Cloppenburg – Vechta

Federal electoral district of Germany

32 Cloppenburg – Vechta

Electoral district
for the Bundestag

Cloppenburg – Vechta in 2013

State| Lower Saxony
Population| 313,500 (2019)
Electorate| 223,948 (2021)
Major settlements| Cloppenburg
Vechta
Lohne
Area| 2,234.5 km2
Current electoral district
Created| 1949
Party| CDU
Member| Silvia Breher
Elected| 2017, 2021

Cloppenburg – Vechta 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 32. It is located in northwestern Lower Saxony, comprising the Cloppenburg and Vechta districts.[1]

Cloppenburg – Vechta was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2017, it has been represented by Silvia Breher of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).[2] It is considered one of the safest seats for the CDU, which often receives an absolute majority of the popular vote. This is partly due to the region being very catholic in an otherwise majority-Protestant state.

## Geography[edit]

Cloppenburg – Vechta is located in northwestern Lower Saxony. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Cloppenburg and Vechta districts.[1]

## History[edit]

Cloppenburg – Vechta was created in 1949, then known as Vechta – Cloppenburg. From 1965 to 1980, it was named Cloppenburg. It acquired its current name in the 1980 election. In the inaugural Bundestag election, it was Lower Saxony constituency 9 in the numbering system. From 1953 through 1961, it was number 31. From 1965 through 1998, it was number 27. From 2002 through 2009, it was number 33. Since 2013, it has been constituency 32.

Originally, the constituency comprised the districts of Cloppenburg and Vechta, as well as the municipalities of Großenkneten, Hatten, Wardenburg, and Wüsting from the Landkreis Oldenburg district. Since the 1965 election, it has comprised only the districts of Cloppenburg and Vechta.

Election  | No. | Name  | Borders

|
|
|

1949 | 9 | Vechta – Cloppenburg  |

* Cloppenburg district
* Vechta district
* Landkreis Oldenburg district (only Großenkneten, Hatten, Wardenburg, and Wüsting municipalities)

1953 | 31
1957
1961
1965 | 27  | Cloppenburg  |

* Cloppenburg district
* Vechta district

1969
1972
1976
1980 | Cloppenburg – Vechta
1983
1987
1990
1994
1998
2002 | 33
2005
2009
2013 | 32
2017
2021

## Members[edit]

The constituency has been held continuously by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since its creation. It is a traditional stronghold of the CDU, frequently the party's safest constituency. Its first representative was Georg Kühling, who served a single term from 1949 to 1953. He was succeeded by Kurt Schmücker, who served five terms. Manfred Carstens then represented it for nine terms from 1972 to 2005. Franz-Josef Holzenkamp served until 2017. Silvia Breher won the constituency in 2017, and was re-elected in 2021.

Election  | Member  | Party  | %

|
|
|

| 1949 | Georg Kühling | CDU | 45.9
| 1953 | Kurt Schmücker | CDU | 77.7
1957 | 77.2
1961 | 81.9
1965 | 79.4
1969 | 73.9
| 1972 | Manfred Carstens | CDU | 70.8
1976 | 72.7
1980 | 71.5
1983 | 74.8
1987 | 70.0
1990 | 71.8
1994 | 67.7
1998 | 61.9
2002 | 62.2
| 2005 | Franz-Josef Holzenkamp | CDU | 64.4
2009 | 62.3
2013 | 66.3
| 2017 | Silvia Breher | CDU | 57.7
2021 | 49.1

## Election results[edit]

### 2021 election[edit]

Federal election (2021): Cloppenburg – Vechta[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  | %  | ±%
| CDU | Y Silvia Breher | 80,134  | 49.1  |  8.6  | 62,837  | 38.5  |  14.6
| SPD | Alexander Bartz[a] | 33,825  | 20.7  |  0.4  | 40,212  | 24.6  |  6.9
| Greens | Tanja Meyer  | 17,366  | 10.6  |  6.3  | 18,093  | 11.1  |  6.0
| FDP | Carolin Abeln  | 14,397  | 8.8  |  3.7  | 19,747  | 12.1  |  2.7
| AfD | Waldemar Herdt  | 12,674  | 7.8  |  0.1  | 12,772  | 7.8  |  0.3
| Left | Tom Dobrowolski  | 3,542  | 2.2  |  1.9  | 3,549  | 2.2  |  2.2
| Tierschutzpartei |  | 1,579  | 1.0  |  0.5
| PARTEI |  | 1,093  | 0.7  |  0.1
| dieBasis | Melanie Lorenz  | 1,248  | 0.8  |  | 1,088  | 0.7  |
| FW |  | 792  | 0.5  |  0.2
| Pirates |  | 474  | 0.3  |  0.1
| Volt |  | 323  | 0.2  |
| Team Todenhöfer |  | 268  | 0.2  |
| NPD |  | 104  | 0.1  |  0.1
| Humanists |  | 104  | 0.1  |
| du. |  | 92  | 0.1  |
| ÖDP |  | 80  | 0.0  |  0.0
| V-Partei3 |  | 67  | 0.0  |  0.0
| LKR |  | 49  | 0.0  |
| DKP |  | 17  | 0.0  |
| MLPD |  | 12  | 0.0  |  0.0
Informal votes  | 1,321  |  |  | 1,155  |  |
Total Valid votes | 163,486  |  |  | 163,652  |  |
Turnout | 164,507  | 73.5  |  0.9  |
| CDU hold | Majority | 46,309  | 28.4  |  8.9  |

### 2017 election[edit]

Federal election (2017): Cloppenburg – Vechta[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  | %  | ±%
| CDU | Silvia Breher | 93,545  | 57.7  |  8.6  | 86,301  | 53.1  |  10.1
| SPD | Kristian Kater  | 32,997  | 20.4  |  0.9  | 28,870  | 17.8  |  2.0
| AfD | Holger Teuteberg  | 12,683  | 7.8  |  5.7  | 13,145  | 8.1  |  5.7
| FDP | Caroline Covolo  | 8,306  | 5.1  |  3.3  | 15,298  | 9.4  |  4.8
| Greens | Julius Flinks  | 7,034  | 4.3  |  0.6  | 8,207  | 5.0  |  0.8
| Left | Daniel Welp  | 6,640  | 4.1  |  1.6  | 7,145  | 4.4  |  1.6
| FW | Michael Osterloh  | 914  | 0.6  |  0.4  | 530  | 0.3  |  0.2
| PARTEI |  | 868  | 0.5  |
| Tierschutzpartei |  | 803  | 0.5  |  0.0
| Pirates |  | 381  | 0.2  |  1.0
| NPD |  | 308  | 0.2  |  0.4
| DM  |  | 181  | 0.1  |
| V-Partei³ |  | 134  | 0.1  |
| ÖDP |  | 110  | 0.1  |
| DiB |  | 105  | 0.1  |
| BGE |  | 91  | 0.1  |
| MLPD |  | 21  | 0.0  |  0.0
| DKP |  | 18  | 0.0  |
Informal votes  | 1,550  |  |  | 1,153  |  |
Total Valid votes | 162,119  |  |  | 162,516  |  |
Turnout | 163,669  | 74.4  |  3.3  |
| CDU hold | Majority | 60,548  | 37.3  |  7.7  |

### 2013 election[edit]

Federal election (2013): Cloppenburg – Vechta[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  | %  | ±%
| CDU | Y Franz-Josef Holzenkamp | 101,015  | 66.3  |  4.0  | 96,401  | 63.2  |  8.7
| SPD | Gabriele Groneberg[b] | 32,422  | 21.3  |  2.2  | 30,168  | 19.8  |  3.3
| Greens | Josef Diersen  | 5,702  | 3.7  |  0.7  | 6,488  | 4.3  |  1.1
| Left | Günter Kreßmann  | 3,821  | 2.5  |  2.2  | 4,259  | 2.8  |  2.3
| AfD | Holger Teuteberg  | 3,238  | 2.1  |  | 3,576  | 2.3  |
| FDP | Peter Friedhoff  | 2,812  | 1.8  |  6.8  | 7,073  | 4.6  |  11.0
| Pirates |  | 1,816  | 1.2  |  0.1
| FW | Heinrich Luhr  | 1,451  | 1.0  |  | 799  | 0.5  |
| FAMILIE | André Schäfer  | 1,022  | 0.7  |  |
| NPD | Ralf Thomas Taube  | 870  | 0.6  |  0.3  | 877  | 0.6  |  0.2
| Tierschutzpartei |  | 681  | 0.4  |  0.1
| PBC  |  | 250  | 0.2  |
| PRO |  | 104  | 0.1  |
| REP |  | 51  | 0.0  |
| MLPD |  | 21  | 0.0  |  0.0
Informal votes  | 1,416  |  |  | 1,205  |  |
Total Valid votes | 152,353  |  |  | 152,564  |  |
Turnout | 153,769  | 71.1  |  1.0  |
| CDU hold | Majority | 68,593  | 45.0  |  1.8  |

### 2009 election[edit]

Federal election (2009): Cloppenburg – Vechta[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  | %  | ±%
| CDU | Y Franz-Josef Holzenkamp | 91,686  | 62.3  |  2.2  | 80,355  | 54.5  |  2.7
| SPD | Gabriele Groneberg | 28,053  | 19.1  |  7.5  | 24,358  | 16.5  |  8.8
| FDP | Peter Friedhoff  | 12,700  | 8.6  |  4.7  | 23,001  | 15.6  |  5.4
| Left | Markus Schalk  | 6,927  | 4.7  |  2.8  | 7,518  | 5.1  |  2.8
| Greens | Josef Dobelmann  | 6,575  | 4.5  |  2.1  | 7,827  | 5.3  |  2.0
| Pirates |  | 1,953  | 1.3  |
| NPD | Cora Meyer  | 1,286  | 0.9  |  0.1  | 1,132  | 0.8  |  0.0
| Tierschutzpartei |  | 766  | 0.5  |  0.1
| RRP  |  | 372  | 0.3  |
| ÖDP |  | 108  | 0.1  |
| DVU |  | 85  | 0.0  |
| MLPD |  | 35  | 0.0  |
Informal votes  | 1,708  |  |  | 1,425  |  |
Total Valid votes | 147,227  |  |  | 147,510  |  |
Turnout | 148,935  | 70.1  |  7.6  |
| CDU hold | Majority | 63,633  | 43.2  |  5.3  |

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Bartz entered the Bundestag on the SPD list after the resignation of Falko Mohrs in November 2022.
2. ^ Groneberg entered the Bundestag on the SPD list after the resignation of Sebastian Edathy in February 2014.

## References[edit]

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

* v
* t
* e

Electoral districts of Lower Saxony in the German Bundestag

Current|

* Aurich – Emden
* Unterems
* Friesland – Wilhelmshaven – Wittmund
* Oldenburg – Ammerland
* Delmenhorst – Wesermarsch – Oldenburg-Land
* Cuxhaven – Stade II
* Stade I – Rotenburg II
* Mittelems
* Cloppenburg – Vechta
* Diepholz – Nienburg I
* Osterholz – Verden
* Rotenburg I – Heidekreis
* Harburg
* Lüchow-Dannenberg – Lüneburg
* Osnabrück-Land
* Stadt Osnabrück
* Nienburg II – Schaumburg
* Stadt Hannover I
* Stadt Hannover II
* Hannover-Land I
* Celle – Uelzen
* Gifhorn – Peine
* Hameln-Pyrmont – Holzminden
* Hannover-Land II
* Hildesheim
* Salzgitter – Wolfenbüttel
* Braunschweig
* Helmstedt – Wolfsburg
* Goslar – Northeim – Osterode
* Göttingen

Other states|

* Baden-Württemberg
* Bavaria‎
* Berlin
* Brandenburg‎
* Bremen
* Hamburg‎
* Hesse
* Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
* North Rhine-Westphalia
* Rhineland-Palatinate‎
* Saarland
* Saxony‎
* Saxony-Anhalt‎
* Schleswig-Holstein‎
* Thuringia‎

See also|

* List of Bundestag constituencies
* Elections in Germany

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