 – 35 43 6 5 6 5 8
Forsa 12 Aug 1999 – 33 46 5 5 6 5 13
Infratest dimap 7 Aug 1999 – 33 46 6 5 6 4 13
Emnid 6 Aug 1999 – 35 43 6 5 5 6 8
Forsa 5 Aug 1999 – 34 44 6 6 6 4 10
Infratest dimap 31 Jul 1999 – 33 45 7 5 6 4 12
Emnid 30 Jul 1999 – 36 43 6 6 5 4 7
Forsa 29 Jul 1999 – 33 46 5 6 6 5 13
Infratest dimap 24 Jul 1999 – 33 45 7 5 6 4 12
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 23 Jul 1999 – 38 44 5 5 5 3 6
Emnid 23 Jul 1999 – 36 42 6 4 6 6 6
Forsa 22 Jul 1999 – 32 46 5 6 6 5 14
Allensbach 21 Jul 1999 – 32.6 43.3 6.7 7.0 5.9 4.5 10.7
Infratest dimap 17 Jul 1999 – 34 44 6 5 6 5 10
Emnid 16 Jul 1999 – 37 43 5 5 6 4 6
Forsa 15 Jul 1999 – 32 45 5 7 6 5 13
Infratest dimap 10 Jul 1999 – 35 44 6 5 5 5 9
Emnid 9 Jul 1999 – 36 42 5 4 6 6 6
Forsa 8 Jul 1999 – 33 45 6 5 6 5 12
Infratest dimap 3 Jul 1999 – 33 45 6 5 6 5 12
Emnid 2 Jul 1999 – 36 43 5 5 5 6 7
Forsa 1 Jul 1999 – 33 46 6 5 5 5 13
Infratest dimap 26 Jun 1999 – 33 45 6 5 6 5 12
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 25 Jun 1999 – 38 44 5 5 4 4 6
Emnid 25 Jun 1999 – 37 42 5 5 5 6 5
Forsa 24 Jun 1999 – 32 45 6 5 6 6 13
Infratest dimap 19 Jun 1999 – 33 46 7 5 5 4 13
Emnid 18 Jun 1999 – 37 41 5 6 5 6 4
Forsa 17 Jun 1999 – 34 45 6 4 6 5 11
Allensbach 16 Jun 1999 – 35.6 39.7 6.6 7.7 5.8 4.6 4.1
1999 European election 13 Jun 1999 – 30.7 48.7 6.4 3.0 5.8 5.4 18.0
Infratest dimap 12 Jun 1999 – 37 43 6 5 5 4 6
Emnid 11 Jun 1999 – 39 41 6 6 5 3 2
Forsa 10 Jun 1999 – 34 44 6 5 5 6 10
Infratest dimap 5 Jun 1999 – 34 45 6 5 6 4 11
Emnid 4 Jun 1999 – 37 41 6 6 5 5 4
Forsa 3 Jun 1999 – 34 44 5 6 6 5 10
Infratest dimap 29 May 1999 – 36 43 6 5 6 3 7
Emnid 28 May 1999 – 38 40 6 5 6 5 2
Forsa 27 May 1999 – 35 43 5 6 6 5 8
Infratest dimap 22 May 1999 – 35 44 7 5 6 3 9
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 21 May 1999 – 40 42 5 5 4 4 2
Emnid 21 May 1999 – 39 40 6 5 6 5 1
Forsa 20 May 1999 – 33 43 6 6 6 6 10
Allensbach 19 May 1999 – 37.3 36.8 7.8 7.0 5.9 5.2 0.5
Infratest dimap 15 May 1999 – 36 44 6 5 5 4 9
Emnid 14 May 1999 – 38 40 6 6 5 5 2
Forsa 12 May 1999 – 34 43 6 6 6 5 9
Infratest dimap 8 May 1999 – 37 42 6 5 6 4 5
Emnid 7 May 1999 – 39 40 6 5 6 5 1
Forsa 6 May 1999 – 35 42 6 6 6 5 7
Infratest dimap 1 May 1999 – 37 42 5 5 6 5 5
Emnid 30 Apr 1999 – 39 39 6 5 5 6 Tie
Forsa 29 Apr 1999 – 37 42 6 6 5 4 5
Infratest dimap 24 Apr 1999 – 35 43 6 5 6 5 8
Emnid 23 Apr 1999 – 40 39 6 5 5 5 1
Forsa 22 Apr 1999 – 38 41 5 6 6 4 3
Infratest dimap 17 Apr 1999 – 36 43 6 5 6 4 7
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 16 Apr 1999 – 41 41 5 5 4 4 Tie
Emnid 16 Apr 1999 – 39 40 6 5 5 5 1
Forsa 15 Apr 1999 – 37 42 6 5 6 4 5
Allensbach 14 Apr 1999 – 37.6 37.9 6.5 7.5 5.5 5.0 0.3
Infratest dimap 10 Apr 1999 – 35 43 6 5 6 5 8
Emnid 9 Apr 1999 – 38 40 6 5 6 5 2
Forsa 8 Apr 1999 – 37 43 6 4 5 5 6
Infratest dimap 3 Apr 1999 – 36 43 6 5 6 4 7
Forsa 1 Apr 1999 – 34 44 6 5 6 5 10
Infratest dimap 27 Mar 1999 – 36 43 7 5 6 3 7
Emnid 26 Mar 1999 – 38 40 6 6 5 5 2
Forsa 25 Mar 1999 – 34 44 7 5 6 4 10
Infratest dimap 20 Mar 1999 – 38 43 6 5 5 3 5
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 19 Mar 1999 – 41 41 5 5 4 4 Tie
Emnid 19 Mar 1999 – 39 41 6 5 5 6 2
Forsa 18 Mar 1999 – 35 43 7 5 5 5 8
Allensbach 17 Mar 1999 – 37.0 38.7 6.8 7.4 5.7 4.4 1.7
Infratest dimap 13 Mar 1999 – 38 42 6 5 5 4 4
Emnid 12 Mar 1999 – 39 40 6 6 5 4 1
Forsa 11 Mar 1999 – 37 42 7 5 5 4 5
Infratest dimap 6 Mar 1999 – 38 41 6 5 5 5 3
Emnid 5 Mar 1999 – 39 40 6 5 5 5 1
Forsa 4 Mar 1999 – 38 41 6 5 5 5 3
Infratest dimap 27 Feb 1999 – 40 41 6 5 4 4 1
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 26 Feb 1999 – 42 39 6 4 4 5 3
Emnid 26 Feb 1999 – 39 40 6 6 5 4 1
Forsa 25 Feb 1999 – 37 42 6 6 4 5 5
Infratest dimap 20 Feb 1999 – 39 41 6 5 5 4 2
Emnid 19 Feb 1999 – 40 40 6 5 5 4 Tie
Forsa 18 Feb 1999 – 38 41 6 5 5 5 3
Infratest dimap 13 Feb 1999 – 38 41 6 5 5 5 3
Emnid 12 Feb 1999 – 40 38 6 5 5 6 2
Forsa 11 Feb 1999 – 38 40 6 6 5 5 2
Infratest dimap 6 Feb 1999 – 40 39 7 5 5 4 1
Emnid 5 Feb 1999 – 41 37 7 5 5 5 4
Forsa 4 Feb 1999 – 39 39 6 6 5 5 Tie
Infratest dimap 30 Jan 1999 – 41 39 6 5 4 5 2
Emnid 29 Jan 1999 – 39 38 7 6 5 5 1
Forsa 28 Jan 1999 – 39 39 7 5 5 5 Tie
Infratest dimap 23 Jan 1999 – 40 40 6 5 5 4 Tie
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 22 Jan 1999 – 44 37 6 4 4 5 7
Emnid 22 Jan 1999 – 40 38 6 5 5 6 2
Forsa 21 Jan 1999 – 39 38 7 5 5 6 1
Infratest dimap 16 Jan 1999 – 41 39 7 6 4 3 2
Emnid 15 Jan 1999 – 41 36 7 6 6 4 5
Forsa 14 Jan 1999 – 39 37 7 5 6 6 2
Infratest dimap 9 Jan 1999 – 41 39 7 5 4 4 2
Emnid 8 Jan 1999 – 40 37 6 6 5 6 3
Forsa 7 Jan 1999 – 39 37 7 5 5 7 2
Emnid 2 Jan 1999 – 41 37 6 6 5 5 4
Infratest dimap 19 Dec 1998 – 40 38 8 5 5 4 2
Emnid 18 Dec 1998 – 40 37 6 5 5 7 3
Forsa 17 Dec 1998 – 40 37 6 5 5 7 3
Allensbach 16 Dec 1998 – 39.4 36.3 7.2 6.0 – – 3.1
Infratest dimap 12 Dec 1998 – 39 38 8 6 5 4 1
Emnid 11 Dec 1998 – 40 37 6 5 5 7 3
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 11 Dec 1998 – 44 36 7 4 4 5 8
Forsa 10 Dec 1998 – 38 39 6 5 6 6 1
Infratest dimap 5 Dec 1998 – 39 39 7 5 5 5 Tie
Emnid 4 Dec 1998 – 40 37 6 6 5 6 3
Forsa 3 Dec 1998 – 38 39 7 5 5 6 1
Infratest dimap 28 Nov 1998 – 42 37 7 5 5 4 5
Emnid 27 Nov 1998 – 39 36 7 6 5 6 3
Forsa 26 Nov 1998 – 38 38 7 5 5 7 Tie
Infratest dimap 21 Nov 1998 – 42 37 7 5 5 4 5
Emnid 20 Nov 1998 – 40 37 6 5 5 7 3
Forsa 19 Nov 1998 – 39 37 7 6 6 5 2
Infratest dimap 14 Nov 1998 – 41 37 7 6 5 4 4
Emnid 13 Nov 1998 – 42 35 6 6 5 6 7
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 13 Nov 1998 – 44 35 7 4 4 6 9
Forsa 12 Nov 1998 – 39 38 6 6 6 5 1
Infratest dimap 7 Nov 1998 – 42 37 7 5 5 4 5
Emnid 6 Nov 1998 – 41 36 6 5 5 7 5
Forsa 5 Nov 1998 – 39 38 7 6 5 5 1
Infratest dimap 31 Oct 1998 – 41 36 7 6 5 5 5
Emnid 30 Oct 1998 – 39 37 7 6 5 6 2
Forsa 29 Oct 1998 – 39 39 6 6 5 5 Tie
Infratest dimap 24 Oct 1998 – 40 36 8 7 5 4 4
Emnid 23 Oct 1998 – 42 35 6 6 5 6 7
Infratest dimap 17 Oct 1998 – 40 36 8 7 5 4 4
Emnid 16 Oct 1998 – 41 35 6 6 5 7 6
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 16 Oct 1998 – 44 35 6 5 4 6 9
Infratest dimap 10 Oct 1998 – 42 36 7 6 5 4 6
Emnid 9 Oct 1998 – 42 35 6 6 5 6 7
Infratest dimap 2 Oct 1998 – 41 36 7 6 5 5 5
1998 federal election 27 Sep 1998 – 40.9 35.1 6.7 6.2 5.1 5.9 5.8

Results

Although most opposition parties gained seats, and the result was in doubt for most of the election night, the governing coalition retained a narrow majority. In particular, the SPD was able to partially offset declines in their vote share in the West with an increase in the East, with the PDS falling below both the 5% threshold and the 3-seat threshold, either of which is required to qualify a party for top-up seats. Consequently, the PDS held only two directly elected seats.

PartyParty-listConstituencyTotal
seats		+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Social Democratic Party18,488,66838.528020,059,96741.93171251−47
Christian Democratic Union14,167,56129.5210815,336,51232.0682190−8
Christian Social Union[lower-alpha 2]4,315,0808.99154,311,1789.014358+11
Alliance 90/The Greens4,110,3558.56542,693,7945.63155+8
Free Democratic Party3,538,8157.37472,752,7965.75047+4
Party of Democratic Socialism1,916,7023.9902,079,2034.3522−34
Party for a Rule of Law Offensive400,4760.830120,3300.2500New
The Republicans280,6710.58055,9470.12000
National Democratic Party215,2320.450103,2090.22000
Human Environment Animal Protection159,6550.3308,8580.02000
The Grays – Gray Panthers114,2240.24075,4900.16000
Party of Bible-abiding Christians101,6450.21071,1060.15000
Ecological Democratic Party56,8980.12056,5930.12000
Feminist Party36,8320.0802,2640.00000
Family Party30,0450.06015,1380.03000
Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität16,9580.04022,5310.05000
Christian Centre15,4400.0302,4130.01000
Bavaria Party9,3790.0206,7570.01000
Party for Pension Justice and Family7,4990.0204,3630.0100New
Departure for Civil Rights, Freedom and Health4,6970.0102,8950.0100New
Centre Party3,1270.0101,8230.00000
Humanist Party2,4850.0101,3850.00000
The Violets2,4120.0108400.0000New
Communist Party of Germany1,6240.0006860.00000
German Social Union6,0030.01000
German Communist Party3,9530.01000
Freedom Party2,0030.00000
Alliance for Germany5710.00000
Independents and voter groups43,1160.09000
Total47,996,480100.0030447,841,724100.00299603−66
Valid votes47,996,48098.7947,841,72498.47
Invalid/blank votes586,2811.21741,0371.53
Total votes48,582,761100.0048,582,761100.00
Registered voters/turnout61,432,86879.0861,432,86879.08
Source: Bundeswahlleiter
Seat results – SPD in red, Greens in green, PDS in purple, FDP in yellow, CDU/CSU in black

Results by state

Second vote (Zweitstimme, or votes for party list)

State results in % SPD CDU/CSU[lower-alpha 2] GRÜNE FDP PDS all others
 Baden-Württemberg 33.5 42.8 11.4 7.8 1.0 3.5
 Bavaria 26.1 58.6 7.6 4.5 0.7 2.5
 Berlin 36.6 25.9 14.6 6.6 11.4 4.9
 Brandenburg 46.4 22.3 4.5 5.8 17.2 3.8
 Bremen 48.6 24.6 15.0 6.7 2.2 2.9
 Hamburg 42.0 28.1 16.2 6.8 2.1 4.8
 Hesse 39.7 37.1 10.7 8.2 1.3 3.0
 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 41.7 30.3 3.5 5.4 16.3 2.8
 Lower Saxony 47.8 34.5 7.3 7.1 1.0 2.3
 North Rhine-Westphalia 43.0 35.1 8.9 9.4 1.2 2.4
 Rhineland-Palatinate 38.2 40.3 7.9 9.3 1.0 3.3
 Saarland 46.0 35.0 7.6 6.4 1.4 3.6
 Saxony 33.3 33.6 4.6 7.3 16.2 4.9
 Saxony-Anhalt 43.2 29.0 3.4 7.6 14.4 2.4
 Schleswig-Holstein 42.9 36.0 9.4 8.0 1.3 2.4
 Thuringia 39.9 29.4 4.3 5.9 17.0 3.5

Constituency seats

State Total
seats		 Seats won
SPD CDU CSU PDS Grüne
Baden-Württemberg 37 7 30
Bavaria 44 1 43
Berlin 12 9 2 1
Brandenburg 10 10
Bremen 2 2
Hamburg 6 6
Hesse 21 17 4
Lower Saxony 29 25 4
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 7 5 2
North Rhine-Westphalia 64 45 19
Rhineland-Palatinate 15 7 8
Saarland 4 4
Saxony 17 4 13
Saxony-Anhalt 10 10
Schleswig-Holstein 11 10 1
Thuringia 10 9 1
Total 299 171 82 43 2 1

List seats

State Total
seats		 Seats won
CDU SPD Grüne FDP CSU
Baden-Württemberg 39 4 20 9 6
Bavaria 51 25 7 4 15
Berlin 11 6 3 2
Brandenburg 6 4 1 1
Bremen 2 1 1
Hamburg 7 4 2 1
Hesse 23 13 1 5 4
Lower Saxony 34 18 6 5 5
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 3 2 1
North Rhine-Westphalia 70 30 15 12 13
Rhineland-Palatinate 15 5 5 2 3
Saarland 5 3 1 1
Saxony 12 8 2 2
Saxony-Anhalt 8 6 1 1
Schleswig-Holstein 11 7 2 2
Thuringia 7 5 1 1
Total 304 108 80 54 47 15

Post-election

The coalition between the SPD and the Greens continued in government, with Schröder as chancellor. However, due to the slim majority in the Bundestag, the governing coalition was not stable.

Notes

  1. ↑ Zimmer was federal chairwoman of the PDS. She was one of four lead candidates appointed by the party congress. The others were Roland Claus, Dietmar Bartsch, and Petra Pau.
  2. 1 2 The Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria call themselves sister parties. They do not compete against each other in the same geographical regions and they form one group within the Bundestag.

References

  1. ↑ Jess Smee (17 January 2007), Stoiber quits after snooping row Archived 16 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian.
  2. ↑ "Flooding makes a delight out of crisis for Schroder". The Irish Times. 24 August 2002. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Looking Back at the 2002 Election". dw.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.

Further reading

Sources

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