Wesel I Explained

112 Wesel I
Constituency Type:electoral district
Constituency Link:Wesel I
Parl Name:Bundestag
Region Label:State
Region:North Rhine-Westphalia
Population:261,500 (2019)
Electorate:206,270 (2021)
Towns:Wesel
Kamp-Lintfort
Voerde
Area:884.0 km2
Year:1949
Party:SPD
Local Council Label:Member
Local Council:Rainer Keller
Blank1 Name:Elected
Blank1 Info:2021

Wesel I 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 112. It is located in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, comprising most of the district of Wesel.[1]

Wesel I was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2021, it has been represented by Rainer Keller of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).[2]

Geography

Wesel I is located in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Wesel district excluding the municipalities of Dinslaken, Moers, and Neukirchen-Vluyn.[1]

History

Wesel I was created in 1949, then known as Rees – Dinslaken. From 1965 through 1976, it was named Dinslaken. It acquired its current name in the 1980 election. In the 1949 election, it was North Rhine-Westphalia constituency 27 in the numbering system. From 1953 through 1961, it was number 86. From 1965 through 1976, it was number 84. From 1980 through 1998, it was number 82. From 2002 through 2009, it was number 114. In the 2013 through 2021 elections, it was number 113. From the 2025 election, it has been number 112.

Originally, the constituency comprised the districts of Rees and Dinslaken. In the 1980 through 1998 elections, it comprised the municipalities of Dinslaken, Hamminkeln, Hünxe, Schermbeck, Voerde, Wesel, and Xanten from the district of Wesel. It acquired its current borders in the 2002 election.

Electionwidth=125pxNamewidth=300pxBorders
1949Rees – Dinslaken
  • Rees district
  • Dinslaken district
195386
1957
1961
196584Dinslaken
1969
1972
1976
198082Wesel I
1983
1987
1990
1994
1998
2002114
2005
2009
2013113
2017
2021
2025112

Members

The constituency was first represented by Franz Etzel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1949 to 1953. He was succeeded by Heinrich Lübke until 1961, Arnold Verhoeven until 1965, and Konrad Kraske until 1969. Udo Hein of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was elected in 1969 and served a single term; Uwe Jens of the SPD retained the constituency in 1972 and served until 2002. Fellow SPD member Hans-Ulrich Krüger served from then until 2009, when Sabine Weiss of the CDU was elected representative. Rainer Keller was elected for the SPD in 2021.

ElectionMemberParty%
bgcolor=1949Franz EtzelCDU35.5
1953Heinrich LübkeCDU51.3
195750.2
bgcolor=1961Arnold VerhoevenCDU44.3
bgcolor=1965Konrad KraskeCDU46.8
bgcolor=1969Udo HeinSPD50.7
1972Uwe JensSPD59.6
197655.8
198053.5
198349.8
198751.0
199048.5
199452.5
199857.8
2002Hans-Ulrich KrügerSPD50.0
200549.0
2009Sabine WeissCDU38.5
201343.5
201739.0
bgcolor=2021Rainer KellerSPD34.2

Election results

2009 election

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Constituency Wesel I. Federal Returning Officer.
  2. Web site: Results for Wesel I. Federal Returning Officer.