title: Oberallgäu (electoral district)
text: # Oberallgäu (electoral district)
  
  Oberallgäu 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 256. It is located in southwestern Bavaria, comprising the city of Kempten and the districts of Lindau and Oberallgäu.
  
  Oberallgäu was created for the inaugural 1949 federal election. Since 2021, it has been represented by Mechthilde Wittmann of the Christian Social Union (CSU).
  
  ## Geography
  
  Oberallgäu is located in southwestern Bavaria. As of the 2021 federal election, it comprises the independent city of Kempten and the districts of Lindau and Oberallgäu.
  
  ## History
  
  Oberallgäu was created in 1949, then known as Kempten. It acquired its current name in the 1976 election. In the 1949 election, it was Bavaria constituency 46 in the numbering system. In the 1953 through 1961 elections, it was number 241. In the 1965 through 1972 elections, it was number 243. In the 1976 through 1998 elections, it was number 242. In the 2002 and 2005 elections, it was number 257. Since the 2009 election, it has been number 256.
  
  Originally, the constituency comprised the independent cities of Kempten and Lindau and the districts of Landkreis Kempten, Landkreis Lindau, and Sonthofen. In the 1965 through 1972 elections, it also contained the district of Füssen. It acquired its current borders in the 1976 election.
  
  | Election | No. | Name | Borders |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1949 | 46 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district |
  | 1953 | 241 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district |
  | 1957 | 241 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district |
  | 1961 | 241 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district |
  | 1965 | 243 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district Füssen district |
  | 1969 | 243 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district Füssen district |
  | 1972 | 243 | Kempten | Kempten city Lindau city Landkreis Kempten district Landkreis Lindau district Sonthofen district Füssen district |
  | 1976 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 1980 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 1983 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 1987 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 1990 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 1994 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 1998 | 242 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 2002 | 257 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 2005 | 257 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 2009 | 256 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 2013 | 256 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 2017 | 256 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  | 2021 | 256 | Oberallgäu | Kempten city Lindau district Oberallgäu district |
  
  ## Members
  
  Like most constituencies in rural Bavaria, it is an CSU safe seat, the party holding the seat continuously since its creation. It was first represented by Karl von Spreti from 1949 to 1957, followed by Georg Krug from 1957 to 1969 and Wolfgang Pohle from 1969 to 1972. Ignaz Kiechle was representative from 1972 to 1994. Gerd Müller was elected in 1994 and served until 2021. He was succeeded by Mechthilde Wittmann in 2021.
  
  | Election | Member | Party | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1949 | Karl von Spreti | CSU | 43.5 |
  | 1953 | Karl von Spreti | CSU | 61.7 |
  | 1957 | Georg Krug | CSU | 64.3 |
  | 1961 | Georg Krug | CSU | 56.1 |
  | 1965 | Georg Krug | CSU | 59.1 |
  | 1969 | Wolfgang Pohle | CSU | 58.2 |
  | 1972 | Ignaz Kiechle | CSU | 58.6 |
  | 1976 | Ignaz Kiechle | CSU | 62.5 |
  | 1980 | Ignaz Kiechle | CSU | 60.9 |
  | 1983 | Ignaz Kiechle | CSU | 65.4 |
  | 1987 | Ignaz Kiechle | CSU | 62.9 |
  | 1990 | Ignaz Kiechle | CSU | 58.1 |
  | 1994 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 57.7 |
  | 1998 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 56.4 |
  | 2002 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 64.8 |
  | 2005 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 61.5 |
  | 2009 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 53.0 |
  | 2013 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 60.7 |
  | 2017 | Gerd Müller | CSU | 50.4 |
  | 2021 | Mechthilde Wittmann | CSU | 29.7 |
  
  ## Election results
  
  ### 2021 election
  
  Federal election (2021): Oberallgäu :
  
  | Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
  | | CSU | Mechthilde Wittmann | Mechthilde Wittmann | 53,566 | 29.7 | 20.7 | 55,017 | 30.4 | 11.1 |
  | | SPD | Martin Holderied | Martin Holderied | 28,401 | 15.8 | 3.5 | 29,910 | 16.5 | 4.2 |
  | | Greens | Pius Bandte | Pius Bandte | 27,817 | 15.4 | 6.2 | 27,393 | 15.2 | 3.9 |
  | | FDP | Stephan Thomae | Stephan Thomae | 23,604 | 13.1 | 6.1 | 20,953 | 11.6 | 0.8 |
  | | FW | Annette Hauser-Felberbaum | Annette Hauser-Felberbaum | 16,181 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 14,970 | 8.3 | 5.3 |
  | | AfD | Rainer Rothfuß | Rainer Rothfuß | 14,473 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 14,350 | 7.9 | 2.6 |
  | | dieBasis | Dietrich Busacker | Dietrich Busacker | 5,508 | 3.1 | | 5,209 | 2.9 | |
  | | Left | Engelbert Blessing | Engelbert Blessing | 4,911 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 5,043 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
  | | Tierschutzpartei | | | | | | 1,959 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
  | | PARTEI | Tommy Schwellinger | Tommy Schwellinger | 2,269 | 1.3 | | 1,371 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
  | | ÖDP | Franz Natterer-Babych | Franz Natterer-Babych | 2,233 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1,253 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
  | | BP | | | | | | 519 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
  | | Pirates | | | | | | 515 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
  | | Team Todenhöfer | | | | | | 476 | 0.3 | |
  | | Volt | | | | | | 357 | 0.2 | |
  | | V-Partei3 | Marcel Frey | Marcel Frey | 731 | 0.4 | | 306 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
  | | Independent | Alfred Dorn | Alfred Dorn | 444 | 0.2 | | | | |
  | | Unabhängige | | | | | | 285 | 0.2 | |
  | | Bündnis C | | | | | | 186 | 0.1 | |
  | | Gesundheitsforschung | | | | | | 184 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
  | | Humanists | | | | | | 136 | 0.1 | |
  | | du. | | | | | | 104 | 0.1 | |
  | | NPD | | | | | | 94 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
  | | The III. Path | | | | | | 76 | 0.0 | |
  | | DKP | | | | | | 30 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | | LKR | | | | | | 30 | 0.0 | |
  | | MLPD | | | | | | 15 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,617 | | | 1,014 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 180,138 | | | 180,741 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 181,755 | 79.4 | 1.6 | | | |
  | | CSU hold | CSU hold | Majority | 25,165 | 13.9 | 24.2 | | | |
  
  ### 2017 election
  
  Federal election (2017): Oberallgäu :
  
  | Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
  | | CSU | Y Gerd Müller | Y Gerd Müller | 88,357 | 50.4 | 10.2 | 72,855 | 41.5 | 10.8 |
  | | SPD | Katharina Schrader | Katharina Schrader | 21,451 | 12.2 | 5.1 | 21,725 | 12.4 | 3.6 |
  | | AfD | Peter Felser | Peter Felser | 16,825 | 9.6 | | 18,529 | 10.6 | 6.2 |
  | | Greens | Erna-Kathrein Groll | Erna-Kathrein Groll | 16,162 | 9.2 | 0.8 | 19,792 | 11.3 | 2.0 |
  | | FDP | Stephan Thomae | Stephan Thomae | 12,262 | 7.0 | 3.4 | 18,935 | 10.8 | 5.1 |
  | | Left | Franz Xaver Merk | Franz Xaver Merk | 8,264 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 10,130 | 5.8 | 2.2 |
  | | FW | Hugo Wirthensohn | Hugo Wirthensohn | 7,805 | 4.5 | | 5,156 | 2.9 | 0.4 |
  | | ÖDP | Lucia Fischer | Lucia Fischer | 2,233 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1,607 | 0.9 | 0.4 |
  | | BP | Josef Kirchmann | Josef Kirchmann | 1,838 | 1.0 | | 1,289 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
  | | PARTEI | | | | | | 929 | 0.5 | |
  | | Pirates | | | | | | 577 | 0.3 | 1.2 |
  | | BGE | | | | | | 559 | 0.3 | |
  | | DM | | | | | | 431 | 0.2 | |
  | | NPD | | | | | | 365 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
  | | V-Partei³ | | | | | | 326 | 0.2 | |
  | | DiB | | | | | | 229 | 0.1 | |
  | | Gesundheitsforschung | | | | | | 211 | 0.1 | |
  | | MLPD | | | | | | 40 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | | BüSo | | | | | | 28 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | | DKP | | | | | | 18 | 0.0 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,240 | | | 1,092 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 175,197 | | | 175,345 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 176,437 | 77.9 | 8.5 | | | |
  | | CSU hold | CSU hold | Majority | 66,906 | 38.2 | 5.2 | | | |
  
  ### 2013 election
  
  Federal election (2013): Oberallgäu :
  
  | Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
  | | CSU | Y Gerd Müller | Y Gerd Müller | 93,494 | 60.7 | 7.6 | 80,902 | 52.3 | 7.5 |
  | | SPD | Katharina Schrader | Katharina Schrader | 26,722 | 17.3 | 5.2 | 24,776 | 16.0 | 3.1 |
  | | Greens | Michael Schropp | Michael Schropp | 13,011 | 8.4 | 4.4 | 14,329 | 9.3 | 2.0 |
  | | Left | Stefan Albanesi | Stefan Albanesi | 5,530 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 5,574 | 3.6 | 1.9 |
  | | FDP | Stephan Thomae | Stephan Thomae | 5,501 | 3.6 | 7.6 | 8,749 | 5.7 | 10.9 |
  | | AfD | | | | | | 6,695 | 4.3 | |
  | | FW | | | | | | 3,918 | 2.5 | |
  | | ÖDP | Wilhelm Vachenauer | Wilhelm Vachenauer | 4,127 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2,089 | 1.4 | 0.1 |
  | | Pirates | Ralph Osterkamp | Ralph Osterkamp | 3,072 | 2.0 | | 2,431 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
  | | Tierschutzpartei | | | | | | 1,201 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
  | | REP | Ludwig Streitle | Ludwig Streitle | 2,236 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 1,052 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
  | | BP | | | | | | 976 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
  | | NPD | | | | | | 861 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
  | | DIE FRAUEN | | | | | | 290 | 0.2 | |
  | | DIE VIOLETTEN | | | | | | 230 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
  | | RRP | Maximilian Schönberger | Maximilian Schönberger | 411 | 0.3 | | 161 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
  | | Party of Reason | | | | | | 153 | 0.1 | |
  | | PRO | | | | | | 99 | 0.1 | |
  | | MLPD | | | | | | 35 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | | BüSo | | | | | | 30 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,531 | | | 1,084 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 154,104 | | | 154,551 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 155,635 | 69.4 | 2.3 | | | |
  | | CSU hold | CSU hold | Majority | 66,772 | 43.4 | 3.2 | | | |
  
  ### 2009 election
  
  Federal election (2009): Oberallgäu :
  
  | Notes: | Notes: | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. | Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote. Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list. Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member, or other incumbent. A Y or N denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively. |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% |
  | | CSU | Y Gerd Müller | Y Gerd Müller | 83,181 | 53.0 | 8.5 | 70,559 | 44.9 | 8.1 |
  | | Greens | Thomas Hartmann | Thomas Hartmann | 20,093 | 12.8 | 4.4 | 17,753 | 11.3 | 3.1 |
  | | SPD | Reinhard Strehlke | Reinhard Strehlke | 19,107 | 12.2 | 8.3 | 20,392 | 13.0 | 8.0 |
  | | FDP | Stephan Thomae | Stephan Thomae | 17,464 | 11.1 | 5.8 | 26,018 | 16.5 | 5.7 |
  | | Left | Stefan Albanesi | Stefan Albanesi | 7,842 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 8,735 | 5.6 | 2.6 |
  | | Pirates | | | | | | 2,635 | 1.7 | |
  | | ÖDP | Wilhelm Vachenauer | Wilhelm Vachenauer | 3,150 | 2.0 | | 2,299 | 1.5 | |
  | | BP | Josef Kirchmann | Josef Kirchmann | 2,606 | 1.7 | | 1,507 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
  | | REP | Konrad Huber | Konrad Huber | 2,092 | 1.3 | | 1,800 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
  | | NPD | Alexander Kreidemann | Alexander Kreidemann | 1,314 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1,202 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
  | | FAMILIE | | | | | | 1,200 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
  | | Tierschutzpartei | | | | | | 1,039 | 0.7 | |
  | | RRP | | | | | | 983 | 0.6 | |
  | | CM | | | | | | 357 | 0.2 | |
  | | DIE VIOLETTEN | | | | | | 353 | 0.2 | |
  | | PBC | | | | | | 242 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
  | | DVU | | | | | | 71 | 0.0 | |
  | | BüSo | | | | | | 53 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | | MLPD | | | | | | 41 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,008 | | | 1,618 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 156,849 | | | 157,239 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 158,857 | 71.7 | 6.5 | | | |
  | | CSU hold | CSU hold | Majority | 63,088 | 40.2 | 0.8 | | | |
  