Superwahljahr

de G. Roberts

The series of elections in 1994 in Germany gave rise to the word 'Superwahljahr' ('super-election year'). In addition to the election of a new Bundestag in October, there was a presidential election, elections to the European Parliament, elections for seven Lander parliaments and for local councils in nine Lander. Such a proliferation of elections is unique in Germany's post-war history, and has a special significance in the context of the five-year reunified German state. This book provides a set of analyses of those elections, with emphasis on the Bundestag election. However, other elections had significant features, such as coalition formation and establishing trends in terms of party popularity, and the fact that they were taking place in such close proximity to the Bundestag election had an effect on campaigning, party strategies and voting behaviour in the Bundestag election. This set of studies will be invaluable to those wishing to look more closely at what went on in 'Superwahljahr'. They provide insights into a number of - sometimes improperly neglected - aspects of electoral campaigning and political behaviour in the electoral context. The authors are all experts in their fields and familiar with the details of factors which affect electoral campaigning and electoral outcomes in Germany.