January 2011 Esthursian general election
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851 in the House of Ministers; 401 in the House of Barons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turnout | 79.5% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The January 2011 Esthursian general election was held on 23 January, 2011, after Prime Minister Einarsson's former coalition partner, the Agrarians - who also sustained major losses in this election as a result - started a successful Opposition-backed vote of no confidence in the Government, triggering a general election. The election resulted in a Social Democratic landslide, with the Social Democrats gaining the most votes ever cast for one party, and the most seats in any 21st century general election. The Conservative Union also lost minority control in both Houses, leaving the Social Democrats and two other left-wing parties - the Progressive Group, a relatively new left-wing progressivist party; and the Anthoric Workers' Party, a populist-socialist party operating entirely in Anthorhelm - able to form a coalition in the House of Barons, known as the New Democratic Coalition.
This was the first general election to result in a left-leaning government in the 21st century, after the last 3 general elections resulting in Conservative governments of varying breadth of control; this swing of twenty points from Conservative to Social Democrat is one of the largest in Esthursian history, resulting from public disillusion with a perceived right-ward shift in the Conservative Union, a break-up of the Blue-Green Coalition, infighting within the Union, unpopular labour laws and public anxiety over the economic and workers' crises in the last year. The Social Democrats have, as of February 2022, remained in government, although they have not replicated the landslide verdicts (thanks to a Conservative recovery in 2014, and Progressive gains in 2018) in following elections.