align=right| 69 ! align=right| 20 ! align=right| |- ! align=right colspan=2| Voter turnout ! align=right| ! align=right| 66.5 ! align=right| 3.0 ! align=right| ! align=right| ! align=right| |} Outcome After the election, the SPD–Green coalition no longer commanded a majority of the Landtag. The SSW announced that although it would not enter a coalition, it saw more common ground with the SPD than the CDU. Minister-President Simonis proceeded to form an SPD–Green coalition based on an agreement with the SSW backing it. On 17 March, the vote to invest the government failed, with the secret ballot tying 34–34. It is not known who abstained, though it is widely believed to have been a representative of the SPD. Since the coalition had failed, the SPD was forced to negotiate a grand coalition agreement with the CDU, capitulating to the CDU's demand that CDU leader Peter Harry Carstensen replace Simonis as Minister-President. References Elections in Schleswig-Holstein 2005 elections in Germany February 2005 events in Europe