The incumbent coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by Minister-President Kurt Beck retained its majority.

However, as the SPD won an outright majority, the FDP chose not to continue the coalition.

The election was one of the first held under the grand coalition federal government.

The SPD was expected to benefit from the personality of Kurt Beck, while the CDU ran again with their leader Christoph Böhr, who had already lost the 2001 election.

The table below lists parties represented in the previous Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.