2008 Bavarian state election

2008 Bavarian state election

← 2003 28 September 2008 2013 →

All 187 seats in the Landtag of Bavaria
94 seats needed for a majority
Turnout10,612,275 (58.1%)
Increase 1.0%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Günther Beckstein Franz Maget [de] Hubert Aiwanger
Party CSU SPD FW
Last election 124 seats, 60.7% 41 seats, 19.6% 0 seats, 4.0%
Seats won 92 39 21
Seat change Decrease 32 Decrease 2 Increase 21
Popular vote 4,603,960 1,972,437 1,085,896
Percentage 43.4% 18.6% 10.2%
Swing Decrease 17.3% Decrease 1.0% Increase 6.2%

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Sepp Daxenberger Martin Zeil
Party Greens FDP
Last election 15 seats, 7.7% 0 seats, 2.6%
Seats won 19 16
Seat change Increase 4 Increase 16
Popular vote 999,111 847,227
Percentage 9.4% 8.0%
Swing Increase 1.7% Increase 5.4%

Results for the single-member constituencies.

Minister-President before election

Günther Beckstein
CSU

Elected Minister-President

Horst Seehofer
CSU

The 2008 Bavarian state election was held on 28 September 2008 to elect the members of the Landtag of Bavaria. The result was a historic defeat for the Christian Social Union (CSU), which had governed with a majority uninterrupted since 1962, and had won over 60% of the vote in the 2003 election. Despite polling suggesting that the party would retain its majority with losses, it suffered a 17% swing and came up two seats short of a majority, its worst result since 1954. Minister-President and CSU leader Günther Beckstein subsequently resigned from both posts, and the Landtag elected Horst Seehofer as his successor after the CSU and Free Democratic Party (FDP) came to a coalition agreement.

The Free Voters of Bavaria entered the Landtag for the first time with 10% of the vote; the FDP also won seats for the first time in 14 years. The Left competed in its first Bavarian election, recording a modest result of 4.3%, but failing to win any seats.