German federal election, 1972
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The 7th German federal election, 1972, was conducted on November 19, 1972, to elect members to the Bundestag (lower house) of Germany.
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[edit] Issues and Campaign
The SPD/FDP-coalition had lost its majority because FDP members of Bundestag left their party and became members of the CDU/CSU to protest against Willy Brandt's policy of recognizing the German Democratic Republic and beginning diplomatic relations with this state which had never been recognized by the earlier governments under Konrad Adenauer, Ludwig Erhard and Kurt Georg Kiesinger. The CDU/CSU had tried to drive Brandt out of office by a vote of non-confidence in the Bundestag after the coalition had lost the majority. But the candidate of the CDU/CSU, Rainer Barzel, failed to become chancellor.
In the campaign, the CDU/CSU attacked Brandt as traitor of the democratic Germany. They also mentioned Brandt's fight against the German Army in World War II in Norway. SPD and FDP profited from the enormous personal popularity of the chancellor, who had received the Nobel Prize for Peace of 1971. The SPD election motto was "Willy Brandt must stay chancellor", while the Conservatives spoke of a decision between "Freedom" and "Socialism".
[edit] Results
| Party | Party List votes | Vote percentage (change) | Total Seats (change) | Seat percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party | 17,175,169 | 45.8% | +3.1% | 230 | +6 | 46.4% |
| Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 3,129,982 | 8.4% | +2.6% | 41 | +11 | 8.3% |
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 13,190,837 | 35.2% | -1.4% | 177 | -16 | 35.7% |
| Christian Social Union (CSU) | 3,615,183 | 9.6% | +0.2% | 48 | -1 | 9.7% |
| All Others | 348,579 | 0.9% | 0 | 0.0% | ||
| Totals | 37,459,750 | 100.0% | 496 | +0 | 100.0% | |
[edit] Post-election
The coalition between the SPD and the FDP returned to government, with Willy Brandt as Chancellor. In 1974, Brandt would resign in a scandal over one of his aides, but the coalition would continue under Helmut Schmidt.
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