The politics of Lower Saxony takes place within a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, where the Federal Government of Germany exercises sovereign rights with certain powers reserved to the states of Germany including Lower Saxony. Since 1948 politics in the state has been dominated by the rightist Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the leftist Social Democratic Party. Lower Saxony was one of the origins of the German environmentalist movement in reaction to the state government's support for underground nuclear waste disposal. This led to the formation of the German Green Party in 1980.
Minister-presidents
Political party:
PortraitName(Born–Died)Term of officePolitical partyElection Took officeLeft officeDays State of Lower Saxony (1946–present) British occupation zone of Germany (1946–1949) State of the Federal Republic of Germany (as of 23 May 1949) 1Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf(1893–1961)9 December 194626 May 1955Social Democratic Party19471951 2Heinrich Hellwege(1908–1991)26 May 195512 May 1959German Party1955 3Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf(1893–1961)12 May 195921 December 1961Social Democratic Party1959 4Georg Diederichs(1900–1983)29 December 19618 July 1970Social Democratic Party19631967 5Alfred Kubel(1909–1999)8 July 19706 February 1976Social Democratic Party19701974 6Ernst Albrecht(1930–2014)6 February 197621 June 1990Christian Democratic Union1974197819821986 7 Gerhard Schröder(born 1944)21 June 199027 October 1998Social Democratic Party199019941998 8Gerhard Glogowski(born 1943)28 October 199815 October 1999Social Democratic Party1998 9Sigmar Gabriel(born 1959)15 October 19994 March 2003Social Democratic Party1998 10 Christian Wulff(born 1959)4 March 200330 June 2010Christian Democratic Union20032008 11David McAllister(born 1971)1 July 201019 February 2013Christian Democratic Union2008 12Stephan Weil(born 1958)19 February 2013IncumbentSocial Democratic Party201320172022
Landtag of Lower Saxony 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 wonSPDCDUFDPGB/BHEGrüneDPKPDDZPAfDOthers194714965301327861951158643512212420 19551595943121719216 19591576551813201963149736214196714966631010 197014975741974155677711197815572831982171638710111986155666991119901557167981994161816713199815783621220031836391151420081524868131211 2013137495414202018137555011129202214657472418
Legislative compositions
State election results maps
Constituencies in the Landtag
Braunschweig-Nord (01) Braunschweig-Süd (02) Braunschweig-West (03) Peine (04) Gifhorn-Nord/Wolfsburg (05) Gifhorn-Süd (06) Wolfsburg (07) Helmstedt (08) Wolfenbüttel-Nord (09) Wolfenbüttel-Süd/Salzgitter (10) Salzgitter (11) Göttingen/Harz (12) Goslar (13) Duderstadt (14) Göttingen/Münden (15) Göttingen-Stadt (16) Northeim (17) Einbeck (18) Holzminden (19) Hildesheim (20) Sarstedt/Bad Salzdetfurth (21) Alfeld (22) Hannover-Döhren (23) Hannover-Buchholz (24) Hannover-Linden (25) Hannover-Richlingen (26) Hannover-Mitte (27) Laatzen (28) Lehrte (29) Langenhagen (30) Garbsen/Wedemark (31) Neustadt/Wunstorf (32) Barsinghausen (33) Springe (34) Bad Pyrmont (35) Schaumburg (36) Hameln/Rinteln (37) Nienburg/Schaumburg (38) Nienburg-Nord (39) Syke (40) Siepholz (41) Waldrode (42) Soltau (43) Bergen (44) Celle (45) Uelzen (46) Elbe (47) Lüneburg-Land (48) Lüneburg (49) Winsen (50) Seevetal (51) Buchholz (52) Rotenburg (53) Bremervörde (54) Buxtehude (55) Stade (56) Geestland (57) Cuxhaven (58) Unterweser (59) Osterholz (60) Verden (61) Oldenburg-Mitte/Süd (62) Oldenburg-Nord/West (63) Oldenburg-Land (64) Delmenhorst (65) Cloppenburg-Nord (66) Cloppenburg (67) Vechta (68) Wilhelmshaven (69) Friesland (70) Wesermarsch (71) Ammerland (72) Bersenbrück (73) Melle (74) Bramsche (75) Georgsmarienhütte (76) Osnabrück-Ost (77) Osnabrück-West (78) Grafschaft Bentheim (79) Lingen (80) Meppen (81) Papenburg (82) Leer (83) Leer/Borkum (84) Emden/Norden (85) Aurich (86) Wittmund/Inseln (87)
Constituencies in the Bundestag NoConstituencyMember2021Voters20172013200920052002199819941990 24 Aurich – Emden Johann Saathoff SPD 191,846 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 25 Unterems Gitta Connemann 238,506 CDU 26 Friesland – Wilhelmshaven – Wittmund Siemtje Möller SPD 189,047 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 27 Oldenburg - Ammerland Dennis Rohde SPD 228,705 SPD SPD CDU SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 28 Delmenhorst – Wesermarsch – Oldenburg-Land Susanne Mittag SPD 226,827 CDU SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 29 Cuxhaven – Stade II Daniel Schneider SPD 188,602 CDUCreated for 2009 election 30 Stade I – Rotenburg II Oliver Grundmann 198,576 Abolished SPD CDU 31 Mittelems Albert Stegemann 233,253 CDU 32 Cloppenburg - Vechta Silvia Breher 223,948 CDU 33 Diepholz – Nienburg I Axel Knoerig 194,371 SPD SPD SPD CDU 34 Osterholz – Verden Andreas Mattfeldt 197,490 CDUAbolished SPD SPD SPD 35 Rotenburg I - Heidekreis Lars Klingbeil SPD 168,927 SPD Abolished SPD CDU 36 Harburg Svenja Stadler SPD 201,740 Abolished SPD CDU 37 Lüchow-Dannenberg – Lüneburg Jakob Blankenburg SPD 182,673 SPD SPD SPD CDU 38 Osnabrück-Land André Berghegger 199,960 CDU 39 Stadt Osnabrück Manuel Gava SPD 195,467 SPD SPD SPD CDU 40 Nienburg II – Schaumburg Marja-Liisa Völlers SPD 193,863 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU 41 Stadt Hannover I Adis Ahmetovic SPD 176,770 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 42 Stadt Hannover II Yasmin Fahimi SPD 190,336 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 43 Hannover-Land I Rebecca Schamber SPD 231,250 SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU 44 Celle – Uelzen Henning Otte 214,482 SPD SPD SPD CDU 45 Gifhorn – Peine Hubertus Heil SPD 219,966 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU 46 Hameln-Pyrmont – Holzminden Johannes Schraps SPD 184,471 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 47 Hannover-Land II Matthias Miersch SPD 238,323 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU 48 Hildesheim Bernd Westphal SPD 215,131 SPD CDU SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 49 Salzgitter - Wolfenbüttel Dunja Kreiser SPD 200,922 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 50 Braunschweig Christos Pantazis SPD 187,721 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU 51 Helmstedt – Wolfsburg Falko Mohrs SPD 180,147 SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU 52 Goslar – Northeim – Göttingen II Frauke Heiligenstadt SPD 197,519 CDU SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD 53 Göttingen Andreas Philippi SPD 214,542 SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD SPD CDU
Notes
References