1946 Soviet occupation zone state elections

20 October 1946

1950 →

Registered

11,454,837

Turnout

91.0%

	Majority party	Minority party	Third party

Party	SED	CDU	LDP
Seats won	249	133	121
Popular vote	4,685,304	2,411,033	2,418,841
Percentage	47.57%	24.48%	24.56%

	Fourth party	Fifth party	Sixth party

Party	VdgB	Kulturbund	Frauenausschüsse
Seats won	15	1	0
Popular vote	296,111	19,148	18,340
Percentage	3.01%	0.19%	0.19%

State elections were held in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany on 20 October 1946 to elect the state legislatures of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. They were the only elections held in the future territory of East Germany before the establishment of the German Democratic Republic in 1949, and the only free and fair elections in that part of Germany between 1932 and the Peaceful Revolution.

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), which was formed by the forced merger of the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party in the Soviet occupation zone, became the largest party but achieved an absolute majority in only one state. The SED was created in view of the holding of elections in the Soviet zone, as a first step for future political reforms.

In addition to the SED, three other parties participated; the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Peasants Mutual Aid Association (VdgB). Two other organizations participated but only in Saxony. The SED landslide victory was seen by Soviet authorities as a justification for the development of socialism in their zone. The occupation authorities quickly dropped all pretense of liberal democracy, and cajoled the other parties into forming a "coalition" in which only the SED had any real power. By the time of the elections for a constitutional assembly in 1949, voters only had the option of approving or rejecting a "unity list" put forward by the SED-dominated Democratic Bloc.

The next state elections were held in 1950, after the establishment of the German Democratic Republic.

Results

Overall


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	4,685,304	47.57	249
	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany	2,418,841	24.56	121
	Christian Democratic Union	2,411,033	24.48	133
	Peasants Mutual Aid Association	296,111	3.01	15
	Cultural Association	19,148	0.19	1
	Women's Committees	18,340	0.19	0
Total		9,848,777	100.00	519

Valid votes		9,848,777	94.54
Invalid/blank votes		569,279	5.46
Total votes		10,418,056	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		11,449,620	90.99

Brandenburg


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	634,786	43.52	44
	Christian Democratic Union	442,206	30.32	31
	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany	298,311	20.45	20
	Peasants Mutual Aid Association	83,271	5.71	5
Total		1,458,574	100.00	100

Valid votes		1,458,574	96.21
Invalid/blank votes		57,413	3.79
Total votes		1,515,987	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,655,980	91.55
Source: Wahlen in Deutschland

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	551,594	49.53	45
	Christian Democratic Union	379,829	34.10	31
	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany	138,662	12.45	11
	Peasants Mutual Aid Association	43,663	3.92	3
Total		1,113,748	100.00	90

Valid votes		1,113,748	94.53
Invalid/blank votes		64,463	5.47
Total votes		1,178,211	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,308,727	90.03
Source: Wahlen in Deutschland

Saxony


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	1,616,068	49.11	59
	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany	813,224	24.71	30
	Christian Democratic Union	766,859	23.30	28
	Peasants Mutual Aid Association	57,356	1.74	2
	Cultural Association	19,148	0.58	1
	Women's Committees	18,340	0.56	0
Total		3,290,995	100.00	120

Valid votes		3,290,995	93.54
Invalid/blank votes		227,113	6.46
Total votes		3,518,108	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		3,803,416	92.50
Source: Wahlen in Deutschland

Saxony-Anhalt


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	1,063,889	45.79	51
	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany	695,685	29.94	32
	Christian Democratic Union	507,397	21.84	24
	Peasants Mutual Aid Association	56,630	2.44	2
Total		2,323,601	100.00	109

Valid votes		2,323,601	94.15
Invalid/blank votes		144,363	5.85
Total votes		2,467,964	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		2,695,416	91.56
Source: Wahlen in Deutschland

Thuringia


Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Socialist Unity Party of Germany	818,967	49.28	50
	Liberal Democratic Party of Germany	472,959	28.46	28
	Christian Democratic Union	314,742	18.94	19
	Peasants Mutual Aid Association	55,191	3.32	3
Total		1,661,859	100.00	100

Valid votes		1,661,859	95.63
Invalid/blank votes		75,927	4.37
Total votes		1,737,786	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		1,986,081	87.50
Source: Wahlen in Deutschland

References

Martin Broszat, Gerhard Braas, Hermann Weber (1993). SBZ-Handbuch, ISBN 3-486-55262-7.
Mathias Tullner (1997). Zwischen Demokratie und Diktatur. Die Kommunalwahlen und die Wahlen zum Provinziallandtag in Sachsen-Anhalt im Jahre 1946, Magdeburgo, pp. 95–98.
Richard Schachtner (1956). Die deutschen Nachkriegswahlen: Wahlergebnisse in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, in den deutschen Bundesländern, in West-Berlin, im Saarland und in der Sowjetzone (DDR) 1946-19, Isar-Verlag, Múnich, pp. 77-78.
Günter Braun: Wahlen und Abstimmungen. In: Martin Broszat, Hermann Weber (1990). SBZ-Handbuch, Oldenbourg, Múnich, pp. 397, 396 & 418.
Herbert Gottwald (1994). Der Thüringer Landtag 1946-1952. Thüringer Landtag in Verbindung mit Wartburg Verlag, Jena, pp. 56, 81 & 101.
Karl-Heinz Hajna (2000). Die Landtagswahlen 1946 in der SBZ, Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main, ISBN 3-631-35950-0

v t e Elections and referendums in East Germany
General elections	1949 1950 1954 1958 1963 1967 1971 1976 1981 1986 1990
State elections	1946 1950
Referendums	1951 1954 1968

This page was last edited on 17 March 2024, at 17:18