1991 Rhineland-Palatinate state election

The 1991 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was held on 21 April 1991 to elect the members of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. The incumbent coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Minister-President Carl-Ludwig Wagner was defeated, losing its majority. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) moved into first place, forming a coalition with the FDP. SPD leader Rudolf Scharping was subsequently elected as Minister-President.

1991 Rhineland-Palatinate state election

← 1987 21 April 1991 1996 →

All 101 seats of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate
51 seats needed for a majority
Turnout2,125,407 (73.9%)
Decrease 3.1%
  First party Second party
 
Leader Rudolf Scharping Carl-Ludwig Wagner
Party SPD CDU
Last election 40 seats, 38.8% 48 seats, 45.1%
Seats won 47 40
Seat change Increase 7 Decrease 8
Popular vote 951,695 822,449
Percentage 44.8% 38.7%
Swing Increase 6.0% Decrease 6.4%

  Third party Fourth party
 
Party FDP Greens
Last election 7 seats, 7.3% 5 seats, 5.9%
Seats won 7 7
Seat change Steady 0 Increase 2
Popular vote 146,400 137,139
Percentage 6.9% 6.5%
Swing Decrease 0.4% Increase 0.6%

Results for the single-member constituencies

Minister-President before election

Carl-Ludwig Wagner
CDU

Elected Minister-President

Rudolf Scharping
SPD

This election marked several changes in the state history:

First, a change in the state election system. Previous elections were held purely proportionally, however, from that election on, the elections were held more in line with the federal mixed-member proportional representation, with both direct constituencies and proportional representation.

Secondly, from 1991 on, the Landtag became elected for five years instead of the previous four.

Thirdly, the election marked a shift in the state's political alignment: for 44 years (1947-1991) the state had been governed by CDU, with CDU coming first in every election As of 2023, the state has been continuously governed by SPD since the election.

Parties

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The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Name Ideology Leader(s) 1987 result
Votes (%) Seats
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian democracy Carl-Ludwig Wagner 45.1%
48 / 101
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Social democracy Rudolf Scharping 38.8%
40 / 101
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei
Classical liberalism 7.3%
7 / 101
Grüne Alliance 90/The Greens
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
Green politics 5.9%
5 / 101

Election result

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Summary of the 21 April 1991 election results for the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate
 
Party Votes % +/- Seats +/- Seats %
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 951,695 44.8  6.0 47  7 46.5
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) 822,449 38.7  6.4 40  8 39.6
Free Democratic Party (FDP) 146,400 6.9  0.4 7  0 6.9
Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) 137,139 6.5  0.6 7  2 6.9
The Republicans (REP) 43,380 2.0  2.0 0 ±0 0
Others 24,244 1.1 0 ±0 0
Total 2,125,407 100.0 101  1
Voter turnout 73.9  3.1
Popular Vote
SPD
44.78%
CDU
38.70%
FDP
6.89%
B'90/GRÜNE
6.45%
REP
2.05%
Other
1.14%
Landtag seats
SPD
46.53%
CDU
39.60%
FDP
6.93%
B'90/GRÜNE
6.93%