Die hessische Landtagswahl vom 18. Januar 2009: der "ewige Koch"

In: Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen: ZParl, Band 40, Heft 2, S. 358-370

Abstract

Twelve months after the preceding election, Hessian voters were again called to the polls. In the absence of any other feasible coalition option, the second election within a year became necessary after two failed attempts to form a red-green minority government supported by the Leftist party. Individual social-democratic MPs had refused supporting such a coalition. Hesse then saw a short, but not very intense campaign. Following the Social Democrats' disaster in forming a government, they experienced yet another disaster on election night, facing tremendous losses from which mostly the Greens & the Liberals (and not so much the Christian Democrats) benefited. Also, the Leftist Party was able to re-enter Parliament, while turnout was somewhat lower than before. As an overall result of the election, the Hessian state parliament was more fractionalized than ever before. Still, Christian Democrats & Liberals obtained a stable majority and -- following rather short negotiations -- agreed to form a coalition; Roland Koch was re-elected as the prime minister. The formation of this coalition also impacted federal politics: The "Grand Coalition" in Berlin can now no longer count on a stable majority of its own in the Bundesrat, but is dependent on the support of state governments ruling with third parties instead. Adapted from the source document.