Waldeck (electoral district)

Waldeck 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 166. It is located in northern Hesse, comprising most of the Landkreis Kassel district and the northern part of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district.[1]

166 Waldeck
Electoral district
for the Bundestag
Waldeck in 2025
StateHesse
Population234,200 (2019)
Electorate184,073 (2021)
Major settlementsBaunatal
Korbach
Bad Wildungen
Area2,167.3 km2
Current electoral district
Created1949
PartySPD
MemberEsther Dilcher
Elected2017, 2021

Waldeck was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2017, it has been represented by Esther Dilcher of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).[2]

Geography

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Waldeck is located in northern Hesse. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Landkreis Kassel district excluding the municipalities of Ahnatal, Espenau, Fuldabrück, Fuldatal, Helsa, Kaufungen, Lohfelden, Nieste, Niestetal, Söhrewald, and Vellmar, as well as the entirety of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district excluding the municipalities of Allendorf (Eder), Battenberg (Eder), Bromskirchen, Burgwald, Frankenau, Frankenberg, Gemünden (Wohra), Haina, Hatzfeld, Rosenthal, and Vöhl.[1]

History

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Waldeck was created in 1949. In the 1949 election, it was Hesse constituency 1 in the numbering system. From 1953 through 1976, it was number 126. From 1980 through 1998, it was number 124. In the 2002 and 2005 elections, it was number 169. In the 2009 election, it was number 168. In the 2013 through 2021 elections, it was number 167. From the 2025 election, it has been number 166.

Originally, the constituency comprised the districts of Waldeck, Hofgeismar, and Wolfhagen. In the 1972 election, it comprised the Waldeck district and the municipalities of Breuna, Calden, Emstal, Grebenstein, Habichtswald, Hofgeismar, Immenhausen, Karlshafen, Liebenau, Naumburg, Oberweser, Reinhardshagen, Trendelburg, Wahlsburg, Wolfhagen, and Zierenberg from the Landkreis Kassel district. In the 1976 election, it acquired borders very similar to its current configuration, but excluding the Baunatal and Schauenburg municipalities from Landkreis Kassel district. It acquired its current borders in the 2002 election.

Election No. Name Borders
1949 1 Waldeck
  • Waldeck district
  • Hofgeismar district
  • Wolfhagen district
1953 126
1957
1961
1965
1969
1972
1976
1980 124
1983
1987
1990
1994
1998
2002 169
2005
2009 168
2013 167
2017
2021
2025 166

Members

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The constituency has been held by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) during all but three Bundestag terms since 1949. It was first represented by Karl Rüdiger of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) from 1949 until his death in 1951. Hans Merten of the SPD won the subsequent by-election, but was defeated at the 1953 federal election by FDP candidate Heinrich Fassbender. Karl Bechert of the SPD was elected in 1957 and served until 1972. He was succeeded by Rudi Walther, who served until 1994. Alfred Hartenbach was then representative until 2009. Ullrich Meßmer served one term from 2009 to 2013, when Thomas Viesehon of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won the constituency. Esther Dilcher regained it for the SPD in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021.

Election Member Party %
1949 Karl Rüdiger FDP 35.2
1951 Hans Merten SPD 47.2
1953 Heinrich Fassbender FDP 52.5
1957 Karl Bechert SPD 35.6
1961 42.4
1965 46.7
1969 50.1
1972 Rudi Walther SPD 53.6
1976 49.7
1980 52.1
1983 48.6
1987 49.5
1990 48.6
1994 Alfred Hartenbach SPD 47.4
1998 53.0
2002 52.1
2005 50.2
2009 Ullrich Meßmer SPD 37.8
2013 Thomas Viesehon CDU 41.5
2017 Esther Dilcher SPD 35.1
2021 38.0

Election results

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2021 election

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Federal election (2021): Waldeck[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  Y Esther Dilcher 51,613 38.0   2.9 49,064 36.1   5.2
CDU Armin Schwarz 35,734 26.3   7.3 30,392 22.3   7.7
Greens Peter Koswig 13,581 10.0   4.3 14,775 10.9   4.0
AfD Jan Nolte 12,536 9.2   1.8 12,899 9.5   2.2
FDP Jochem Rube 12,062 8.9   1.8 15,288 11.2   1.3
Left Regina Preysing 4,208 3.1   3.0 4,441 3.3   3.8
FW Kira Hauser 3,763 2.8   1.4 2,791 2.1   1.2
Human Environment Animal Protection   1,946 1.4   0.5
dieBasis Daniele Saracino 1,626 1.2 1,528 1.1
PARTEI   964 0.7   0.1
Independent Gerd Erwin Müller 716 0.5
Pirates   452 0.3   0.0
Team Todenhöfer   374 0.3
Volt   223 0.2
Gesundheitsforschung   218 0.2
NPD   159 0.1   0.2
Independent Barbara Meyer 151 0.1
Bündnis C   114 0.1
ÖDP   106 0.1   0.0
Humanists   87 0.1
V-Partei3   83 0.1   0.0
Bündnis 21 41 0.0
MLPD   40 0.0   0.0
LKR   31 0.0
DKP   27 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 2,140 2,087
Total valid votes 135,990 136,043
Turnout 138,130 75.0   1.4
SPD hold Majority 15,879 11.7   10.2

2017 election

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Federal election (2017): Waldeck[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 Esther Dilcher 49,341 35.1   6.2 43,446 30.9   5.2
CDU  N Thomas Viesehon 47,269 33.6   7.9 42,232 30.0   6.5
AfD Jan Ralf Nolte 15,438 11.0 16,411 11.7   6.6
FDP Jochen Rube 9,930 7.1   4.4 13,918 9.9   5.1
Left Regina Preysing 8,600 6.1   0.7 9,891 7.0   1.6
Greens Jürgen Frömmrich 8,062 5.7   0.6 9,660 6.9   1.2
Human Environment Animal Protection   1,329 0.9
FW Vera Gleuel 1,910 1.4 1,268 0.9   0.1
PARTEI   900 0.6   0.2
Pirates   497 0.4   1.3
NPD   442 0.3   0.5
BGE   203 0.1
DM 175 0.1
V-Partei³ 155 0.1
ÖDP   127 0.1
Independent Karin Puppel 88 0.1
MLPD   45 0.0   0.0
BüSo 17 0.0   0.0
DKP   17 0.0
Informal votes 2,214 2,119
Total valid votes 140,638 140,733
Turnout 142,852 76.5   3.4
SPD gain from CDU Majority 2,072 1.5

2013 election

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Federal election (2013): Waldeck[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 Thomas Viesehon 55,444 41.5   6.1 49,063 36.5   6.6
SPD  N Ullrich Meßmer 55,217 41.3   3.5 48,420 36.0   3.0
Greens Caroline Chantal Tönges 8,486 6.3   1.8 10,872 8.1   1.7
Left Dieter Hille 7,253 5.4   2.2 7,356 5.5   3.0
AfD   6,774 5.0
FDP Björn Sänger 3,579 2.7   6.9 6,452 4.8   9.9
Pirates Arno Schröder 3,177 2.4 2,242 1.7   0.1
NPD   1,159 0.9
FW   1,013 0.8
Independent Werner Bracht 545 0.4
PARTEI   525 0.4
REP   237 0.2   0.2
PRO 152 0.1
SGP   71 0.1
BüSo 47 0.0   0.1
MLPD   33 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 4,931 4,216
Total valid votes 133,701 134,416
Turnout 138,632 73.1   0.1
CDU gain from SPD Majority 227 0.2

2009 election

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Federal election (2009): Waldeck[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 Ullrich Meßmer 51,737 37.8   12.5 45,343 33.0   11.1
CDU Thomas Viesehon 48,414 35.3   0.9 41,109 29.9   0.3
FDP Björn Sänger 13,180 9.6   4.9 20,210 14.7   5.0
Greens Anke Pavlicek 11,209 8.2   3.7 13,498 9.8   2.3
Left Klaus Albrecht 10,400 7.6   2.9 11,657 8.5   3.1
Pirates   2,175 1.6
NPD David Giesler 1,756 1.3   0.1 1,393 1.0   0.1
Human Environment Animal Protection   1,121 0.8   0.2
REP   504 0.4   0.2
Independent Jürgen Lenz 311 0.2
BüSo 122 0.1   0.0
DVU   115 0.1
MLPD   48 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 3,801 3,513
Total valid votes 137,007 137,295
Turnout 140,808 73.2   6.3
SPD hold Majority 3,323 2.5   13.3

References

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