2009 Thuringian state election
Introduction The '''2009 Thuringian state election''' was held on 30 August 2009 to elect the members of the 5th Landtag of Thuringia. It was held on the same day as the 2009 Saarland state election and the 2009 Saxony state election. The incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government led by Minister-President Dieter Althaus was defeated. The CDU subsequently formed a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Althaus resigned after the election due to his party's poor performance, which was far below expectations. He was succeeded by fellow CDU member Christine Lieberknecht, who was elected as the new Minister-President.
Parties The table below lists parties represented in the 4th Landtag of Thuringia. Name Ideology Leader(s) 2004 result Votes (%) Seats '''CDU''' Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christian democracy Dieter Althaus 43.0%  '''Linke''' The Left Democratic socialism Bodo Ramelow 26.1%  '''SPD''' Social Democratic Party of Germany Social democracy Christoph Matschie 14.5%
Opinion polling  Polling firm Fieldwork date Samplesize CDU Linke SPD Grüne FDP Others Lead  2009 state election 30 Aug 2009 – '''31.2''' 27.4 18.5 6.2 7.6 9.1 3.8  TU Ilumenau 10–22 Aug 2009 369 '''41''' 23 15 10 8 3 18  Forschungsgruppe Wahlen 17–20 Aug 2009 ~1,000 '''35''' 25 18 5 10 7 10  Infratest dimap 18–20 Aug 2009 1,000 '''34''' 24 19 6 8 9 10  IfM Leipzig 10–13 Aug 2009 805 '''37''' 23 20 5 9 6 14  Infratest dimap 7–11 Aug 2009 1,000 '''34''' 24 20 6 9 7 10  Forsa 13–24 Jul 2009 1,004 '''40''' 24 16 6 6 8 16  Infratest dimap 19–23 Jun 2009 1,000 '''36''' 24 18 6 9 7 12  IfM Leipzig 11–13 May 2009 801 '''36''' 23 23 5 8 5 13  Forsa 4–15 May 2009 1,005 '''40''' 26 18 4 6 6 14  Infratest dimap 8–12 May 2009 1,000 '''39''' 25 20 5 6 5 14  Infratest dimap 18–22 Mar 2009 1,000 '''36''' 25 20 5 8 6 11  GESS 4–7 Mar 2009 1,004 '''39''' 25 18 4 8 6 14  Forsa 12–16 Jan 2009 751 '''39''' 28 16 5 5 7 11  IfM Leipzig 21–23 Oct 2008 805 '''33''' 30 18 5 6 7 3  Forsa 25 Aug–9 Sep 2008 863 '''37''' 32 15 4 5 7 5  dimap 26 Jun–10 Jul 2008 1,001 '''31''' '''31''' 20 5 6 7 Tie  Infratest dimap 5–7 May 2008 1,000 '''33''' 29 23 5 5 5 4  IfM Leipzig 8–10 Apr 2008 804 '''33''' 29 21 6 5 6 4  Emnid 13–27 Feb 2008 ~500 '''36''' 25 24 4 5 ? 11  IfM Leipzig 10–12 Dec 2007 803 '''35''' 25 25 5 4 6 10  Infratest dimap Oct 2007 1,000 '''35''' 26 23 5 5 ? 9  IfM Leipzig 21–22 Aug 2007 801 '''36''' 29 25 3 3 4 7  dimap 9–13 Jul 2007 1,003 '''40''' 25 24 4 4 3 15  IfM Leipzig 12–15 May 2007 801 '''34''' 25 26 5 5 5 8  Emnid 30 Apr–16 May 2007 516 '''32''' 27 22 6 6 6 5  IfM Leipzig 23 Feb 2007 ? '''30''' 26 28 6 5 5 2  IfM Leipzig 15 Dec 2006 802 '''34''' 25 27 5 4 5 7  IfM Leipzig 16–17 Aug 2006 810 '''33''' 26 30 4 3 4 3  IfM Leipzig 7–8 Feb 2006 802 '''34''' 24 29 3 4 6 10  IfM Leipzig 12–15 Dec 2005 806 '''36''' 26 27 3 5 3 9  Uni Jena Jul 2005 ~1,000 '''40''' 31 15 4 5 5 9  IfM Leipzig 28–30 May 2005 803 '''45''' 21 20 4 5 5 24  IfM Leipzig 24 Jan 2005 806 '''39''' 22 23 4 4 8 16  IfM Leipzig Sep 2004 ? '''41''' 25 18 6 4 6 16  2004 state election 13 Jun 2004 – '''43.0''' 26.1 14.5 4.5 3.6 8.3 16.9
Election result
Outcome Minister-President and CDU leader Dieter Althaus resigned in the wake of the election, stating he took responsibility for his party's losses. However, observers noted that his resignation also helped clear the way for a grand coalition between the CDU and SPD, which was preferred by both parties, and would be easier to manage under new leadership. The only viable alternative to a grand coalition was a government led by The Left with SPD and Green support, which both the CDU and SPD sought to avoid; the CDU because such a coalition would leave them in opposition, and the SPD because of personal animosity between its leader Christoph Matschie and Left leader Bodo Ramelow. Ultimately, a grand coalition of the CDU and SPD was formed under the leadership of the CDU's Christine Lieberknecht, who was elected Minister-President.
Notes :A.
References