Dusseldorf The vote in the most populous federal state is considered a “small federal election” and an important mood test for federal politics, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the new CDU opposition leader Friedrich Merz. 13 million citizens were eligible to vote, about a fifth of all eligible voters in Germany.
According to the forecasts, the black-yellow coalition that has been in power for five years no longer has a majority. Among other things, a black-green alliance would be conceivable.
SPD top candidate Thomas Kutschaty could also try, as the runner-up, to forge a traffic light alliance with the Greens and FDP based on the model in the federal government – provided that the FDP moves back into the state parliament. Under certain circumstances, it could even be just enough for red-green.
The Greens and FDP had kept all alliance options open during the election campaign. However, the Greens made it clear that they prefer a two-party coalition. With their strong result, they are likely to become the “kingmakers”. Her top candidate Mona Neubaur recently said that it was “perhaps not so crucial” which man became prime minister.
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Who can mathematically coalition with whom? With our coalition calculator you can play through which parties could form a government in NRW.
The coalition calculator – this is how it works:
1. Set up the survey: Click the arrow next to the poll date. Then select a survey institute. This data is used for the calculation.
2. Select the party: Below the semicircle, which indicates the seats in the state parliament, you will find the party names. The number above the name shows the number of seats, based on the data from the previously posted survey. If the party has a colored background, it is selected.
3. Test coalitions: Now you can click parties and see if together they get a majority. The majority is achieved from 91 seats and is indicated in this coalition calculator by the line in the middle of the semicircle. With the X to the right of the party name you can remove the party again.
An example: Click on the CDU/CSU, Greens and FDP so that the names are highlighted in colour. According to the INSA survey of May 12, the parties together achieve 111 seats, so they could form a coalition capable of governing.
The most important facts about the state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW):
- NRW is the most populous federal state in Germany, so the state elections are considered particularly relevant for federal politics.
- The top candidates are Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) and SPD parliamentary group leader Thomas Kutschaty.
- Polls see a tight race between the CDU and SPD for the largest group.
More: NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst in an interview: “The picture is solidifying: we are ahead”