Kampfabstimmung, a battle vote, is the German word for a vote in which both sides have roughly equal chances. The best-known example came at the SPD party congress in Mannheim on 16 November 1995. For the first time in the party’s history, a chairman who stood for re-election was voted out. In a battle vote, the delegates chose Oskar Lafontaine, who had declared his candidacy only on the day of the vote, over the incumbent, Rudolf Scharping. Scharping was elected deputy chairman and remained leader of the SPD group in the Bundestag.