West German federal election, 1976

German federal election, 1976

3 October 1976
All 518 seats in the Bundestag 260 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	90.7% (voting eligible)
First party Second party Third party   150x150px 150x150px Leader Helmut Kohl Helmut Schmidt Hans-Dietrich Genscher Party CDU/CSU SPD FDP Leader since 1973 (CDU) 1974 1974 Last election 234 242 42 Seats won 254 224 40 Seat change 20 18 2 Popular vote 18,394,801 16,099,019 2,995,085 Percentage 48.6% 42.6% 7.9% Swing 3.7% 3.2% 0.5%
180px Party list election results by state: red denotes states where the SPD had the absolute majority of the votes; pink denotes states where the SPD had the plurality of votes; darker blue denotes states where CDU/CSU had the absolute majority of the votes; and lighter blue denotes states where CDU had the plurality of votes
Chancellor before election Helmut Schmidt SPD Elected Chancellor Helmut Schmidt SPD

File:1976 federal german result.svg

Seat results -- SPD in red, FDP in yellow, CDU/CSU in black

Federal elections were held in West Germany on 3 October 1976.

Campaign

The coalition of SPD and FDP wanted to be re-elected, with the SPD now led by Helmut Schmidt—the party's candidate for Chancellor. CDU and CSU tried to achieve an absolute majority of the votes to make CDU chairman Helmut Kohl Chancellor.

Results

 Summary of the 3 October 1976 German Bundestag election results

Parties		Constituency					Party list					Total seats
		Votes	%	+/−	Seats	+/−	Votes	%	+/−	Seats	+/−	Seats	+/−	%
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	16,471,321	43.7	−5.2	114	−38	16,099,019	42.6	−3.2	100	+22	224	−18	43.2
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	14,423,157	38.3	+2.6	94	+29	14,367,302	38.0	+2.8	96	−18	201	+15	38.8
	Christian Social Union (CSU)	4,008,514	10.6	+0.9	40	+9	4,027,499	10.6	+0.9	13	−4	53	+5	10.2
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	2,417,683	6.4	+1.6	0	±0	2,995,085	7.9	−0.5	39	−2	40	−2	7.7
	National Democratic Party (NPD)	136,028	0.4	−0.1	0	±0	122,661	0.3	−0.3	0	±0	0	±0	0
	German Communist Party (DKP)	170,855	0.5	+0.1	0	±0	118,581	0.3	±0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	Communist Party of Germany (KPD)	8,822	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	22,714	0.1	+0.1	0	±0	0	±0	0
	Action Community of Independent Germans (AUD)	19,490	0.1	+0.1	0	±0	22,202	0.1	+0.1	0	±0	0	±0	0
	Communist League of West Germany (KBW)	21,414	0.1	+0.1	0	±0	20,018	0.1	+0.1	0	±0	0	±0	0
	European Workers' Party (EAP)	3,177	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	6,811	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	Christian Bavarian People's Party (CBV)	4,876	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	6,720	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	International Marxist Group (GIM)	2,037	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	4,759	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	Action Community Fourth Party (AVP)	2,636	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	4,723	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	5%-Block	985	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	2,940	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	Independent Workers' Party (UAP)	499	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	765	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	United Left (VL)	217	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	701	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	0	±0	0
	RFP	227	0.0	+0.0	0	±0	–	–	–	–	–	0	±0	0
	Electoral groups and independents	3,706	0.0	±0	0	±0	–	–	–	–	–	0	±0	0
Invalid/blank votes		470,109	—	—	—	—	343,253	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Totals		38,165,753	100	±0.0	248	±0	38,165,753	100	±0.0	248	±0	518	±0	±0
Registered voters/turnout		42,058,015	90.7	—	—	—	42,058,015	90.7	—	—	—	—	—	—
Source: Federal Returning Officer

^† — includes the non-voting delegates for West Berlin (11 CDU, 10 SPD, 1 FDP).

↓

254	224	40
CDU/CSU	SPD	FDP

Popular Vote
CDU/CSU			48.63%
SPD			42.56%
F.D.P.			7.92%
Other			0.88%

Bundestag seats
CDU/CSU			48.99%
SPD			43.15%
F.D.P.			7.86%

Aftermath

The coalition between the SPD and the FDP remained in government, with Helmut Schmidt as Chancellor. Between the "sister parties" of CDU and Bavarian CSU there emerged a critical conflict, as the CSU leader Franz Josef Strauß wanted to break both the united Bundestag group of the parties and the agreement not to compete against each other in any Land. Later, this attack was withdrawn, while Strauß became candidate for chancellor for the 1980 elections.