1972 Besmenian federal election

1972 Besmenian federal election

16 January 1972
427 seats 214 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Candidate Robert Gleitzmann Johannes Schmidt Jürgen Rothmann Party BVP SDU FBBP Percentage 39,8% 21,5% 17,1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Candidate Konrad Berger Udo Kühbacher Erich Saalfeld Party BRP BELP DB Percentage 10,3% 5,7% 3,3%
File:Besmenia1972electionmap.png Strongest party by state
Premier before election Johannes Schmidt SDU Elected Premier Robert Gleitzmann BVP

The 1972 Besmenian federal election took place in Besmenia on January 16, 1972. It was the election of the 14th Federal Chamber.

The SDU under Premier Johannes Schmidt lost a lot of votes and after 8 years as the strongest party became the second strongest again. The strongest party was the BVP, which sent its chairman Robert Gleitzmann into the race as the top candidate and benefited from the losses of the SDU. The FBBP and the BRP gained mandates. The DB lost votes and dropped out of the Federal Chamber with 3.3%.

Background

In the 1968 federal election, the first all-Besmenian election in around 50 years, the coalition of the SDU and BVP, which had existed since 1956, was confirmed under Prime Minister Johannes Schmidt.

After Robert Gleitzmann was elected BVP chairman on 31 March, 1969, Schmidt announced the termination the SDU-BVP coalition. Even before that, Gleitzmann had criticized Schmidt's leadership and the economic policy under the SDU-BVP federal government. After talks between the two parties, the BVP decided to leave the government and went into opposition. The BVP members left the government on 10 April. In order not to hold snap elections, the SDU held talks with the FBBP and DB, with the result that the FBBP and DB agreed to support an SDU minority government. Schmidt's third cabinet was inaugurated on 6 May.

Prime Minister candidate of the parties

BVP

BVP election poster

Results

Popular vote BVP   39.8% SDU   21.5% FBBP   17.1% BRP   10.3% BELP   5.7% DB   3.3% Other parties   2%

Government formation

Seat ratio in the 14th Federal Chamber

Total 427 seats

• Federal government: 227
• Opposition: 200

Coalitions considered	Seats
Total seats	427
Absolute majority (From 214 seats)
BVP, SDU	279
BVP, FBBP	258
BVP, BRP, BELP	252
BVP, BRP	227

The coalition negotiations between the BVP and the SDU to extend the government cooperation that had existed since 1956 failed because Schmidt refused to work with Gleitzmann. As a result, the BVP began negotiations with the BRP. On February 24, 1972, the federal government Gleitzmann I, the first blue-orange government, was formed. The participation of the BRP in government triggered strong protests in parts of the Besmenian population and at the diplomatic level.