The biggest surprise of the vote was the smashing success of the Pirate Party – a motley outfit advocating civil liberties, as well as privacy and technology issues. The Pirates sailed easily into the state legislature with nine percent of the vote.
"We'll see what happens in parliament when the citizens see a different type of politics," said Andreas Baum, the 33-year-old head of Berlin chapter of the Pirate Party.
The upstart Pirates put the result of the Free Democrats (FDP) to shame, as the pro-business party won a paltry two percent and will no longer be represented in the state legislature.