The election was triggered by the collapse of the coalition government between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Party for a Rule of Law Offensive (PRO), and Free Democratic Party (FDP).
The election saw a collapse in support for PRO which had split after its leader Ronald Schill left in 2003.
A huge amount of support flowed to the CDU, which won 63 of the 121 seats in Parliament, forming a majority government.
In August 2003, Mayor von Beust made moves to dismiss an Interior official suspected of corruption.
In December of the same year, Schill left his own party along with five of its members of Parliament, depriving the government of its majority.