Südpfalz 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 210. It is located in southern Rhineland-Palatinate, comprising the city of Landau and the districts of Germersheim and Südliche Weinstraße.[1]

210 Südpfalz
Electoral district
for the Bundestag
Südpfalz in 2025
StateRhineland-Palatinate
Population286,400 (2019)
Electorate217,000 (2021)
Major settlementsLandau
Germersheim
Wörth am Rhein
Area1,186.2 km2
Current electoral district
Created1965
PartySPD
MemberThomas Hitschler
Elected2021

Südpfalz was created for the 1965 federal election. Since 2021, it has been represented by Thomas Hitschler of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).[2]

Geography

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Südpfalz is located in southern Rhineland-Palatinate. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the independent city of Landau and the districts of Germersheim and Südliche Weinstraße.[1]

History

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Südpfalz was created in 1965, then known as Landau. It acquired its current name in the 1987 election. In the 1965 through 1976 elections, it was constituency 163 in the numbering system. In the 1980 through 1998 elections, it was number 161. In the 2002 election, it was number 214. In the 2005 election, it was number 213. In the 2009 and 2013 elections, it was number 212. In the 2017 and 2021 elections, it was number 211. From the 2025 election, it has been number 210.

Originally, the constituency comprised the city of Landau, and the districts of Landkreis Landau, Germersheim, and Bergzabern. In the 1972 and 1976 elections, it comprised the city of Landau, and the districts of Landau-Bad Bergzabern and Germersheim. It acquired its current borders in the 1980 election.

Election No. Name Borders
1965 163 Landau
1969
1972
1976
1980 161
1983
1987 Südpfalz
1990
1994
1998
2002 214
2005 213
2009 212
2013
2017 211
2021
2025 210

Members

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The constituency has been held by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) during all but one Bundestag term since its creation. It was first represented by Albert Leicht from 1965 to 1980. Heiner Geißler served from 1980 to 2002. Ralf Göbel was then representative from 2002 to 2009. Thomas Gebhart was elected in 2009, and re-elected in 2013 and 2017. Thomas Hitschler won the constituency for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 2021.

Election Member Party %
1965 Albert Leicht CDU 51.9
1969 52.0
1972 49.3
1976 53.5
1980 Heiner Geißler CDU 50.0
1983 55.7
1987 49.6
1990 49.6
1994 50.9
1998 47.1
2002 Ralf Göbel CDU 43.5
2005 43.2
2009 Thomas Gebhart CDU 40.7
2013 48.8
2017 40.3
2021 Thomas Hitschler SPD 28.2

Election results

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2021 election

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Federal election (2021): Südpfalz[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 Thomas Hitschler 47,901 28.2   2.2 47,028 27.7   5.8
CDU  N Thomas Gebhart 47,860 28.2   12.1 39,421 23.2   11.6
Greens Tobias Lindner 19,058 11.2   3.3 22,882 13.5   4.8
FDP Volker Wissing 17,011 10.0   4.0 21,120 12.4   2.1
AfD Bernd Schattner 16,658 9.8   2.5 17,702 10.4   3.2
FW Steffen Weiß 6,388 3.8   1.1 5,493 3.2   1.6
Left Tobias Schreiner 5,222 3.1   1.6 5,598 3.3   3.1
Tierschutzpartei Bernd Kriebel 3,019 1.8 3,098 1.8
dieBasis Jacqueline Sharma 2,388 1.4 2,389 1.4
PARTEI Lukas Rammefanger 1,923 1.1 1,515 0.9   0.1
Volt Alexandra Barsuhn 829 0.5 779 0.5
Team Todenhöfer   665 0.4
Pirates   659 0.4   0.1
ÖDP Sven Leuthner 582 0.3 471 0.3   0.0
Independent Erdal Koccu 362 0.2
Independent Cyrus Mobasheri 225 0.1
NPD   218 0.1   0.2
Independent Holger Volger 206 0.1
V-Partei3   194 0.1   0.2
DiB   182 0.1
Humanists   151 0.1
LKR   73 0.0
MLPD   38 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 1,627 1,583
Total valid votes 169,632 169,676
Turnout 171,259 78.9   0.3
SPD gain from CDU Majority 41 0.0

2017 election

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Federal election (2017): Südpfalz[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  Y Thomas Gebhart 68,588 40.3   8.5 59,309 34.8   7.9
SPD Thomas Hitschler 44,224 26.0   2.0 37,293 21.9   4.1
AfD Heiko Wildberg 20,932 12.3 23,191 13.6   8.7
Greens Tobias Lindner 13,500 7.9   0.8 14,788 8.7   0.2
FDP Mario Brandenburg 10,209 6.0   2.0 17,560 10.3   4.1
Left Simon Georg Bludovsky 8,018 4.7   0.6 10,975 6.4   1.6
FW Bernd Ließfeld 4,540 2.7   0.6 2,814 1.7   0.3
PARTEI   1,706 1.0
Pirates   796 0.5   2.2
NPD   537 0.3   0.9
V-Partei³ 520 0.3
ÖDP   462 0.3   0.2
BGE   391 0.2
MLPD   65 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 2,358 1,962
Total valid votes 170,011 170,407
Turnout 172,369 79.2   5.8
CDU hold Majority 24,364 14.3   6.5

2013 election

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Federal election (2013): Südpfalz[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 Thomas Gebhart 75,748 48.8   8.2 66,523 42.7   8.4
SPD Thomas Hitschler 43,385 28.0   0.2 40,537 26.0   3.3
Greens Tobias Lindner 11,064 7.1   2.1 13,172 8.5   1.8
Left Sebastian Frech 6,308 4.1   3.1 7,538 4.8   3.7
FDP Volker Wissing 6,217 4.0   8.7 9,677 6.2   10.9
AfD   7,584 4.9
Pirates Kim Julia Orth 4,608 3.0 4,091 2.6   0.5
FW Franz Alois Pietruska 3,159 2.0 2,166 1.4
NPD Klaus Armstroff 2,082 1.3   0.8 1,833 1.2   0.3
REP Frank Herbert Karl Köhler 1,605 1.0 1,233 0.8   0.5
ÖDP Rüdiger John 940 0.6 660 0.4   0.0
Party of Reason 410 0.3
PRO 349 0.2
MLPD   71 0.0   0.0
Informal votes 3,545 2,817
Total valid votes 155,116 155,844
Turnout 158,661 73.4   0.5
CDU hold Majority 32,363 20.8   7.8

2009 election

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Federal election (2009): Südpfalz[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 Thomas Gebhart 61,994 40.7   2.6 52,517 34.3   2.9
SPD Heinz Schmitt 42,287 27.7   9.9 34,790 22.7   9.9
FDP Volker Wissing 19,431 12.7   6.5 26,201 17.1   5.0
Greens Tobias Lindner[a] 12,637 8.3   3.5 15,635 10.2   2.3
Left Ernst Jakob Kuntz 10,926 7.2   3.3 13,137 8.6   3.7
Pirates   3,322 2.2
NPD Karlheinz Pfirrmann 3,230 2.1   0.8 2,272 1.5   0.2
REP   1,980 1.3   0.8
FAMILIE 1,889 1.2   0.1
Independent Edeltraud Dietert 1,197 0.8
Independent Wolfgang Berger 728 0.5
ÖDP   609 0.4
PBC 575 0.4   0.1
DVU   134 0.1
MLPD   59 0.0   0.1
Informal votes 3,719 3,029
Total valid votes 152,430 153,120
Turnout 156,149 72.9   7.0
CDU hold Majority 19,707 13.0   7.3

Notes

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  1. ^ Lindner entered the Bundestag on the Greens list after the resignation of Ulrike Höfken in June 2011.

References

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