Oberhausen – Wesel III explained

116 Oberhausen – Wesel III
Constituency Type:electoral district
Constituency Link:Oberhausen – Wesel III
Parl Name:Bundestag
Region Label:State
Region:North Rhine-Westphalia
Population:278,100 (2019)
Electorate:199,156 (2021)
Towns:Oberhausen
Area:124.8 km2
Year:1949
Party:SPD
Local Council Label:Member
Local Council:Dirk Vöpel
Blank1 Name:Elected
Blank1 Info:2013, 2017, 2021

Oberhausen – Wesel III 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 116. It is located in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, comprising the city of Oberhausen and a small part of the Wesel district.[1]

Oberhausen – Wesel III was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2021, it has been represented by Dirk Vöpel of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).[2]

Geography

Oberhausen – Wesel III is located in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the independent city of Oberhausen and the Dinslaken municipality from Wesel district.[1]

History

Oberhausen – Wesel III was created in 1949, then known as Oberhausen. It acquired its current name in the 2002 election. In the 1949 election, it was North Rhine-Westphalia constituency 28 in the numbering system. From 1953 through 1961, it was number 87. From 1965 through 1976, it was number 85. From 1980 through 1998, it was number 86. From 2002 through 2009, it was number 118. In the 2013 through 2021 elections, it was number 117. From the 2025 election, it has been number 116.

Originally, the constituency comprised only the city of Oberhausen. In the 2002 election, it acquired the municipality of Dinslaken from Wesel district.

Electionwidth=125pxNamewidth=300pxBorders
1949Oberhausen
195387
1957
1961
196585
1969
1972
1976
198086
1983
1987
1990
1994
1998
2002118Oberhausen – Wesel III
2005
2009
2013117
2017
2021
2025116

Members

The constituency has been held by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) continuously since 1961. It was first represented by Martin Heix of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1949 to 1953. In the 1953 election, the CDU supported Centre Party candidate Johannes Brockmann, who became the first and last candidate of his party to win a constituency in the Bundestag. The alliance was dissolved before the 1957 election, and former member Heix regained the constituency for the CDU. He was re-elected in 1961. Luise Albertz of the SPD was elected in 1965 and served a single term. Fellow SPD member Erich Meinike then served until 1983. He was succeeded by Dieter Schanz from 1983 to 1998, followed by Wolfgang Grotthaus from 2002 to 2009. Michael Groschek was representative for a single term from 2009 to 2013. Dirk Vöpel was elected in 2013, and re-elected in 2017 and 2021.

ElectionMemberParty%
bgcolor=1949Martin HeixCDU29.0
1953Johannes BrockmannZP47.2
1957Martin HeixCDU54.3
196145.4
bgcolor=1965Luise AlbertzSPD52.6
1969Erich MeinikeSPD54.0
197262.3
197658.8
198059.9
1983Dieter SchanzSPD57.5
198759.1
199055.5
199459.3
1998Wolfgang GrotthausSPD65.3
200261.8
200558.2
bgcolor=2009Michael GroschekSPD44.6
2013Dirk VöpelSPD45.1
201738.5
202138.8

Election results

2009 election

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Constituency Oberhausen – Wesel III. Federal Returning Officer.
  2. Web site: Results for Oberhausen – Wesel III. Federal Returning Officer.