1990 German federal election — 1990 elections to choose the members of Germany parliament
The first all-German federal election since the early 1930s, held after reunification, secured a third term for Helmut Kohl's coalition.
Key Facts
- Date
- 2 December 1990
- Bundestag number elected
- 12th Bundestag
- CDU/CSU second-vote total
- 20,358,096 votes (record high)
- First all-German election since
- Early 1930s
- First FDP constituency seat since
- 1957 (Uwe Lühr, Halle)
- Coalition reelected
- CDU/CSU and FDP (third term)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The accession of the former East German states to the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, following the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, necessitated the first all-German federal election. The Bundestag had been temporarily expanded with East German Volkskammer delegates pending a proper democratic mandate from the full German electorate.
On 2 December 1990, voters across unified Germany elected members of the 12th Bundestag. Chancellor Helmut Kohl's governing coalition of CDU/CSU and FDP won a decisive victory. The election also saw the FDP win its first constituency seat since 1957, and PDS leader Gregor Gysi win a direct mandate in Berlin.
Kohl's coalition was returned for a third consecutive term, and subsequently a fourth in 1994. The CDU/CSU's second-vote total of over 20 million remains the highest ever recorded in a democratic German election. The result ended the two-party Volksparteien dominance of constituency seats, with FDP and PDS each claiming direct mandates.
Political Outcome
CDU/CSU and FDP coalition under Chancellor Helmut Kohl won a comprehensive victory and were reelected for a third term.
West German CDU/CSU–FDP coalition government (pre-reunification)
CDU/CSU–FDP coalition confirmed as government of unified Germany