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Why did the Nazi Party fail to win an outright majority in the March 1933 election?

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Nazi SS troops march in formation carrying banners with swastikas and eagles at the 1933 Party Day rally in Nuremberg, Germany, with trees in the background. — Third Reich A Nazi Party rally at Nürnberg, Germany, in 1933.

In the March 5, 1933, election, the Nazi Party failed to secure an outright majority despite the atmosphere of fear and insecurity following the Reichstag fire and the suspension of constitutional guarantees. Although the Nazis captured 288 of 647 seats, they remained short of a majority because other political parties, specifically the Centre Party and the Social Democratic Party, held firm in their opposition.12

To achieve a governing majority, Adolf Hitler relied on a coalition with his Nationalist partners, who held 52 seats. Following the election, the Nazi government further consolidated power by excluding or arresting the 81 Communist deputies and securing the support of the Centre Party and the Nationalists to pass the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933. This act transferred legislative powers to the Reich Cabinet, effectively establishing a dictatorship and bypassing the need for a parliamentary majority.213