Saalfeld-Rudolstadt – Saale-Holzland-Kreis – Saale-Orla-Kreis is an electoral constituency (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Wahlkreis'') represented in the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

. It elects one member via

first-past-the-post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...

. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 194. It is located in eastern

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

, comprising the districts of

Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Saalfeld-Rudolstadt is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Weimarer Land, Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla, the district Kronach in Bavaria, and the districts Son ...

Saale-Holzland-Kreis Saale-Holzland (official German name: Saale-Holzland-Kreis) is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the district Burgenlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, the district-free city Ge ...

, and

Saale-Orla-Kreis Saale-Orla is a ''Kreis'' (Districts of Germany, district) in the east of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) the districts Saale-Holzland, Greiz (district), Greiz, the Vogtlandkreis in Saxony, the Bavarian dist ...

. Saalfeld-Rudolstadt – Saale-Holzland-Kreis – Saale-Orla-Kreis was created for the 2002 federal election. Since 2021, it has been represented by Michael Kaufmann of the

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

(AfD).

Geography

Saalfeld-Rudolstadt – Saale-Holzland-Kreis – Saale-Orla-Kreis is located in eastern

. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the districts of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Saale-Holzland-Kreis, and Saale-Orla-Kreis.

History

Saalfeld-Rudolstadt – Saale-Holzland-Kreis – Saale-Orla-Kreis was created in 2002, then known as ''Sonneberg – Saalfeld-Rudolstadt – Saale-Orla-Kreis''. It acquired its current name in the 2017 election. In the 2002 election, it was constituency 198 in the numbering system. In the 2005 election, it was number 197. In the 2009 and 2013 elections, it was number 196. In the 2017 and 2021 elections, it was number 195. From the 2025 election, it has been number 194. Originally, the constituency comprised the districts of

Sonneberg Sonneberg () in Thuringia, Germany, is the seat of the Sonneberg district. It is in the Franconian south of Thuringia, neighboring its Upper Franconian twin town Neustadt bei Coburg. Sonneberg became known as the "world toy city", and is home ...

, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, and Saale-Orla-Kreis. It acquired its current borders in the 2017 election.

Members

The constituency was first represented by Christine Lehder of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

(SPD) from 2002 to 2005, followed by

Gerhard Botz Gerhard Botz (born 15 September 1955 in Rudolstadt, Bezirk Gera) is a German politician and member of the SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parti ...

of the SPD from 2005 to 2009. Carola Stauche of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was representative from 2009 to 2017. Albert Weiler was elected in the 2017 election. The constituency was won by Michael Kaufmann of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in 2021.

Election results

2025 election

2021 election

2017 election

2013 election

2009 election

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saalfeld-Rudolstadt - Saale-Holzland-Kreis - Saale-Orla-Kreis Federal electoral districts in Thuringia 2002 establishments in Germany Constituencies established in 2002 Saalfeld-Rudolstadt Saale-Holzland-Kreis Saale-Orla-Kreis