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cording to this view, the SPD lost votes
to tjhe CDU.
The law  of Greater Hesse contains
two provisions which are not found in
the legislation of the other two Laender.
In Greater Hesse, a party which does not
poll 15 percent of the total vote cast
receives no seats at all. Therle is also
provision prohibiting combination of lists
(Listenverbindung). The Communists suf-
fered particularly from these restrictions.
In only two Hessian Landkreise did they
elect any candidates although in a num-
ber ,of others they had a substantial vote.
Thus in GroB-Gerau, they lacked only
about 400 votes of reaching the 15 per-
cent. The National Democratic Party was
another casualty of the 15 percent rule,
electing no candidates in either of the
two Landkreise where it is organized.
The   January  elections  went   off
smoothly with few incidents. There were
even fewer incidents in the April elec-
tilons. In general, the campaign and the
piolling were peaceful and orderly.
Party,          Election       Votes received  0/0 of total vote 0/0of seats
filled
CDU/CSU           January           1,484,713           37 O/0         33
O/    l
CDU/CSU          April              1,964,041           56 o/o         65.2
0/0
SPD              January             980,001            24 0/0         15
/0/
SPD              April             1,036,183            29.2 0/0       26.5
0/0
LDP/DPP           January             99,280             2.4 0/0        1.4
/0
LDP/DPP          April.              143,589             4 0/0          1.9
0/0
KPD              January             136,788             3 0/o          0.9
0/0
KPD               April              195,430             5.5 0/°    
   2.4 0/0
OTHERS           January           1,223,037            30 °/O      
  49 0/o
OTHERS           April               166,890             4.7 0/i        4
0/c   l
Fig. 3. Zone wide Comparicon of party strength in the two elections
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