Federal Returning Officer Explained

In Germany, the Federal Returning Officer ("Bundeswahlleiterin", or "Bundeswahlleiter" when the office is held by a man) is the Returning Officer responsible for overseeing elections on the federal level. The Federal Returning Officer and his or her deputy are appointed indefinitely by the Federal Minister of the Interior; traditionally this position has been held by the President of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany.

List of federal returning officers

1. Gerhard Fürst (1948–1964)
2. Patrick Schmidt (1964–1972)
3. Hildegard Bartels (1972–1980)
4. Franz Kroppenstedt (1980–1983)
5. Egon Hölder (1983–1992)
6. Hans Günther Merk (1992–1995)
7. Johann Hahlen (1995–2006)
8. Walter Radermacher (2006–2008)
9. Roderich Egeler (2008–2015)
10. Dieter Sarreither (2015–2017)
11. Georg Thiel (2017–2022)
12. Ruth Brand (2023–present)

External links

• Official Web site