1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election

The 1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election was held on 14 June 1970 to elect the 7th Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Minister-President Heinz Kühn.

1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election
14 June 1970
All 200 seats in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout8,739,940 (73.5% Decrease 3.0pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Heinrich Köppler.jpg
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F023752-0007, Heinz Kühn.jpg
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F060665-0013, Köln, FDP-Parteitag, Hoppe, Weyer.jpg
Candidate Heinrich Köppler Heinz Kühn Willi Weyer
Party CDU SPD FDP
Last election 86 seats, 42.8% 99 seats, 49.5% 15 seats, 7.4%
Seats won 95 94 11
Seat change Increase 9 Decrease 5 Decrease 4
Popular vote 4,020,186 3,996,808 478,420
Percentage 46.3% 46.1% 5.5%
Swing Increase 3.5pp Decrease 3.4pp Decrease 1.9pp
Results for the single-member constituencies.
Government before election

First Kühn cabinet
SPD–FDP

 Government after election

Second Kühn cabinet
SPD–FDP

The opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) returned as the largest party after falling to second in 1966, winning a narrow plurality of 46.3%, with a lead of 0.2% and one seat over the SPD. The FDP suffered losses and declined to 5.5%. Overall, the incumbent coalition retained a reduced majority of 105 seats. However, a number of FDP deputies opposed to cooperation with the SPD refused to vote for Kühn in the investiture vote on 28 July; he was re-elected with the minimum majority of 101 votes out of 200. There were 95 votes for CDU leader Heinrich Köppler and four abstentions.[1] In October, three members of the FDP faction defected to the new party National Liberal Action, leaving the government with a narrow majority of 102 seats.[2] Nonetheless, it completed its full term.

Electoral system

The Landtag was elected via mixed-member proportional representation. 150 members were elected in single-member constituencies via first-past-the-post voting, and fifty then allocated using compensatory proportional representation. A single ballot was used for both. 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
Main article: 1966 North Rhine-Westphalia state election

In the previous election held on 10 July 1966, the SPD became the largest party for the first time in the state, coming just short of a majority with 49.5% and 99 seats. The CDU was reduced to second place with 43%, and the FDP improved to 7.4%. The incumbent CDU–FDP coalition was renewed, but collapsed in November after a grand coalition took power federally. The FDP subsequently agreed to a coalition with the SPD, and Heinz Kühn was elected Minister-President by the Landtag.

Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the 6th Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Name Ideology Lead
candidate		 1966 result
Votes (%) Seats
SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands		 Social democracy Heinz Kühn 49.5%
99 / 200
CDU Christian Democratic Union of Germany
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands		 Christian democracy Heinrich Köppler 42.8%
86 / 200
FDP Free Democratic Party
Freie Demokratische Partei		 Classical liberalism Willi Weyer 7.4%
15 / 200

Results
PartyVotes%+/–Seats
Con.ListTotal+/–
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)4,020,18646.33+3.57653095+9
Social Democratic Party (SPD)3,996,80846.06–3.4285994–5
Free Democratic Party (FDP)478,4205.51–1.9101111–4
National Democratic Party (NPD)94,0431.08New000New
German Communist Party (DKP)76,9640.89New000New
Centre Party (ZENTRUM)9,9020.11–0.09000±0
Independent Workers' Party (UAP)1,5040.02–0.02000±0
Total8,677,827100.00–15050200±0
Valid votes8,677,82799.29
Invalid/blank votes62,1130.71
Total votes8,739,940100.00
Registered voters/turnout11,890,60973.50
Source:
  • "Electoral system of North Rhine-Westphalia". Wahlrecht.de (in German). 15 May 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2023.

References
  1. "Minutes of the Landtag session of 28 July 1970" (PDF). Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia (in German). 28 July 1970.
  2. "A dance on the volcano?". Die Zeit (in German). 16 October 1970.
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