First Free Election in East Germany

Also called: Volkskammer election of 1990

East Germany elected its People’s Chamber in its first and last free election. The “Alliance for Germany”, promising rapid unification, won with 48 per cent.

After the Wall fell the SED’s monopoly on power ended, and a Round Table of government and civic groups brought forward free elections. On 18 March 1990, with turnout above 93 per cent, the Alliance for Germany, backed by the West German CDU, won about 48 per cent; the Social Democrats took about 22 and the PDS, successor to the SED, about 16.

In April the CDU’s Lothar de Maizière became prime minister of a grand coalition. The vote was read as a choice for rapid unification by accession to the Federal Republic under Article 23 of the Basic Law.