Election to the Berlin House of Representatives in 1989

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(Second votes in%)

 %

40

30th

20th

10

0

37.7

37.3

11.8

7.5

3.9

1.7

CDU

SPD

AL

REP ^d

FDP

Otherwise.

Gains and losses

compared to 1985

 % p

   8th

   6th

   4th

   2

   0

  -2

  -4

  -6

  -8th

-10

-8.7

+4.9

+1.2

+7.5

-4.6

-0.4

CDU

SPD

AL

REP ^d

FDP

Otherwise.

Remarks:

^d not started in 1985

    

A total of 138 seats

• AL : 17
• SPD : 55
• CDU : 55
• REP : 11

The last election for the Berlin House of Representatives in independent West Berlin on January 29, 1989 produced a surprising result.

The CDU , whose victory was considered certain , surprisingly suffered a heavy defeat under its top candidate , the ruling mayor Eberhard Diepgen , who has been in office since 1984 . It collapsed by 8.7 percentage points and ended up just ahead of the SPD with 37.7% of the vote , which under its top candidate Walter Momper rose by 4.9 percentage points to 37.3%.

Together with the Alternative List (AL) (11.8%, +1.2 percentage points), this resulted in a clear majority in favor of a red-green coalition . In contrast, the FDP , former coalition partner of the CDU, clearly missed re-entry into the House of Representatives with 3.9% (–4.6 percentage points) . The Republicans , on the other hand, made the leap into parliament , who immediately received 7.5% of the vote. On the evening of the Republican election victory, there was a spontaneous demonstration with several thousand participants. The following Monday there was another demonstration against the entry of the Republicans into the House of Representatives.

After lengthy coalition negotiations, Momper forged a red-green alliance and was elected the new governing mayor on March 16, 1989. There were more women than men in the Momper Senate , a novelty in German history.

The CDU went into opposition, Eberhard Diepgen became opposition leader .

initial situation

In the elections for the Berlin House of Representatives on March 10, 1985 , the black-yellow coalition of CDU and FDP that had existed since 1983 was confirmed. So Mayor Eberhard remained Diepgen ( Senate Diepgen II ), which only a year ago, on February 9, 1984, to the President elected von Weizsäcker Richard had replaced. In the House of Representatives, the CDU with 69, the SPD with 48, the Alternative List with 15 and the FDP with 12 seats.

Polls before the election

Just three weeks before election day, surveys by the CDU-FDP coalition forecast a clear majority in the election. Only a few days before the election, the polls indicated a head-to-head race, but still a black and yellow majority.

According to an Infas survey on behalf of the SFB magazine Kontraste of the CDU-FDP coalition, the situation on the job market was the most important issue for 24 percent of those surveyed, environmental protection for 23 percent and housing construction for 20 percent. Two weeks earlier, a survey commissioned by Stern had shown that rents and housing shortages came first, followed by foreigners and university overcrowding.

date	CDU	SPD	AL	FDP	REP	undecided
January 25, 1989	41%	36%	11%	7%
circa January 25, 1989	40%	36%	10%	8th %	3%
January 10, 1989	43%	34%	11%	9%		20%
circa December 28, 1988	43%	38%	10%	6%		44%

Result

See also : List of members of the Berlin House of Representatives (11th electoral term)

Election January 29, 1989
Eligible voters	1,532,870
voter turnout	1,220,423	79.6%
CDU	453.211	37.7%	55 mand.
SPD	448.203	37.3%	55 mand.
AL	141,529	11.8%	17 mand.
REP	90.222	7.5%	11 mand.
FDP	47,153	3.9%	- Mand.
ödp	8,489	0.7%	- Mand.
SEW	6,875	0.6%	- Mand.
THERE	4,990	0.4%	- Mand.
to hum		100.0%	138 mand.

literature

• Gudrun Heinrich: Red-Green in Berlin. The Alternative List in Government Responsibility 1989–1990 , Schüren, Marburg 1993, ISBN 3-89472-079-4
• Gudrun Heinrich: Red – Green in Berlin 1989–1990 , in: Joachim Raschke: The Greens. How they became what they are , Bund, Cologne 1993, pp. 809-822, ISBN 3-7663-2474-8
• Horst W. Schmollinger: The election to the Berlin House of Representatives on January 29, 1989. A surprising change in the party system , in: Journal for Parliamentary Questions 20 (Issue 3), pp. 309–322

Web links

• Information from the regional returning officer

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Election to the Berlin House of Representatives on January 29, 1989 , Statistics Office Berlin-Brandenburg
2. ^ Election to the Berlin House of Representatives on March 10, 1985 , Office for Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg
3. ↑ Tens of thousands of demonstrators: "Nazis out!"
4. ↑ https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/spontane-kundgebung-vor-dem-rathaus-sch%C3%B6neberg-gegen-den-news-photo/548193601#spontane-kundgebung-vor-dem -rathaus-schneberg-against-the-collection-of-the-picture-id548193601
5. ↑ http://www.galerie-noir.de/ArchivesDeutsch/November89.html
6. ↑ taz of January 11, 1989, local section Berlin, p. 17.
7. ↑ survey on behalf of the Springer publishing house ; Results according to taz of January 26, 1989, Local Part Berlin, p. 17.
8. ↑ Infas survey on behalf of the SFB ; Results according to taz of January 26, 1989, Local Part Berlin, p. 17.
9. ↑ Infas survey on behalf of the SFB magazine Kontraste ; Results according to taz of January 11, 1989, local part Berlin, p. 17.
10. ↑ survey on behalf of Stern ; Results according to taz of January 11, 1989, local part Berlin, p. 17.