# Politics of Rhineland-Palatinate

The politics of Rhineland-Palatinate 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 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 winegrowing (ministry of economy, traffic, agriculture and winegrowing)

## 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 - incumbent: Alexander Schweitzer, SPD

## Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate

After the 2021 elections, the governing coalition of the SPD, FDP and the Greens (Grüne) was renewed and reelected Malu Dreyer as minister-president. Since then, a new minister-president, Alexander Schweitzer, was elected by the Landtag and began serving in 2024.

### Party Strength in 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 year | Total seats | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won | Seats won |
| Election year | Total seats | CDU | SPD | FDP | Grüne | AfD | Other |
| 1947 | 101 | 48 | 34 | 11 | | | 8 |
| 1951 | 100 | 43 | 38 | 19 | | | |
| 1955 | 100 | 51 | 36 | 13 | | | |
| 1959 | 100 | 52 | 37 | 10 | | | 1 |
| 1963 | 100 | 46 | 43 | 11 | | | |
| 1967 | 100 | 49 | 39 | 8 | | | 4 |
| 1971 | 100 | 53 | 44 | 3 | | | |
| 1975 | 100 | 55 | 40 | 5 | | | |
| 1979 | 100 | 51 | 43 | 6 | | | |
| 1983 | 100 | 57 | 43 | | | | |
| 1987 | 100 | 48 | 40 | 7 | 5 | | |
| 1991 | 101 | 40 | 47 | 7 | 7 | | |
| 1996 | 101 | 41 | 43 | 10 | 7 | | |
| 2001 | 101 | 38 | 49 | 8 | 6 | | |
| 2006 | 101 | 38 | 53 | 10 | | | |
| 2011 | 101 | 41 | 42 | | 18 | | |
| 2016 | 101 | 35 | 39 | 7 | 6 | 14 | |
| 2021 | 101 | 31 | 39 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 6 |

### State Landtag Compositions

* 1st Landtag, following 1947 election
* 2nd Landtag, following 1951 election
* 3rd Landtag, following 1955 election
* 4th Landtag, following 1959 election
* 5th Landtag, following 1963 election
* 6th Landtag, following 1967 election
* 7th Landtag, following 1971 election
* 8th Landtag, following 1975 election
* 9th Landtag, following 1979 election
* 10th Landtag, following 1983 election
* 11th Landtag, following 1987 election
* 12th Landtag, following 1991 election
* 13th Landtag, following 1996 election
* 14th Landtag, following 2001 election
* 15th Landtag, following 2006 election
* 16th Landtag, following 2011 election
* 17th Landtag, following 2016 election
* 18th Landtag, following 2021 election

### State Election Results Maps

* 1991 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU
* 1996 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU
* 2001 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU
* 2006 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU
* 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU
* 2016 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU
* 2021 Rhineland-Palatinate state election, Red is SPD, Black is CDU

### 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–)

## Constituencies in the Bundestag

| No | Constituency | Member | 2021 | Voters | 2017 | 2013 | 2009 | 2005 | 2002 | 1998 | 1994 | 1990 |
| 196 | Neuwied | Erwin Rüddel | CDU | 238,118 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU |
| 197 | Ahrweiler | Mechthild Heil | CDU | 195,109 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU |
| 198 | Koblenz | Josef Oster | CDU | 193,035 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU |
| 199 | Mosel/Rhein-Hunsrück | Marlon Bröhr | CDU | 171,012 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU |
| 200 | Kreuznach | Joe Weingarten | SPD | 182,380 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD |
| 201 | Bitburg | Patrick Schnieder | CDU | 163,493 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU |
| 202 | Trier | Verena Hubertz | SPD | 190,530 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU |
| 203 | Montabaur | Tanja Machalet | SPD | 210,816 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | CDU | CDU |
| 204 | Mainz | Daniel Baldy | SPD | 249,630 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU |
| 205 | Worms | Jan Metzler | CDU | 212,943 | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD |
| 206 | Ludwigshafen/Frankenthal | Christian Schreider | SPD | 210,969 | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | SPD | SPD | CDU | CDU |
| 207 | Neustadt – Speyer | Johannes Steiniger | CDU | 219,416 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU |
| 208 | Kaiserslautern | Matthias Mieves | SPD | 224,701 | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD | SPD |
| 209 | Pirmasens | Angelika Glöckner | SPD | 174,093 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | SPD | CDU | CDU |
| 210 | Südpfalz | Thomas Hitschler | SPD | 217,000 | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU | CDU |