Bremen state election, 2015

Bremen state election, 2015

← 2011 May 10, 2015 2019 →
All 83 seats of the Bürgerschaft of Bremen 42 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Jens Böhrnsen Elisabeth Motschmann Karoline Linnert Party SPD CDU Green Last election 38.6% 20.4% 22.5% Seats before 36 20 21 Seats won 29 20 14 Seat change 7 0 7 Percentage 32.9% 22.4% 15.1% Swing 5.7% 2.0% 7.4%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Kristina Vogt Lencke Steiner Christian Schäfer Party Left FDP AfD Last election 5.6% 2.4% N/A Seats before 5 0 N/A Seats won 8 6 5 Seat change 3 6 5 Percentage 9.5% 6.5% 5.5% Swing 3.9% 4.1% N/A   Seventh party   Leader Jan Timke Party BIW Last election 3.7% Seats before 1 Seats won 1 Seat change 0 Percentage 3.2% Swing 0.5%
Mayor before election Jens Böhrnsen SPD Elected Mayor Carsten Sieling SPD

Jens Böhrnsen
SPD

Carsten Sieling
SPD

A Bremen state election were held on May 10, 2015, to elect the Bürgerschaft (state legislature) as well as the Bremische Stadtbürgerschaft and the Stadtverordnetenversammlung Bremerhaven (city legislatures).

Since the 2011 elections, Bremen has a new electoral system. Each voter may distribute five votes among party lists or candidate inscribed in them. (Cumulative voting and Panachage).

The state of Bremen consists of two cities, Bremen and Bremerhaven. Of the 83 members of the state legislature, 68 are elected in Bremen, 15 in Bremerhaven. To be allocated seats from either Bremen or Bremerhaven a party must receive 5% of the vote or more in the respective city. In Bremen (but not in Bremerhaven), the same ballot is used to determine the composition of the city legislature, also consisting of 68 members who in most cases are the same as Bremen's representatives in the state legislature. Differences may, however, arise since EU citizens resident in Bremen who are not also German citizens may vote in city legislature elections but not in state legislature elections. In the 2003 elections, the 2007 elections, and the current election, this led to one or more of Bremen's seats being allocated to different candidates in the state legislature and in the city legislature.

The state government (Senate), the head of state government (President of the Senate), and the heads of the city governments (Mayor) are later elected by the respective legislatures.

All Germans who have lived in Bremen for at least three months prior to the election are eligible to vote. As of the last election, the voting age is 16, the eligibility age 18. Non-German EU citizens resident in Bremen may vote in city legislature elections but not in state legislature elections which for German citizens in Bremen (but not in Bremerhaven) happen with the same votes on the same ballot.

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Wikipedia