1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election

1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election
14 June 1970
All 200 seats in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
101 seats needed for a majority
Turnout8,739,940 (73.5% 3.0 pp)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Candidate Heinrich Köppler Heinz Kühn Willi Weyer
Party CDU SPD FDP
Last election 86 seats, 42.8% 99 seats, 49.5% 15 seats, 7.4%
Seats won 95 94 11
Seat change 9 5 4
Popular vote 4,020,186 3,996,808 478,420
Percentage 46.3% 46.1% 5.5%
Swing 3.5 pp 3.4 pp 1.9 pp
Results for the single-member constituencies.
Government before election

First Kühn cabinet
SPD–FDP

 Government after election

Second Kühn cabinet
SPD–FDP

The 1970 North Rhine-Westphalia state election was held on 14 June 1970 to elect the 7th Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Minister-President Heinz Kühn.

The opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) returned as the largest party after falling to second in 1966, winning a narrow plurality of 46.3%, with a lead of 0.2% and one seat over the SPD. The FDP suffered losses and declined to 5.5%. Overall, the incumbent coalition retained a reduced majority of 105 seats. However, a number of FDP deputies opposed to cooperation with the SPD refused to vote for Kühn in the investiture vote on 28 July; he was re-elected with the minimum majority of 101 votes out of 200. There were 95 votes for CDU leader Heinrich Köppler and four abstentions. In October, three members of the FDP faction defected to the new party National Liberal Action, leaving the government with a narrow majority of 102 seats. Nonetheless, it completed its full term.

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