2005 Schleswig-Holstein state election

2005 Schleswig-Holstein state election

← 2000 20 February 2005[1] 2009 →
All 69 seats of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein 35 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	1,434,805 (66.5%) 3.0%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Peter Harry Carstensen Heide Simonis Wolfgang Kubicki Party CDU SPD FDP Last election 33 seats, 35.2% 41 seats, 43.1% 7 seats, 7.6% Seats won 30 29 4 Seat change 3 12 3 Popular vote 576,095 554,879 94,935 Percentage 40.2% 38.7% 6.6% Swing 5.0% 4.4% 1.0%   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Anne Lütkes Anke Spoorendonk Party Greens SSW Last election 5 seats, 6.2% 3 seats, 4.1% Seats won 4 2 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 89,387 51,920 Percentage 6.2% 3.6% Swing 0.0% 0.5%
Results for the single-member constituencies
Minister-President before election Heide Simonis SPD Elected Minister-President Peter Harry Carstensen CDU

The 2005 Schleswig-Holstein state election was held on 20 February 2005 to elect the members of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein. The incumbent coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Greens led by Minister-President Heide Simonis was defeated, bringing an end to 17 years of SPD governments in the state.

The result was a deadlock, with the right-wing parties (CDU and FDP) being one seat short of majority and the left-wing parties (SPD and the Greens) two seats short, with SSW thus holding the balance of power.

After a failed attempt to invest a minority SPD–Green government supported by the South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW), the SPD agreed to join a grand coalition with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). CDU leader Peter Harry Carstensen was subsequently elected Minister-President.