The 1998 Lower Saxony state election was held on 1 March 1998 to elect the members of the 14th Landtag of Lower Saxony.
The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) government led by Minister-President Gerhard Schröder was returned with an increased majority.
He said that if the SPD received less than 42 percent of the vote, he would rule out a bid to become the party's chancellor candidate.
Achieving 47.9 percent of the vote, he later announced his (successful) candidacy and went on to form the first federal SPD-led government since 1982.
[1] The table below lists parties represented in the 13th Landtag of Lower Saxony.