June 1946 Bavarian state election

The June 1946 Bavarian state election was held on 30 June 1946 to elect the members of the Bavarian Constituent Assembly. It was the first election held in Bavaria since 1932. The constituent assembly was tasked with drafting and passing a new constitution for the Bavarian state. After the passage of the constitution, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved and new elections called for December.

1946 Bavarian state election

30 June 1946
All 180 seats in the Bavarian Constituent Assembly 91 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	3,048,337 (72.1%)
Leader Alois Hundhammer Jean Stock Hermann Schirmer Party CSU SPD KPD Seats won 109 51 9 Popular vote 1,587,595 786,045 145,749 Percentage 58.3% 28.8% 5.3%   Leader Alfred Loritz Thomas Dehler Party WAV FDP Seats won 8 3 Popular vote 137,765 68,417 Percentage 5.1% 2.5%
Minister-President before election Wilhelm Hoegner SPD Elected Minister-President Wilhelm Hoegner SPD

Background

Bavaria was completely occupied by American troops at the end of April 1945. General George S. Patton appointed Christian democrat Fritz Schäffer as interim Minister-President on 28 May 1945, before being dismissed by General Dwight D. Eisenhower on 28 September 1945 due to Schäffer's past anti-Semitic positions, and hiring of ex-Nazis within his administration.[1]

The Ministry was then handed over to social democrat Wilhelm Hoegner, who oversaw the creation of a new Bavarian constitution in the spring and summer of 1946. To aid him, the Advisory State Committee was formed, with its members being appointed by the political parties or the state. The body was eventually dissolved, with direct elections being called for a Constituent State Assembly to oversee the passage of the Constitution. Thus, the first democratic elections were held in Bavaria since 1932.[2]

Election result

Summary of the election results for the Landtag of Bavaria

Party		Votes	%	Seats	Seats %
	Christian Social Union (CSU)	1,587,595	58.3	109	60.6
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	786,045	28.8	51	28.3
	Communist Party (KPD)	145,749	5.3	9	5
	Economic Reconstruction Union (WAV)	137,765	5.1	8	4.4
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	68,417	2.5	3	1.7
Total		3,048,337	100.0	180
Voter turnout			72.1

Popular Vote CSU   58.3% SPD   28.8% KPD   5.3% WUV   5.1% FDP   2.5%

Landtag seats CSU   60.6% SPD   28.3% KPD   5% WUV   4.4% FDP   1.7%

References

1. Power Grabber Time Magazine, 20 February 1956, accessed: 27 May 2020
2. Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, accessed 27 May 2020

External links

• Historisches Lexikon Bayerns
• House of Bavarian Elections