Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal 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 206. It is located in southeastern Rhineland-Palatinate, comprising the cities of Ludwigshafen and Frankenthal and the northern part of the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis district.
Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Whilst the Christian Democratic Union won the plurality in the 2025 election, under the new voting system, their candidate did not actually win a seat in the Bundestag. This was due to the distribution of seats won by the CDU being decided by the first (direct) vote percentage of each winning CDU candidate, determining who took the seats. As the CDU candidate got a low vote of 27.1%, the seat will remain vacant throughout the 21st Bundestag.
Geography Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal is located in southeastern Rhineland-Palatinate. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the independent cities of Ludwigshafen and Frankenthal and the municipalities of Bobenheim-Roxheim, Böhl-Iggelheim, Limburgerhof, Mutterstadt, Altrip, and Neuhofen and the Verbandsgemeinden of Dannstadt-Schauernheim, Lambsheim-Heßheim, and Maxdorf from the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis district.
History Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal was created in 1949, then known as Ludwigshafen am Rhein. From 1965 through 1998, it was named Ludwigshafen. It acquired its current name in the 2002 election. In the 1949 election, it was Rhineland-Palatinate constituency 11 in the numbering system. In the 1953 through 1961 elections, it was number 158. In the 1965 through 1976 elections, it was number 159. In the 1980 through 1998 elections, it was number 157. In the 2002 election, it was number 210. In the 2005 election, it was number 209. In the 2009 and 2013 elections, it was number 208. In the 2017 and 2021 elections, it was number 207. From the 2025 election, it has been number 206.
Originally, the constituency comprised the cities of Ludwigshafen and Frankenthal, the district of Landkreis Ludwigshafen, and the district of Landkreis Frankenthal excluding the Amtsgerichtsbezirk of Grünstadt. In the 1965 and 1969 elections, it comprised the city of Ludwigshafen and the Landkreis Ludwigshafen district. In the 1972 through 1998 elections, it comprised the city of Ludwigshafen and the municipalities of Altrip, Böhl-Iggelheim, Limburgerhof, Mutterstadt, and Neuhofen and Verbandsgemeinde of Dannstadt-Schauernheim from the Landkreis Ludwigshafen district. It acquired its current borders in the 2002 election.
Election Name Borders 1949 Ludwigshafen am Rhein Ludwigshafen city Frankenthal city Landkreis Ludwigshafen district Landkreis Frankenthal district (excluding Grünstadt Amtsgerichtsbezirk) 1953 158 1957 1961 1965 159 Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen city Landkreis Ludwigshafen district 1969 1972 Ludwigshafen city Landkreis Ludwigshafen district (only Altrip, Böhl-Iggelheim, Limburgerhof, Mutterstadt, and Neuhofen municipalities and Dannstadt-Schauernheim Verbandsgemeinde) 1976 1980 157 1983 1987 1990 1994 1998 2002 210 Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal Ludwigshafen city Frankenthal city Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis district (only Bobenheim-Roxheim, Böhl-Iggelheim, Limburgerhof, and Mutterstadt municipalities and Dannstadt-Schauernheim, Lambsheim-Heßheim, Maxdorf, and Rheinauen (only Altrip and Neuhofen municipalities) Verbandsgemeinden) 2005 209 2009 208 2013 2017 207 2021 2025 206
Members The constituency was first represented by Friedrich Wilhelm Wagner of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 1949 to 1965. Hans Bardens of the SPD served from 1965 to 1983. Manfred Reimann of the SPD was then representative from 1983 to 1990. The constituency was won by then-Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 1990. He was re-elected in 1994. Doris Barnett of the SPD was elected in 1998 and served until 2009. Maria Böhmer won it for the CDU in 2009 and served two terms. Torbjörn Kartes of the CDU was elected in 2017. Christian Schreider was elected for the SPD in 2021. The seat became vacant as a result of the 2025 election.
Election Member Party % 1949 Friedrich Wilhelm Wagner SPD 43.1 1953 43.3 1957 45.2 1961 47.0 1965 Hans Bardens SPD 51.1 1969 54.9 1972 58.9 1976 53.1 1980 54.1 1983 Manfred Reimann SPD 47.7 1987 46.0 1990 Helmut Kohl CDU 44.7 1994 46.0 1998 Doris Barnett SPD 47.9 2002 47.3 2005 43.4 2009 Maria Böhmer CDU 38.4 2013 43.3 2017 Torbjörn Kartes CDU 32.2 2021 Christian Schreider SPD 32.8 2025Vacant
Election results 2025 election Under the new voting system implemented for the 2025 election, although the CSU candidate won the most votes in this constituency, due to the low winning percentage, the constituency seat will remain vacant as not enough second (party) votes were won to be allocated this seat.
2021 election
2017 election
2013 election
2009 election
2005 election
Notes
References