Mittelems (electoral district)

Mittelems 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 31. It is located in western Lower Saxony, comprising the Grafschaft Bentheim district and the southern part of the Emsland district.^[1]

31 Mittelems
Electoral district for the Bundestag
Mittelems in 2025
State	Lower Saxony
Population	313,500 (2019)
Electorate	233,253 (2021)
Major settlements	Lingen Nordhorn Meppen
Area	2,353.4 km2
Current electoral district
Created	1980
Party	CDU
Member	Albert Stegemann
Elected	2013, 2017, 2021

Mittelems was created for the 1980 federal election. Since 2013, it has been represented by Albert Stegemann of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).^[2]

Geography

Mittelems is located in western Lower Saxony. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Grafschaft Bentheim district and the southern part of the Emsland district, specifically the municipalities of Emsbüren, Geeste, Haselünne, Lingen, Meppen, and Salzbergen, as well as the Samtgemeinden of Freren, Herzlake, Lengerich, and Spelle.^[1]

History

Mittelems was created in 1980 and contained parts of the abolished constituencies of Emsland and Lingen. Until the 2002 election, it was constituency number 26. From then until 2013, it was constituency 32. Since 2013, it has been constituency 31. Its borders have not changed since its creation.

Members

The constituency has been held continuously by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since its creation. Its first representative was Burkhard Ritz, who served a single term. He was succeeded by Hans-Gerd Strube, who served until 1994, followed by Hermann Kues. In 2013, Albert Stegemann was elected representative. He was re-elected in 2017 and 2021.

Election		Member	Party	%
	1980	Burkhard Ritz	CDU	54.4
	1983	Hans-Gerd Strube	CDU	60.0
	1987			54.8
	1990			57.2
	1994	Hermann Kues	CDU	57.0
	1998			53.3
	2002			53.3
	2005			55.6
	2009			54.6
	2013	Albert Stegemann	CDU	59.0
	2017			53.6
	2021			40.5

Election results

2021 election

Federal election (2021): Mittelems[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 Albert Stegemann		72,523	40.5	13.2	60,733	33.8	15.5
	SPD	Daniela De Ridder[a]		52,309	29.2	2.8	55,461	30.9	7.4
	Greens	Everhard Hüseman		22,562	12.6	7.6	22,515	12.5	6.5
	FDP	Jens Beeck		17,466	9.7	4.1	21,101	11.8	2.7
	AfD	Danny Meiners		8,993	5.0	0.0	9,235	5.1	0.3
	Left	Helmuth Hoffmann		3,996	2.2	1.6	3,969	2.2	2.4
	Human Environment Animal Protection						1,592	0.9	0.4
	PARTEI						1,521	0.8	0.3
	dieBasis	Mario Kehl		1,364	0.8		1,070	0.6
	FW						723	0.4	0.3
	Pirates						423	0.2	0.0
	Team Todenhöfer						291	0.2
	Volt						243	0.1
	Humanists						132	0.1
	NPD						107	0.1	0.1
	ÖDP						97	0.1	0.1
	du.						90	0.1
	V-Partei3						74	0.0	0.0
	LKR						23	0.0
	DKP						22	0.0	0.0
	MLPD						17	0.0	0.0
Informal votes				1,330			1,104
Total valid votes				179,213			179,439
Turnout				180,543	77.4	0.7
	CDU hold		Majority	20,214	11.3	15.9

2017 election

Federal election (2017): Mittelems[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 Albert Stegemann		95,815	53.6	5.4	88,310	49.4	6.7
	SPD	Daniela De Ridder		47,107	26.4	2.6	41,983	23.5	2.6
	FDP	Jens Beeck		10,089	5.6	4.1	16,181	9.0	4.9
	AfD	Danny Meiners		8,949	5.0	2.8	9,701	5.4	2.9
	Greens	Reinhard Prüllage		8,900	5.0	0.0	10,803	6.0	0.6
	Left	Roberto Linguari		6,813	3.8	1.1	8,167	4.6	1.5
	PARTEI	Harald Nützel		951	0.5		984	0.6
	Human Environment Animal Protection						939	0.5	0.1
	Pirates						385	0.2	1.2
	NPD						285	0.2	0.3
	FW						271	0.2	0.0
	ÖDP						238	0.1
	DM						146	0.1
	BGE						136	0.1
	DiB						134	0.1
	V-Partei³						127	0.1
	MLPD						35	0.0	0.0
	DKP						27	0.0
Informal votes				1,187			959
Total valid votes				178,624			178,852
Turnout				179,811	78.1	3.4
	CDU hold		Majority	48,708	27.2	2.8

2013 election

Federal election (2013): Mittelems[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	Albert Stegemann		99,705	59.0	4.4	94,923	56.1	8.9
	SPD	Daniela De Ridder		48,903	29.0	3.0	44,069	26.0	2.7
	Greens	Birgit Kemmer		8,393	5.0	0.9	9,160	5.4	1.4
	Left	Heinz Georg von Wensiersky		4,543	2.7	2.2	5,107	3.0	2.5
	AfD	Martina Härting		3,777	2.2		4,331	2.6
	FDP	Manuel Nehmer		2,673	1.6	6.4	7,032	4.2	10.0
	Pirates						2,456	1.5	0.1
	NPD	Tobias Richter		879	0.5	0.2	790	0.5	0.1
	Human Environment Animal Protection						767	0.5	0.1
	FW						285	0.2
	PRO						136	0.1
	PBC						114	0.1
	REP						48	0.0
	MLPD						20	0.0	0.0
Informal votes				1,571			1,206
Total valid votes				168,873			169,238
Turnout				170,444	74.7	0.2
	CDU hold		Majority	50,802	30.0	1.4

2009 election

Federal election (2009): Mittelems[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 Hermann Kues		91,378	54.6	1.0	79,052	47.2	1.5
	SPD	Dieter Steinecke		43,503	26.0	8.5	39,085	23.3	10.6
	FDP	Norbert Brüggemann		13,278	7.9	4.5	23,749	14.2	5.7
	Greens	Michael Fuest		9,819	5.9	2.6	11,357	6.8	2.2
	Left	Jörg-Friedrich Küster		8,195	4.9	2.5	9,169	5.5	2.7
	Pirates						2,347	1.4
	NPD	Malte Holzer		1,130	0.7	0.0	1,014	0.6	0.1
	Human Environment Animal Protection						853	0.5	0.1
	RRP						642	0.4
	ÖDP						158	0.1
	DVU						78	0.0
	MLPD						24	0.0	0.0
Informal votes				1,775			1,550
Total valid votes				167,303			167,528
Turnout				169,078	74.5	6.2
	CDU hold		Majority	47,875	28.6	7.5

Notes

1. De Ridder entered the Bundestag on the SPD list after the resignation of Yasmin Fahimi in May 2022.

References

1. "Constituency Mittelems". Federal Returning Officer.
2. "Results for Mittelems". Federal Returning Officer.
3. Results for Mittelems
4. Results for Mittelems
5. Results for Mittelems
6. Results for Mittelems