Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU was declared winner of the German legislative elections as growing Liberals have given way to a CDU/CSU-FDP (Liberal Democrats) coalition. Snap elections were also held in Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany, where the South Schleswig Voters' Federation (SSW) has doubled its representation to 4 seats out of a total of 69. SSW obtained 4.1% of the votes.

SSW is exempt from the minimum 5% of the votes which is usually necessary to enter German parliaments at state and federal level, en exemption provided to parties representing national minorities -a condition SSW meets since it represents the Frisian and the Danish minorities.

SSW has equaled upon the results attained in 1950 has come only 2 seats away from the party's best results obtained in 1947 (6 seats). SSW also holds 4 and 6 seats in the North Frisia and the Schleswig-Flensburg regional councils and 136 town councilors throughout the state.

The party is devoted to the cause of the Danish minority -a reminiscence of Danish rule in Schleswig-Holstein until XIX century- and the Frisian nation, which covers the province of Friesland in the Netherlands, a portion of land in Lower Saxony (Eastern Frisia), and Northern Frisia in Schleswig-Holstein.

According to Euromosaic, between 15,000 and 45,000 people speak Danish and about 9,000 are still speakers of Northern Frisian in Schleswig-Holstein.

Further information:

• Election results in Schleswig-Holstein
• MónDivers: El partit de les minories danesa i frisona dobla escons al Parlament de Slesvig-Holstein
• Nationalia: dossier Peoples and nations today: Frísia