Politics of Hesse explained

The politics of Hesse 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 Hesse. The state has a multi-party system where, as in most other states of former Western Germany and the federal level, the three main parties are the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

Governments of Hesse

The governments and ministers-President (Ministerpräsidenten) of the People's State of Hesse during the time of the Weimar Republic were:

  1. 1919–1928: Center-right government, an SPD–DDP–Zentrum coalition led by Carl Ulrich (SPD) as minister-president
  2. 1928–1933: Center-right government, an SPD–DDP–Zentrum coalition led by Bernhard Adelung (SPD) as minister-president

The governments of the National Socialist era:

  1. 1933: National Socialist government with Ferdinand Werner (NSDAP) as minister-president
  2. 1933–1935: National Socialist government with Philipp Wilhelm Jung (NSDAP) as minister-president
  3. 1935–1945: National Socialist government with Jakob Sprenger (NSDAP) as minister-president

The governments and minister-Presidents of Hesse since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany:

  1. 1945: Military occupation provisional government led by Ludwig Bergsträsser(SPD), appointed by the U.S. Military
  2. 1945–1946: Military occupation provisional government led by Karl Geiler (no party), appointed by the U.S. military
  3. 1946–1950: Theoretically a CDU–SPD grand coalition with Christian Stock (SPD) as minister-president, though U.S. Military Occupation remained through 1949.
  4. 1950–1969: First truly non-military government of the Federal Republic, led by Georg-August Zinn (SPD), whose SPD ruled in coalition with the All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights, a party of expelled eastern Germans whose political goal was to retrieve their homelands (heimatlaender); and also with the League of Expellees' successors party the Gesamtdeutsche Partei.
  5. 1969–1976: Center-left government of the SPD-FDP, with Albert Osswald (SPD) as minister-president
  6. 1976–1982: Center-left government of the SPD-FDP continued with Holger Börner (SPD) as minister-president.
  7. 1982–1984: Center-left government of the SPD (single party rule) with Holger Börner (SPD) as minister-president.
  8. 1984–1987: Center-left government of the SPD–Greens with Holger Börner (SPD) as minister-president.
  9. 1987–1991: Center-right government of the CDU–FDP with Walter Wallmann (CDU) as minister-president.
  10. 1991–1999: Center-left government of the SPD–Greens with Hans Eichel (SPD) as minister-president.
  11. 1999–2003: Center-right government of the CDU–FDP with Roland Koch (CDU) as minister-president.
  12. 2003–2009: Center-right government of the CDU (single party rule) with Roland Koch (CDU) as minister-president.
  13. 2009–2010: Center-right government of the CDU-FDP with Roland Koch (CDU) as minister-president.
  14. 2010–2014: Center-right government of the CDU–FDP with Volker Bouffier (CDU) as minister-president.
  15. 2014–2019: Center-right government of the CDU–Greens with Volker Bouffier (CDU) as minister-president.
  16. 2019–2022: Center-right government of the CDU–Greens with Volker Bouffier (CDU) as minister-president. Bouffier resigned in 2022, thus prematurely ending his third term serving as minister-president.
  17. 2022–present: Center-right government of the CDU–Greens with Boris Rhein (CDU) as minister-president.[1]

Since 1950, the SPD has been in the Hesse government 45 years, the CDU for 28 years; the FDP acted as coalition partners with either CDU or SPD for 21 years (13 with SPD, 8 with CDU).

Landtag of Hesse

Party Strength in Landtag

Election yearTotal
seats		Seats won [2]
SPDCDUFDPGB/BHEGrüneLinkeAfDOther
Dec 19469038281410
195080471221A90
1954964424217
195896483297
1962965128116
1966965226108
1970110534611
197411049538
197811050537
198211049529
1983110514487
19871104447910
19911104646810
19951104445813
1999110465068
20031103356912
200811042421196
2009118294620176
201311037476146
201813729401129919
2023133235282228

Constituencies in the Landtag

Constituencies in the Bundestag

NoConstituencyMember2021Voters20172013200920052002199819941990
166WaldeckEsther Dilcherbgcolor=SPD184,073bgcolor=SPDCDUbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPD
167KasselTimon Gremmelsbgcolor=SPD218,474bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPD
168Werra-Meißner – Hersfeld-RotenburgMichael Rothbgcolor=SPD171,886bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPDCreated for 2002 election
169Schwalm-EderEdgar Frankebgcolor=SPD185,944bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPD
170MarburgSören Bartolbgcolor=SPD181,588bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
171Lahn-DillDagmar Schmidtbgcolor=SPD206,532CDUbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPD
172GießenFelix Döringbgcolor=SPD217,514CDUbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPD
173FuldaMichael Brandbgcolor=208,542CDU
174Main-Kinzig – Wetterau II – SchottenBettina MüllerSPD178,307CDUCreated for 2013 election
175HochtaunusMarkus Koobbgcolor=179,842CDU
176Wetterau INatalie Pawlikbgcolor=SPD176,897bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
177Rheingau-Taunus – LimburgKlaus-Peter Willschbgcolor=220,466CDU
178WiesbadenIngmar Jungbgcolor=186,735bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
179HanauLennard Oehlbgcolor=SPD176,271bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
180Main-TaunusNorbert Altenkampbgcolor=195,514CDUCreated for 2002 election
181Frankfurt am Main IArmand Zornbgcolor=SPD201,216bgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
182Frankfurt am Main IIOmid NouripourGrüne227,207bgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
183Groß-GerauMelanie Weglingbgcolor=SPD174,082bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDCDUSPD
184OffenbachBjörn Simon219,511bgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
185DarmstadtAndreas Larembgcolor=SPD240,763bgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDbgcolor=SPDCDUSPD
186OdenwaldJens Zimmermannbgcolor=SPD233,901bgcolor=SPDSPDCDU
187BergstraßeMichael Meisterbgcolor=197,782bgcolor=SPDSPDCDU

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Landtag – Wechsel an Regierungsspitze: Boris Rhein Ministerpräsident. . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317202558/https://www.zeit.de/news/2022-05/31/cdu-politiker-rhein-zum-neuen-ministerpraesidenten-gewaehlt . live . 2023-03-17 . 2023-08-14 . www.zeit.de.
  2. https://hessischer-landtag.de/landtagswahlen

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