# 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election

The 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was held on 27 March 2011 to elect the members of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) government led by Minister-President Kurt Beck lost its majority. The SPD subsequently formed a coalition with The Greens, and Beck continued in office.

## Parties

The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.
| Name | Name | Name | Ideology | Leader(s) | 2006 result | 2006 result |
| Name | Name | Name | Ideology | Leader(s) | Votes (%) | Seats |
| | SPD | Social Democratic Party of Germany Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands | Social democracy | Kurt Beck | 45.6% | 53 / 101 |
| | CDU | Christian Democratic Union of Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands | Christian democracy | Julia Klöckner | 32.8% | 38 / 101 |
| | FDP | Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei | Classical liberalism | Herbert Mertin | 8.0% | 10 / 101 |

## Opinion polling

| Polling firm | Fieldwork date | Sample size | SPD | CDU | FDP | Grüne | Linke | Others | Lead |
| 2011 state election | 27 Mar 2011 | – | 35.7 | 35.2 | 4.2 | 15.4 | 3.0 | 6.4 | 0.5 |
| Emnid | 18–24 Mar 2011 | 1,000 | 38 | 35 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Emnid | 11–17 Mar 2011 | 1,000 | 37 | 34 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Forschungsgruppe Wahlen | 15–17 Mar 2011 | 1,300 | 37 | 35 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Infratest dimap | 14–17 Mar 2011 | 1,250 | 36 | 36 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 6 | Tie |
| Psephos | 8–11 Mar 2011 | 1,003 | 40 | 35 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Emnid | 4–10 Mar 2011 | 1,000 | 39 | 34 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Infratest dimap | 4–7 Mar 2011 | 1,000 | 38 | 36 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Emnid | 24 Feb–1 Mar 2011 | 1,000 | 40 | 34 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Emnid | 18–24 Feb 2011 | 1,001 | 38 | 36 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Emnid | 11–17 Feb 2011 | 1,001 | 38 | 35 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Infratest dimap | 11–14 Feb 2011 | 1,000 | 38 | 36 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Emnid | 4–10 Feb 2011 | 1,002 | 40 | 34 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Emnid | 31 Jan–3 Feb 2011 | 1,001 | 38 | 36 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Forschungsgruppe Wahlen | 31 Jan–2 Feb 2011 | 1,060 | 37 | 35 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Infratest dimap | 21–24 Jan 2011 | 1,001 | 37 | 37 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 3 | Tie |
| Emnid | 1–15 Dec 2010 | 1,002 | 39 | 37 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Psephos | 6–11 Dec 2010 | 1,001 | 41 | 35 | 5 | 10 | 5 | ? | 6 |
| Infratest dimap | 3–6 Dec 2010 | 1,000 | 35 | 35 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 4 | Tie |
| Infratest dimap | 17–20 Sep 2010 | 1,000 | 36 | 34 | 4 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Psephos | 6–10 Sep 2010 | 1,002 | 42 | 34 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| Psephos | 11–17 Jun 2010 | 1,007 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Infratest dimap | 16–19 Apr 2010 | 1,000 | 35 | 37 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Psephos | 9–13 Mar 2010 | 1,005 | 39 | 34 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Infratest dimap | 8–11 Dec 2009 | 1,003 | 36 | 36 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 6 | Tie |
| Infratest dimap | 4–7 Dec 2009 | 1,000 | 32 | 38 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Infratest dimap | 11–14 Sep 2009 | 1,000 | 33 | 35 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Psephos | 9–14 Sep 2009 | 1,003 | 36 | 33 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Psephos | 16–20 Jun 2009 | 1,000 | 38 | 31 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Infratest dimap | 22–25 May 2009 | 1,000 | 36 | 36 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 4 | Tie |
| Psephos | 11–17 Mar 2009 | 1,003 | 38 | 32 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Psephos | 4–10 Dec 2008 | 1,003 | 41 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| Infratest dimap | 4–8 Dec 2008 | 1,000 | 36 | 35 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| polis+sinus | 29 Oct–15 Nov 2008 | 1,512 | 39 | 35 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Infratest dimap | 15–16 Sep 2008 | 1,000 | 38 | 38 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | Tie |
| Psephos | 2–9 Sep 2008 | 1,439 | 38 | 35 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Infratest dimap | 29 Aug–2 Sep 2008 | 1,000 | 36 | 38 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Psephos | 9–12 Jun 2008 | 1,004 | 37 | 36 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Infratest dimap | 8–9 Apr 2008 | 1,000 | 37 | 37 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 4 | Tie |
| Infratest dimap | 11–12 Mar 2008 | 1,000 | 39 | 37 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Psephos | 1–7 Mar 2008 | 1,001 | 40 | 34 | 10 | 6 | 5 | ? | 6 |
| Psephos | 8–13 Dec 2007 | 1,003 | 42 | 33 | 10 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 9 |
| Infratest dimap | 5–10 Dec 2007 | 1,000 | 42 | 37 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Psephos | 11–15 Sep 2007 | 1,003 | 43 | 33 | 9 | 5 | – | 10 | 10 |
| Forsa | 6–28 Aug 2007 | 1,061 | 40 | 34 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Infratest dimap | 20–23 Jul 2007 | 1,000 | 43 | 36 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Psephos | 7–11 May 2007 | 1,006 | 44 | 32 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| Forsa | 26 Apr 2007 | ? | 43 | 31 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 12 |
| Infratest dimap | 20–23 Apr 2007 | 1,000 | 43 | 33 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Forsa | 20 Feb–20 Mar 2007 | 1,006 | 45 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
| Psephos | 5–9 Mar 2007 | 1,001 | 46 | 31 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
| Psephos | 11–16 Dec 2006 | 1,002 | 45 | 31 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 14 |
| Infratest dimap | 8–11 Dec 2006 | 1,000 | 43 | 31 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| Psephos | 11–14 Sep 2006 | 1,004 | 46 | 31 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
| Forsa | 9–15 Aug 2006 | 1,001 | 46 | 26 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 20 |
| Infratest dimap | 10–11 Jul 2006 | 1,000 | 46 | 31 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| Infratest dimap | 15–16 May 2006 | 1,000 | 43 | 31 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| 2006 state election | 26 Mar 2006 | – | 45.6 | 32.8 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 6.4 | 12.8 |

## Election result

Summary of the 27 March 2011 election results for the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate :
| Party | Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- | Seats % |
| | Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 666,817 | 35.7 | 9.9 | 42 | 11 | 41.6 |
| | Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 658,474 | 35.2 | 2.4 | 41 | 3 | 40.6 |
| | Alliance 90/The Greens (Grüne) | 288,489 | 15.4 | 10.8 | 18 | 18 | 17.8 |
| | Free Democratic Party (FDP) | 79,343 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| | The Left (Linke) | 56,054 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0 | ±0 | 0 |
| | Free Voters (FW) | 43,348 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0 | ±0 | 0 |
| | Pirate Party Germany (Piraten) | 29,319 | 1.6 | New | 0 | New | 0 |
| | National Democratic Party (NPD) | 20,586 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0 | ±0 | 0 |
| | Others | 25,757 | 1.4 | | 0 | ±0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 1,868,187 | 100.0 | | 101 | ±0 | |
| Voter turnout | Voter turnout | | 61.8 | 3.2 | | | |
Popular Vote
SPD
35.69%
CDU
35.25%
B'90/GRÜNE
15.44%
FDP
4.25%
DIE LINKE
3.00%
Other
6.37% :
Landtag seats
SPD
41.58%
CDU
40.59%
B'90/GRÜNE
17.82% :