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1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election

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1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election

← 1966 14 June 1970 1975 →

All 200 seats in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout8,739,940 (73.5% Decrease 3.0pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Heinrich Köppler.jpg
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F023752-0007, Heinz Kühn.jpg
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F060665-0013, Köln, FDP-Parteitag, Hoppe, Weyer.jpg
Candidate Heinrich Köppler Heinz Kühn Willi Weyer
Party CDU SPD FDP
Last election 86 seats, 42.8% 99 seats, 49.5% 15 seats, 7.4%
Seats won 95 94 11
Seat change Increase 9 Decrease 5 Decrease 4
Popular vote 4,020,186 3,996,808 478,420
Percentage 46.3% 46.1% 5.5%
Swing Increase 3.5pp Decrease 3.4pp Decrease 1.9pp

Results for the single-member constituencies.

Government before election

First Kühn cabinet
SPDFDP

Government after election

Second Kühn cabinet
SPDFDP

The 1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election was held on 14 June 1970 to elect the 7th Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Minister-President Heinz Kühn.

The opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) returned as the largest party after falling to second in 1966, winning a narrow plurality of 46.3%, with a lead of 0.2% and one seat over the SPD. The FDP suffered losses and declined to 5.5%. Overall, the incumbent coalition retained a reduced majority of 105 seats. However, a number of FDP deputies opposed to cooperation with the SPD refused to vote for Kühn in the investiture vote on 28 July; he was re-elected with the minimum majority of 101 votes out of 200. There were 95 votes for CDU leader Heinrich Köppler and four abstentions.[1] In October, three members of the FDP faction defected to the new party National Liberal Action, leaving the government with a narrow majority of 102 seats.[2] Nonetheless, it completed its full term.

Electoral system

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The Landtag was elected via mixed-member proportional representation. 150 members were elected in single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting, and fifty were then allocated using compensatory proportional representation. A single ballot was used for both. An electoral threshold of 5% of valid votes is applied to the Landtag; parties below this threshold are ineligible to receive seats.

Background

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In the previous election held on 10 July 1966, the SPD became the largest party for the first time in the state, coming just short of a majority with 49.5% and 99 seats. The CDU was reduced to second place with 43%, and the FDP improved to 7.4%. The incumbent CDU–FDP coalition was renewed, but collapsed in November after a grand coalition took power federally. The FDP subsequently agreed to a coalition with the SPD, and Heinz Kühn was elected Minister-President by the Landtag.

Parties

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The table below lists parties represented in the 6th Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Name Ideology Lead
candidate
1966 result
Votes (%) Seats
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Social democracy Heinz Kühn 49.5%
99 / 200
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian democracy Heinrich Köppler 42.8%
86 / 200
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei
Classical liberalism Willi Weyer 7.4%
15 / 200

Results

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94
11
95
PartyVotes%+/–Seats
Con.ListTotal+/–
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)4,020,18646.33+3.57653095+9
Social Democratic Party (SPD)3,996,80846.06–3.4285994–5
Free Democratic Party (FDP)478,4205.51–1.9101111–4
National Democratic Party (NPD)94,0431.08New000New
German Communist Party (DKP)76,9640.89New000New
Centre Party (ZENTRUM)9,9020.11–0.09000±0
Independent Workers' Party (UAP)1,5040.02–0.02000±0
Total8,677,827100.0015050200±0
Valid votes8,677,82799.29
Invalid/blank votes62,1130.71
Total votes8,739,940100.00
Registered voters/turnout11,890,60973.50
Source: [1] [2]
[edit]
  • "Electoral system of North Rhine-Westphalia". Wahlrecht.de (in German). 15 May 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.

References

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