Cloppenburg – Vechta 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 32. It is located in northwestern Lower Saxony, comprising the Cloppenburg and Vechta districts.
Cloppenburg – Vechta was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2017, it has been represented by Silvia Breher of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). It is considered one of the safest seats for the CDU, which often receives an absolute majority of the popular vote. This is partly due to the region being very catholic in an otherwise majority-Protestant state.
Geography Cloppenburg – Vechta is located in northwestern Lower Saxony. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Cloppenburg and Vechta districts.
History Cloppenburg – Vechta was created in 1949, then known as Vechta – Cloppenburg. From 1965 to 1980, it was named Cloppenburg. It acquired its current name in the 1980 election. In the inaugural Bundestag election, it was Lower Saxony constituency 9 in the numbering system. From 1953 through 1961, it was number 31. From 1965 through 1998, it was number 27. From 2002 through 2009, it was number 33. Since 2013, it has been constituency 32.
Originally, the constituency comprised the districts of Cloppenburg and Vechta, as well as the municipalities of Großenkneten, Hatten, Wardenburg, and Wüsting from the Landkreis Oldenburg district. Since the 1965 election, it has comprised only the districts of Cloppenburg and Vechta.
Election Name Borders 1949 Vechta – Cloppenburg Cloppenburg district Vechta district Landkreis Oldenburg district (only Großenkneten, Hatten, Wardenburg, and Wüsting municipalities) 1953 31 1957 1961 1965 27 Cloppenburg Cloppenburg district Vechta district 1969 1972 1976 1980 Cloppenburg – Vechta 1983 1987 1990 1994 1998 2002 33 2005 2009 2013 32 2017 2021 2025
Members The constituency has been held continuously by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since its creation. It is a traditional stronghold of the CDU, frequently the party's safest constituency. Its first representative was Georg Kühling, who served a single term from 1949 to 1953. He was succeeded by Kurt Schmücker, who served five terms. Manfred Carstens then represented it for nine terms from 1972 to 2005. Franz-Josef Holzenkamp served until 2017. Silvia Breher won the constituency in 2017, and was re-elected in 2021.
Election Member Party % 1949 Georg Kühling CDU 45.9 1953 Kurt Schmücker CDU 77.7 1957 77.2 1961 81.9 1965 79.4 1969 73.9 1972 Manfred Carstens CDU 70.8 1976 72.7 1980 71.5 1983 74.8 1987 70.0 1990 71.8 1994 67.7 1998 61.9 2002 62.2 2005 Franz-Josef Holzenkamp CDU 64.4 2009 62.3 2013 66.3 2017 Silvia Breher CDU 57.7 2021 49.1 2025 45.8
Election results 2025 election
2021 election
2017 election
2013 election
2009 election
2005 election
Notes
References