Kaiserslautern (electoral district)

Kaiserslautern is an electoral constituency (German: Wahlkreis) represented in the Bundestag. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 208. It is located in southern Rhineland-Palatinate, comprising the city of Kaiserslautern, the Donnersbergkreis district, the Kusel district, and the northeastern part of the Landkreis Kaiserslautern district.[1]

208 Kaiserslautern
Electoral district
for the Bundestag
Kaiserslautern in 2025
StateRhineland-Palatinate
Population298,200 (2019)
Electorate224,701 (2021)
Major settlementsKaiserslautern
Eisenberg
Kirchheimbolanden
Area1,696.2 km2
Current electoral district
Created1949
PartySPD
MemberMatthias Mieves
Elected2021

Kaiserslautern was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2023, it has been represented by Matthias Mieves of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).[2]

Geography

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Kaiserslautern is located in southern Rhineland-Palatinate. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the independent city of Kaiserslautern, the district of Donnersbergkreis, the district of Donnersbergkreis, and the Verbandsgemeinden of Enkenbach-Alsenborn, Otterbach-Otterberg, and Weilerbach.[1]

History

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Kaiserslautern was created in 1949. In the 1949 election, it was Rhineland-Palatinate constituency 13 in the numbering system. In the 1953 through 1961 elections, it was number 160. In the 1965 through 1976 elections, it was number 161. In the 1980 through 1998 elections, it was number 159. In the 2002 election, it was number 212. In the 2005 election, it was number 211. In the 2009 and 2013 elections, it was number 210. In the 2017 and 2021 elections, it was number 209. From the 2025 election, it has been number 208.

Originally, the constituency comprised the city of Kaiserslautern and the districts of Landkreis Kaiserslautern and Kusel. It acquired its current borders in the 2002 election.

Election No. Name Borders
1949 13 Kaiserslautern
1953 160
1957
1961
1965 161
1969
1972
1976
1980 159
1983
1987
1990
1994
1998
2002 212
2005 211
2009 210
2013
2017 209
2021
2025 208

Members

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The constituency has been held by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) during all but two Bundestag terms since its creation. It was first represented by Adolf Ludwig of the SPD from 1949 to 1953. August Spies of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was elected in 1953 and served until 1961. Adolf Müller-Emmert regained it for the SPD in 1961 and was representative until 1987, a total of seven consecutive terms. He was succeeded by Rose Götte from 1987 to 1994. Hansjörg Schäfer then served two terms from 1994 to 2002. Gustav Herzog was representative from 2002 to 2021. He was succeeded by Matthias Mieves in 2021.

Election Member Party %
1949 Adolf Ludwig SPD 36.5
1953 August Spies CDU 37.8
1957 42.8
1961 Adolf Müller-Emmert SPD 41.4
1965 46.5
1969 49.4
1972 55.7
1976 50.8
1980 52.6
1983 48.9
1987 Rose Götte SPD 48.7
1990 47.3
1994 Hansjörg Schäfer SPD 47.9
1998 50.9
2002 Gustav Herzog SPD 49.9
2005 44.2
2009 34.6
2013 38.5
2017 33.9
2021 Matthias Mieves SPD 33.9

Election results

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2021 election

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Federal election (2021): Kaiserslautern[3]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A  Y or  N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
SPD Matthias Mieves 56,523 33.9   0.0 54,460 32.5   4.3
CDU Xaver Jung 35,803 21.5   9.8 33,226 19.8   9.3
AfD Marco Staudt 20,002 12.0   0.6 20,702 12.4   1.3
Greens Michael Kunte 14,589 8.7   3.7 17,611 10.5   3.8
FW Thomas Lebkücher 12,225 7.3   4.5 8,042 4.8   2.7
FDP Jana Lumbur 11,870 7.1   1.7 17,242 10.3   1.2
Left Alexander Ulrich 6,753 4.1   3.2 6,383 3.8   4.2
Tierschutzpartei Patrick Kühn-Breisch 3,197 1.9 3,168 1.9
PARTEI Derya Sujana-Şen 2,154 1.3   0.2 1,641 1.0   0.3
dieBasis Torsten Friedrichs 2,159 1.3 2,055 1.2
Pirates   695 0.4   0.1
Volt Malte Schümann 801 0.5 685 0.4
Team Todenhöfer   432 0.3
Independent Marius Lauer 392 0.2
NPD   298 0.2   0.3
ÖDP   253 0.2   0.0
Humanists   171 0.1
V-Partei3   142 0.1   0.2
DiB   121 0.1
LKR Petra Winkler 154 0.1 101 0.1
Independent Dirk Hoppe 147 0.1
MLPD   36 0.0   0.0
Independent Dietrich Schwang 28 0.0
Informal votes 2,409 1,742
Total valid votes 166,797 167,464
Turnout 169,206 75.3   0.1
SPD hold Majority 20,720 12.4   9.8

2017 election

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Federal election (2017): Kaiserslautern[4]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A  Y or  N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
SPD  Y Gustav Herzog 57,482 33.9   4.6 47,986 28.3   4.4
CDU Xaver Jung 53,022 31.3   5.9 49,400 29.1   6.8
AfD Stefan Scheil 21,378 12.6 23,206 13.7   9.2
Left Alexander Ulrich 12,277 7.2   0.2 13,548 8.0   0.4
FDP Achim Oliver Bertram 9,256 5.5   3.2 15,519 9.1   4.6
Greens Paul Bunjes 8,618 5.1   0.2 11,360 6.7   0.5
FW Günther Mack 4,820 2.8   0.2 3,558 2.1   0.2
PARTEI Alexander Mühlmann 2,526 1.5 2,187 1.3
Pirates   930 0.5   2.1
NPD   811 0.5   1.4
V-Partei³ 529 0.3
BGE   355 0.2
ÖDP   343 0.2   0.0
MLPD   32 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 2,937 2,552
Total valid votes 169,379 169,764
Turnout 172,316 75.2   5.0
SPD hold Majority 4,460 2.6   1.3

2013 election

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Federal election (2013): Kaiserslautern[5]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A  Y or  N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
SPD  Y Gustav Herzog 61,253 38.5   4.0 52,242 32.7   5.0
CDU Xaver Jung 59,086 37.2   4.3 57,376 35.9   7.7
Left Alexander Ulrich 11,813 7.4   6.5 12,107 7.6   6.6
Greens Felicitas Flörchinger 8,446 5.3   1.5 11,430 7.1   1.6
Pirates Johannes Merkert 4,810 3.0 4,278 2.7   0.5
FW Manfred Petry 4,145 2.6 3,031 1.9
NPD Klaus Alfons Gras 3,953 2.5   0.1 3,080 1.9   0.1
FDP Christian Kopp 3,584 2.3   7.0 7,315 4.6   9.7
AfD   7,101 4.4
FAMILIE Anette Sabine Metzger 1,896 1.2
REP   580 0.4   0.5
Party of Reason 535 0.3
PRO 415 0.3
ÖDP   323 0.2   0.1
MLPD   55 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 4,024 3,142
Total valid votes 158,986 159,868
Turnout 163,010 70.2   0.7
SPD hold Majority 2,167 1.3   0.5

2009 election

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Federal election (2009): Kaiserslautern[6]
Notes:

Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent.
A  Y or  N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party votes % ±%
SPD  Y Gustav Herzog 55,070 34.6   9.7 44,362 27.7   11.2
CDU Xaver Jung 52,311 32.8   2.5 45,212 28.2   1.3
Left Alexander Ulrich 22,205 13.9   5.7 22,670 14.2   5.4
FDP Brigitta Röthig-Wentz 14,725 9.2   4.3 22,932 14.3   3.9
Greens Dirk Just 10,834 6.8   2.5 13,936 8.7   1.6
Pirates   3,421 2.1
NPD Sascha Wagner 4,143 2.6   0.2 3,197 2.0   0.3
FAMILIE 2,074 1.3   0.1
REP   1,373 0.9   0.4
PBC 414 0.3   0.1
ÖDP   406 0.3
DVU   132 0.1
MLPD   55 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 4,062 3,166
Total valid votes 159,288 160,184
Turnout 163,350 69.5   7.0
SPD hold Majority 2,759 1.8   7.2

References

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  1. ^ a b "Constituency Kaiserslautern". Federal Returning Officer.
  2. ^ "Results for Kaiserslautern". Federal Returning Officer.
  3. ^ Results for Kaiserslautern
  4. ^ Results for Kaiserslautern
  5. ^ Results for Kaiserslautern
  6. ^ Results for Kaiserslautern