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2009 Thuringia state election

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All 88 seats of the Landtag of Thuringia
Registered	1,910,074 2.5%
Turnout	1,054,297 (56.2%) 2.4 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Dieter Althaus Bodo Ramelow Christoph Matschie Party CDU Left SPD Leader's seat Eichsfeld I Erfurt III (won seat) Jena I (won seat) Last election 45 seats, 43.0% 28 seats, 26.1% 15 seats, 14.5% Seats won 30 27 18 Seat change 15 1 3 Popular vote 329,302 288,915 195,363 Percentage 31.2% 27.4% 18.5% Swing 11.8 pp 1.3 pp 4.0 pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Uwe Barth Astrid Rothe-Beinlich Party FDP Greens Leader's seat List List Last election 0 seats, 3.6% 0 seats, 4.5% Seats won 7 6 Seat change 7 6 Popular vote 80,600 64,912 Percentage 7.6% 6.2% Swing 4.0 pp 1.7 pp
Results for the single-member constituencies
Minister-President before election Dieter Althaus CDU Elected Minister-President Christine Lieberknecht CDU

The 2009 Thuringian state election was held on 30 August 2009 to elect the members of the 5th Landtag of Thuringia. It was held on the same day as the 2009 Saarland state election and the 2009 Saxony state election. The incumbent Christian Democratic Union (CDU) government led by Minister-President Dieter Althaus was defeated. The CDU subsequently formed a grand coalition with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Althaus resigned after the election due to his party's poor performance, which was far below expectations. He was succeeded by fellow CDU member Christine Lieberknecht, who was elected as the new Minister-President.

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 4th Landtag of Thuringia.

Opinion polling

Election result

Summary of the 30 August 2009 election results for the Landtag of Thuringia

Party		Votes	%	+/–	Seats	+/–
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	329,302	31.23	11.8	30	15
	The Left (Linke)	288,915	27.40	1.3	28	1
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	195,363	18.53	4.0	18	3
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	80,600	7.64	4.0	7	7
	Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne)	64,912	6.16	1.7	6	6
	National Democratic Party (NPD)	45,451	4.31	2.7	0
	Free Voters (FW)	40,811	3.87	1.3	0
	Others	8,943	0.85		0
Total		1,054,297	100.00	–	89	–

Outcome

Minister-President and CDU leader Dieter Althaus resigned in the wake of the election, stating he took responsibility for his party's losses. However, observers noted that his resignation also helped clear the way for a grand coalition between the CDU and SPD, which was preferred by both parties, and would be easier to manage under new leadership. The only viable alternative to a grand coalition was a government led by The Left with SPD and Green support, which both the CDU and SPD sought to avoid; the CDU because such a coalition would leave them in opposition, and the SPD because of personal animosity between its leader Christoph Matschie and Left leader Bodo Ramelow. Ultimately, a grand coalition of the CDU and SPD was formed under the leadership of the CDU's Christine Lieberknecht, who was elected Minister-President.

Notes

A. Compared to results for PDS

1. Results for PDS.
2. Ran in Jena I (lost).
3. Ran in Erfurt II (lost).
4. Results for PDS.

References

1. CDU and SPD form Thuringia state coalition, The Local; 19 October 2009.
2. ^ "Merkel Loyalist Resigns (Published 2009)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-08-28.

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Pre-unification	Gotha 1919 1920 1921 Reuss-Gera 1919 Reuss-Greiz 1919 Saxe-Altenburg 1919 Saxe-Meiningen 1919 Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach 1919 Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt 1919 Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 1919
See also Elections and referendums in Germany Elections in the Free State of Prussia

• Elections in Thuringia
• 2009 elections in Germany
• August 2009 events in Germany