1950 East German general election

1950 East German general election
All 466 seats in the Volkskammer
Turnout	98.50% ( 3.27pp)
Chairman of the Council of Ministers before election; Otto Grotewohl; SED	Chairman of the Council of Ministers after election ; Otto Grotewohl; SED

General elections were held in East Germany on 15 October 1950. They were the first held since the founding of the country on 7 October 1949. There were 466 deputies in the Volkskammer, including 66 from East Berlin who were not directly elected.

This election set the tone for all elections held in East Germany until the Peaceful Revolution. Voters were presented with a single list from the National Front of Democratic Germany, which in turn was controlled by the Socialist Unity Party. Only one candidate appeared on the ballot; voters simply took the ballot paper and dropped it into the ballot box. Those who wanted to vote against the candidate had to go to a special booth, without any secrecy.^[1] Seats were apportioned based on a set quota, not actual vote totals.^[2] By ensuring that its candidates dominated the list, the SED effectively predetermined the composition of the Volkskammer.

According to official figures, the National Front list received the approval of 99.6% of voters, with turnout reported to be 98.5%.^[3]

Results



Party or alliance			Votes	%	Seats
	National Front	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	12,088,745	99.71	110
		Christian Democratic Union			67
		Liberal Democratic Party of Germany			66
		Free German Trade Union Federation			49
		National Democratic Party of Germany			35
		Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany			33
		Free German Youth			25
		Cultural Association of the GDR			24
		Democratic Women's League of Germany			20
		Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime			19
		Peasants Mutual Aid Association			12
		Social Democratic Party (Eastern Bureau)			6
Against			35,544	0.29	–
Total			12,124,289	100.00	466

Valid votes			12,124,289	99.87
Invalid/blank votes			15,643	0.13
Total votes			12,139,932	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			12,325,168	98.50
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, Sternberger et al.

References

^ Sebetsyen, Victor (2009). Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. New York City: Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0-375-42532-5.
^ Eugene Register-Guard October 29, 1989. p. 5A.
^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p779 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

External links

Act on Elections to the People's Chamber, to the State Parliaments, district councils and municipal councils in the German Democratic Republic on 15 October 1950

[1] Sebetsyen, Victor (2009). Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire. New York City: Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0-375-42532-5.

[2] Eugene Register-Guard October 29, 1989. p. 5A.

[NS-3] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p779 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7

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[2]

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