Elections for a Constitutional Assembly were held in East Germany on 15 and 16 May 1949. [1] Voters were presented with a „Unity List“ from the “ Bloc of the Anti-Fascist Democratic Parties ,“ which in turn was dominated by the Communist Socialist Unity Party . [2] They only had the option of approving or rejecting the list. In much of the country, the vote was not secret. [3]
According to official figures, 95.2% of voters turned out, and 66% of them approved the list. [2] This would be the lowest vote share an SED-dominated bloc would claim during the four decades of Communist rule in East Germany. In subsequent years, the National Front , successor to the Democratic Bloc, would claim to win votes in excess of 99%. [3]
Results
| Choice | votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Unity List | 7943949 | 66.1 |
| Against | 4080272 | 33.9 |
| Invalid / blank votes | 863.013 | – |
| Total | 12887234 | 100 |
| Registered voters / turnout | 13533071 | 95.2 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||
Aftermath
The Constitutional Assembly adopted East Germany’s first constitution in October, and proclaimed the establishment of the German Democratic Republic on 7 October. It’s now becoming the first People’s Chamber (Volkskammer) of East Germany.
References
- Jump up^ Dirk Spilker (2006)The East German Leadership and the Division of Germany: Patriotism and Propaganda 1945-1953, Clarendon Press, p184
- ^ Jump up to:a b Dieter Nohlen & Phillip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook , P771 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
- ^ Jump up to:a b Germany at Encyclopædia Britannica