2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state election

2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state election
← 2012 14 May 2017 2022 →
All 199 seats in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
100 seats needed for a majority
Turnout8,577,221 (65.2% Increase 5.6pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate Armin Laschet Hannelore Kraft Christian Lindner
Party CDU SPD FDP
Last election 67 seats, 26.3% 99 seats, 39.1% 22 seats, 8.6%
Seats won 72 69 28
Seat change Increase 5 Decrease 30 Increase 6
Popular vote 2,796,683 2,649,205 1,065,307
Percentage 33.0% 31.2% 12.6%
Swing Increase 6.7pp Decrease 7.9pp Increase 4.0pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Candidate Marcus Pretzell Sylvia Löhrmann
Party AfD Greens
Last election Did not exist 29 seats, 11.3%
Seats won 16 14
Seat change Increase 16 Decrease 15
Popular vote 626,756 539,062
Percentage 7.4% 6.4%
Swing New party Decrease 4.9pp
Results for the single-member constituencies.
Government before election

Second Kraft cabinet
SPD–Green

Government after election

Laschet cabinet
CDU–FDP

The 2017 North Rhine-Westphalia state election was held on 14 May 2017 to elect the members of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. The incumbent coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens led by Minister-President Hannelore Kraft was defeated. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) became the largest party and formed a coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FDP). CDU leader Armin Laschet was subsequently elected Minister-President.[1][2]

This election was the last election in which an incumbent Minister-President was defeated until the 2022 Saarland state election.

  1. ^ "CDU und FDP einigen sich auf Koalitionsvertrag". WDR (in German). Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ^ Krug, Christian. "Martin Schulz's SPD shut out in North Rhine Westphalia". Politico EU.