The Social Democratic Party (SPD) formed a government with The Greens which held a slim, one-seat majority.

In the 2008 state election, the SPD under Wolfgang Jüttner lost more than three percentage points, suffering its worst ever result in Lower Saxony.

The FDP retained their status as the third strongest party, leading the Greens by just 0.2%.

The Left won 7.1 percent of the vote, crossing the electoral threshold and winning seats for the first time.

The CDU acted independently of the FDP during the campaign, but sought to continue the incumbent coalition.