The politics of Rhineland-Palatinate takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Rhineland-Palatinate. The state has a multi-party system where the two main parties are the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Every five years, all Germans residing in the State over the age of 18 elect the members of the Rhineland-Palatinate Landtag. This regional parliament or legislature then elects the minister-president and confirms the cabinet members. Rhineland-Palatinate is the only German Bundesland to have a cabinet minister for viticulture (Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture).
List of minister-presidents of Rhineland-Palatinate
June 13, 1947 - July 9, 1947: Wilhelm Boden, CDU 1947 - 1969: Peter Altmeier, CDU 1969 - 1976: Helmut Kohl, CDU 1976 - 1988: Bernhard Vogel, CDU 1988 - 1991: Carl-Ludwig Wagner, CDU 1991 - 1994: Rudolf Scharping, SPD 1994 - 2013: Kurt Beck, SPD 2013 - 2024 Malu Dreyer, SPD 2024 - 2026: Alexander Schweitzer, SPD Since 2026: Gordon Schnieder, CDU
Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate Party strength in the Landtag A darkened box under a party in any given year denotes that the party had either not yet been founded, or the party had become defunct, by the date of that election.
Election yearTotalseatsSeats wonCDUSPDFDPGrüneAfDOther19471014834118 1951100433819195510051361319591005237101 19631004643111967100493984 1971100534431975100554051979100514361983100574319871004840751991101404777199610141431072001101384986200610138531020111014142182016101353976142021101313961096 2026105 393201024
Legislative compositions
State election results maps
Constituencies in the Landtag
Betzdorf/Kirchen (Sieg) (01) Altenkirchen (Westerwald) (02) Linz am Rhein/Rengsdorf (03) Neuwied (04) Bad Marienberg (Westerwald)/Westerburg (05) Montabaur (06) Diez/Nassau (07) Koblenz/Lahnstein (08) Koblenz (09) Bendorf/Weißsenthurm (10) Andernach (11) Mayen (12) Remagen/Sinzig (13) Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler (14) Cochem-Zell (15) Rhein-Hunsrück (16) Bad Kreuznach (17) Kirn-Bad Sobernheim (18) Birkenfeld (19) Vulkaneifel (20) Bitburg-Prüm (21) Wittlich (22) Bernkastel-Keus/Morbach/Kirchberg (Hunsrück) (23) Trier/Schweich (24) Trier (25) Konz/Saarburg (26) Mainz I (27) Mainz II (28) Mainz III (29) Bingen am Rhein (30) Ingelheim am Rhein (31) Rhein-Selz/Wonnegau (32) Worms (33) Alzey (34) Frankenthal (Pfalz) (35) Ludwigshafen am Rhein I (36) Ludwigshafen am Rhein II (37) Mutterstadt (38) Speyer (39) Donnersberg (40) Kusel (41) Bad Dürkheim (42) Neustadt an der Weinstraße (43) Kaiserslautern I (44) Kaiserslautern II (45) Kaiserslautern-Land (46) Zweibrücken (47) Pirmasens (48) Südliche Weinstraße (49) Landau in der Pfalz (50) Germersheim (51) Wörth am Rhein (52)
State governments
Boden I (1946–1947) Boden II (1947) Altmeier I (1947–1951) Altmeier II (1951–1955) Altmeier III (1955–1959) Altmeier IV (1959–1963) Altmeier V (1963–1967) Altmeier VI (1967–1969) Kohl I (1969–1971) Kohl II (1971–1975) Kohl III (1975–1976) Vogel I (1976–1979) Vogel II (1979–1983) Vogel III (1983–1987) Vogel IV (1987–1988) Wagner (1988–1991) Scharping (1991–1994) Beck I (1994–1996) Beck II (1996–2001) Beck III (2001–2006) Beck IV (2006–2011) Beck V (2011–2013) Dreyer I (2013–2016) Dreyer II (2016–2021) Dreyer III (2021–2024) Schweitzer (2024–2026) Schnieder (2026–)
Constituencies in the Bundestag NoConstituencyMemberhttps://www.bundeswahlleiterin.de/bundestagswahlen/2021/wahlkreiseinteilung.html2021Voters20172013200920052002199819941990 196 Neuwied Erwin Rüddel 238,118 SPD SPD SPD CDU 197 Ahrweiler Mechthild Heil 195,109 CDU 198 Koblenz Josef Oster 193,035 CDU 199 Mosel/Rhein-Hunsrück Marlon Bröhr 171,012 CDU 200 Kreuznach Joe Weingarten SPD 182,380 CDU SPD SPD SPD SPD 201 Bitburg Patrick Schnieder 163,493 CDU 202 Trier Verena Hubertz SPD 190,530 SPD SPD CDU 203 Montabaur Tanja Machalet SPD 210,816 SPD CDU 204 Mainz Daniel Baldy SPD 249,630 SPD SPD SPD CDU 205 Worms Jan Metzler 212,943 CDU SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 206 Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal Christian Schreider SPD 210,969 SPD SPD SPD CDU 207 Neustadt – Speyer Johannes Steiniger 219,416 CDU 208 Kaiserslautern Matthias Mieves SPD 224,701 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 209 Pirmasens Angelika Glöckner SPD 174,093 SPD CDU 210 Südpfalz Thomas Hitschler SPD 217,000 CDU
Notes
References