Confidence vote lost: Turning points in the chancellorship
Published: Monday, Dec 16th 2024, 06:40
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The vote of confidence in the Bundestag is an instrument of power politics that a Chancellor can use to secure his or her own position or to set a new political course. Chancellors have raised the vote of confidence a total of five times in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. In three cases, it deliberately led to new elections:
Willy Brandt, 1972: Vote of confidence for new elections
In September 1972, Willy Brandt calls the first vote of confidence in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. With this deliberate defeat, he wanted to force new elections in order to secure support for his Ostpolitik. As expected, Brandt loses the vote: 233 of the 482 MPs entitled to vote express their confidence in Brandt, 248 vote against him. One abstains. In the following Bundestag election, the SPD achieves the best result in its history.
Helmut Kohl, 1982: Strategic defeat for stability
After the coalition between the FDP and SPD broke down in the fall of 1982, Helmut Kohl became chancellor two months later following a constructive vote of no confidence. In order to force new elections, he deliberately loses the vote of confidence: only eight MPs vote yes, 218 vote no and 248 abstain. A turning point that ushers in a conservative era in Germany. In the Bundestag elections that followed, the voters confirmed Kohl in office.
Gerhard Schröder, 2005: The end of the red-green era
Following poor election results and growing dissatisfaction, Gerhard Schröder calls a vote of confidence in July 2005. He deliberately loses it with 151 votes in favor, 296 against and 148 abstentions, thus enabling an early Bundestag election. The CDU/CSU victory ends the red-green era and CDU leader Angela Merkel is elected as the first female chancellor.
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