1972 West German federal election
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All 496 seats in the Bundestag[a] 249 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Registered | 41,446,302 7.2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 37,761,589 (91.1%) 4.4pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Germany |
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Campaign
The
On 27 April 1972 the opposition had tried to have CDU leader
In the tense campaign, the CDU/CSU attacked Brandt as being too lenient towards Eastern Europe and having the wrong ideas on the economy. SPD and FDP benefited from the enormous personal popularity of the chancellor, laureate of the 1971 Nobel Peace Prize. He gained the support by numerous celebrities of the West German culture and media scene (e.g. Günter Grass), expressed by the slogan Willy wählen! ("Vote for Willy!").[citation needed]
Opinion polls
Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
Union | SPD | FDP | NPD | Others | Abstention | Lead |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1972 federal election | 19 Nov 1972 | – | 44.9 | 45.8 | 8.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 8.9 | 1.9 |
Emnid for SPIEGEL | Feb 1971 | N/A | 39 | 33 | 5 | — | 23 | 6 | |
1969 federal election | 19 Nov 1972 | – | 46.1 | 42.7 | 5.8 | 4.3 | 1.2 | 13.3 | 3.4 |
Results
Voter turnout was 91.1%, the highest ever since 1949. In 1970 the voting age had been lowered from 21 to 18.
Party | Party-list | Constituency | Seats | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Elected | West Berlin | Total | +/– | |||
Social Democratic Party | 17,175,169 | 45.85 | 78 | 18,228,239 | 48.86 | 152 | 230 | 12 | 242 | +5 | ||
Christian Democratic Union | 13,190,837 | 35.21 | 112 | 13,304,813 | 35.67 | 65 | 177 | 9 | 186 | –15 | ||
Christian Social Union | 3,615,183 | 9.65 | 17 | 3,620,625 | 9.71 | 31 | 48 | 0 | 48 | –1 | ||
Free Democratic Party | 3,129,982 | 8.36 | 41 | 1,790,513 | 4.80 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 42 | +11 | ||
National Democratic Party | 207,465 | 0.55 | 0 | 194,389 | 0.52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
German Communist Party | 113,891 | 0.30 | 0 | 146,258 | 0.39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New | ||
European Federalist Party | 24,057 | 0.06 | 0 | 7,581 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Free Social Union | 3,166 | 0.01 | 0 | 1,864 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Independents and voter groups | 9,497 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Total | 37,459,750 | 100.00 | 248 | 37,303,779 | 100.00 | 248 | 496 | 22 | 518 | 0 | ||
Valid votes | 37,459,750 | 99.20 | 37,303,779 | 98.79 | ||||||||
Invalid/blank votes | 301,839 | 0.80 | 457,810 | 1.21 | ||||||||
Total votes | 37,761,589 | 100.00 | 37,761,589 | 100.00 | ||||||||
Registered voters/turnout | 41,446,302 | 91.11 | 41,446,302 | 91.11 | ||||||||
Source: Bundeswahlleiter |
The SPD celebrated their best result ever, representing the largest faction in the German parliament for the first time since the 1930 Reichstag elections. It enabled the party to nominate Annemarie Renger for President of the Bundestag; she was the first Social Democrat and also the first woman to hold this office.
Results by state
Constituency seats
State | Total seats |
Seats won | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
SPD | CDU | CSU | ||
Baden-Württemberg | 36 | 12 | 24 | |
Bavaria | 44 | 13 | 31 | |
Bremen | 3 | 3 | ||
Hamburg | 8 | 8 | ||
Hesse | 22 | 20 | 2 | |
Lower Saxony | 30 | 23 | 7 | |
North Rhine-Westphalia | 73 | 52 | 21 | |
Rhineland-Palatinate | 16 | 9 | 7 | |
Saarland | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
Schleswig-Holstein | 11 | 9 | 2 | |
Total | 248 | 152 | 65 | 31 |
List seats
State | Total seats |
Seats won | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CDU | SPD | FDP | CSU | ||
Baden-Württemberg | 36 | 12 | 16 | 8 | |
Bavaria | 42 | 20 | 5 | 17 | |
Bremen | 1 | 1 | |||
Hamburg | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |
Hesse | 25 | 17 | 3 | 5 | |
Lower Saxony | 32 | 20 | 7 | 5 | |
North Rhine-Westphalia | 75 | 40 | 23 | 12 | |
Rhineland-Palatinate | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | |
Saarland | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
Schleswig-Holstein | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
Total | 248 | 112 | 78 | 41 | 17 |
Post-election
On 14 December 1972 the Bundestag MPs of the social-liberal coalition re-elected Willy Brandt chancellor. His
On 7 May 1974, Brandt would resign in the course of the
Further reading
- Baker, Kendall L.; Norpoth, Helmut (1981). "Candidates on Television: The 1972 Electoral Debates in West Germany". JSTOR 2748609.
Notes
- ^ As well as the 22 non-voting delegates for West Berlin, elected by the West Berlin Legislature.
- ^ As well as 12 non-voting delegates for West Berlin.
- ^ As well as 9 non-voting delegates for West Berlin.
- ^ As well as 1 non-voting delegates for West Berlin.