Fulda is an electoral constituency (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Wahlkreis'') represented in the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...

. It elects one member via

first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 174. It is located in eastern

Hesse Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...

, comprising the

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a town in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the town hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. History ...

district and the southeastern part of the Vogelsbergkreis district. Fulda was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2005, it has been represented by Michael Brand of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Geography

Fulda is located in eastern

. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the entirety of the Fulda district, as well as the Vogelsbergkreis district excluding the municipalities of Alsfeld,

Antrifttal Antrifttal is a municipality in the Vogelsbergkreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Antrifttal lies, as its name suggests, in the valley (''Tal'') of a brook called the Antrift, a tributary to the Schwalm, between the Vogelsberg in the sou ...

, Feldatal,

Gemünden (Felda) Gemünden () is a municipality in the Vogelsbergkreis in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Gemünden lies on the rivers Felda and Ohm, flowing from the Vogelsberg Mountains in the region of Upper Hessen (''Oberhessen'') amongst Homberg Grünbe ...

, Homberg (Ohm), Kirtorf, Mücke, and

Romrod Romrod is a small town in the Vogelsbergkreis in central Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Through the town flows the river Antrift. Neighbouring communities Romrod borders in the north on the town of Alsfeld, in the east on the community of S ...

History

Fulda was created in 1949. In the 1949 election, it was Hesse constituency 9 in the numbering system. In the 1953 through 1976 elections, it was number 134. From 1980 through 1998, it was number 132. In 2002 and 2005, it was number 176. In the 2009 election, it was number 175. Since 2013, it has been number 174. Originally, the constituency comprised the independent city of

and the districts of Landkreis Fulda, Lauterbach, and Schlüchtern. In the 1976 election, it comprised the district of Fulda excluding the municipalities of

Burghaun Burghaun is a municipality in the district of Fulda in the state of Hessen in Germany. Burghaun itself is a small town with about 3,800 residents. Following the administrative reorganization of Germany in 1972 when smaller communities were group ...

Eiterfeld Eiterfeld is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated in the north of the district, 25 km north of Fulda. See also * Schloss Buchenau * Burg Fürsteneck The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may ...

Hünfeld Hünfeld is a town in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated 16 km northeast of Fulda. In 2000, the town hosted the 40th Hessentag state festival. Hünfeld has a population close to 16,000. Infrastructure Transport The fe ...

Nüsttal Nüsttal is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the mo ...

, and

Rasdorf Rasdorf is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. Geography Rasdorf is situated within the ''Kuppenrhön''-part of the Rhön hills, at the border of Hesse and Thuringia. Neighbouring communities Rasdorf borders in the no ...

; the municipalities of

Bad Soden-Salmünster Bad Soden-Salmünster () is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Kinzig, between Fulda and Hanau. It has a population of around 13,000. Geography Location The municipality is located on both sides ...

Birstein Birstein is a municipality on the northeastern edge of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse, Germany with approximately 6,600 inhabitants. It was the home of the former principality of Isenburg-Birstein. Geography Location The town lies at the southern ...

Brachttal Brachttal is a municipality in the Main-Kinzig district, in Frankfurt Rhine-Main in Hesse, Germany. Districts The Bracht, a tributary of the Kinzig, flows through the ''Tal'' (valley) so the municipality got the name ''Brachttal.'' Brachttal ...

Schlüchtern Schlüchtern is a town in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hessen, Germany. It is located on the river Kinzig, approximately 30 km southwest of Fulda. Schlüchtern has a population close to 16,000. Location Schlüchtern is located in the '' Ber ...

Sinntal Sinntal is a municipality in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It has a population of around 8,800. Geography Location Sinntal is located around 30 km south of Fulda in the Main-Kinzig district of Hesse. The municipal territo ...

, Steinau,

Wächtersbach The town of Wächtersbach is part of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis in Hesse, Germany. In 1982, the town hosted the 22nd ''Hessentag'' state festival. Location Wächtersbach lies between the Spessart and the Vogelsberg Mountains in the middle Kinzig val ...

, Züntersbach, and the Gutsbezirk Spessart area from the Main-Kinzig-Kreis district; and the municipalities of Freiensteinau, Grebenhain, Herbstein, Lauterbach, Lautertal, Schlitz, Schotten, Ulrichstein, and Wartenberg from the Vogelsbergkreis district. In the 2002 election, it acquired borders very similar to its current configuration, but including the municipalities of

, and

Steinau an der Straße Steinau an der Straße is a town of around 10,000 inhabitants in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Kinzig, southwest of Fulda. The name ''Steinau'' refers to stones in the river; ''an der Straße,'' meaning ...

from Main-Kinzig-Kreis district, and the municipality of Schwalmtal from Vogelsbergkreis district. It acquired its current borders in the 2013 election.

Members

Due to Fulda area being strongly Catholic, the constituency is considered a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) safe seat and has been held continuously by the party since its creation. It was first represented by

Anton Sabel Anton Sabel (15 October 1902 – 5 January 1983) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and former member of the German Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only ...

from 1949 to 1957, followed by Hermann Götz from 1957 to 1976.

Alfred Dregger Alfred Dregger (10 December 1920 – 29 June 2002) was a German politician and a leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Dregger was born in Münster. After graduating from a school in Werl, he entered the German Wehrmacht in 193 ...

then served from 1976 to 1998, when he was succeeded by

Martin Hohmann Martin Hohmann (born 4 February 1948) is a German lawyer and politician of the AfD party. He was a member of the German Parliament ("Bundestag") for the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), from 1998 until 2005. From 2017 to 2021, he ...

. Hohmann was expelled from the CDU group in 2003 for

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

comments, and served as an independent for the rest of his term. Michael Brand was elected in 2005, and re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2021.

Election results

2021 election

2017 election

2013 election

2009 election

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulda (electoral district) Federal electoral districts in Hesse 1949 establishments in West Germany Constituencies established in 1949 Fulda (district) Vogelsbergkreis