1954 Hessian state election

The 1954 Hessian state election was held on 28 November 1954 to elect the 3rd Landtag of Hesse. The outgoing government was a majority of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Minister-President Georg-August Zinn.

1954 Hessian state election

← 1950 28 November 1954 1958 →

All 96 seats in the Landtag of Hesse
49 seats needed for a majority
Turnout2,559,409 (82.4% Increase 17.5pp)
  First party Second party
 
Georg-August Zinn.jpg
CDU Landesvorsitzender Wilhelm Fay bei einer Rede während des Bundestagswahlkampf.jpg
Candidate Georg-August Zinn Wilhelm Fay
Party SPD CDU
Last election 47 seats, 44.4% 12 seats, 18.8%
Seats won 44 24
Seat change Decrease 3 Increase 12
Popular vote 1,065,733 603,691
Percentage 42.6% 24.1%
Swing Decrease 1.8pp Increase 5.3pp

  Third party Fourth party
 
August-Martin Euler.jpg
Candidate August-Martin Euler Gotthard Franke
Party FDP GB/BHE
Last election [a] [b]
Seats won 21 7
Seat change Increase 8 Decrease 1
Popular vote 513,421 192,390
Percentage 20.5% 7.7%
Swing New New

Results for the single-member constituencies.

Government before election

First Zinn cabinet
SPD

Government after election

Second Zinn cabinet
SPDGB/BHE

The election saw the Free Democratic Party (FDP) displaced as the main opposition party by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The All-German Bloc/League of Expellees (GB/BHE), which in 1950 ran in alliance with the FDP, won 8%. Modifications to the electoral system saw the SPD deprived of its majority despite only minor losses, and the party formed a coalition with the GB/HBE.

Electoral system

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The Landtag was elected via mixed-member proportional representation. 48 members were elected in single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting, and 48 then allocated using compensatory proportional representation. A single ballot was used for both. The size of the Landtag was increased in this election from 80 to 96 by the addition of more compensatory seats. An electoral threshold of 5% of valid votes is applied to the Landtag; parties that fall below this threshold are ineligible to receive seats.

Background

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In the previous election held on 19 November 1950, the SPD won a majority of seats with 44% of the vote. An alliance of the FDP and GB/BHE made up the second largest group, winning 32%, followed by the CDU on 19%. This represented a major reversal in the two parties' positions compared to 1946. The Communist Party (KPD) narrowly fell below the 5% threshold and lost its seats. Georg-August Zinn became Minister-President in the new SPD majority government.

Parties

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The table below lists parties represented in the 2nd Landtag of Hesse.

Name Ideology Lead
candidate
1950 result
Votes (%) Seats
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands
Social democracy Georg-August Zinn 44.4%
47 / 80
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei
Classical liberalism August-Martin Euler 31.8%
13 / 80
GB/BHE All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights
Gesamtdeutscher Block/Bund der Heimatvertriebenen und Entrechteten
National conservatism Gotthard Franke
8 / 80
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands
Christian democracy Wilhelm Fay 18.8%
12 / 80

Results

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PartyVotes%+/–Seats
Con.ListTotal+–
Social Democratic Party1,065,73342.61–1.7641344–3
Christian Democratic Union603,69124.14+5.3351924+12
Free Democratic Party513,42120.53New21921+8
All-German Bloc/League of Expellees192,3907.69New077–1
Communist Party84,0133.36–1.390000
German Party29,3091.17New000New
Alliance of Germans12,0470.48New000New
Free Opposition4160.02New000New
Independents2530.01–0.05000
Total2,501,273100.00484896+16
Valid votes2,501,27397.73
Invalid/blank votes58,1362.27
Total votes2,559,409100.00
Registered voters/turnout3,105,12582.43
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  • "The Election to the Hessian Landtag, 28 November 1954" (PDF). Parliamentary Data Bank of the Hessian Landtag (in German). March 1955. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  • "Loss of the absolute majority for the SPD in the state elections, November 28, 1954". Hessian Regional History Information System (in German). Retrieved 17 September 2023.

Notes

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  1. ^ Previously ran with GB/BHE, winning 31.8% and 21 seats (13 FDP).
  2. ^ Previously ran with FDP, winning 31.8% and 21 seats (8 GB/BHE).