The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) majority government led by Minister-President Sigmar Gabriel was defeated.

CDU leader Christian Wulff was subsequently elected minister-president.

[1] Defeat for the Social Democrats in the election would mean they lost their slim majority in the upper house of the German parliament, the Bundesrat.

[1] It was thought this might cause the collapse of Gerhard Schröder's national coalition government between the Social Democrats and the Green Party.

[1] The economy was seen as the most important issue in the election, with the Social Democrats suffering as a result.