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.
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).
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.
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.
Election Name Borders 1949 Oberhausen Oberhausen city 1953 87 1957 1961 1965 85 1969 1972 1976 1980 86 1983 1987 1990 1994 1998 2002 118 Oberhausen – Wesel III Oberhausen city Wesel district (only Dinslaken municipality) 2005 2009 2013 117 2017 2021 2025 116
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, 2021, and 2025.
Election Member Party % 1949 Martin Heix CDU 29.0 1953 Johannes Brockmann ZP 47.2 1957 Martin Heix CDU 54.3 1961 45.4 1965 Luise Albertz SPD 52.6 1969 Erich Meinike SPD 54.0 1972 62.3 1976 58.8 1980 59.9 1983 Dieter Schanz SPD 57.5 1987 59.1 1990 55.5 1994 59.3 1998 Wolfgang Grotthaus SPD 65.3 2002 61.8 2005 58.2 2009 Michael Groschek SPD 44.6 2013 Dirk Vöpel SPD 45.1 2017 38.5 2021 38.8 2025 31.4
Election results 2025 election
2021 election
2017 election
2013 election
2009 election
2005 election
References