title: Wartburgkreis III
text: # Wartburgkreis III
  
  Wartburgkreis III is an electoral constituency (German: Wahlkreis) represented in the Landtag of Thuringia. It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the current constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 7. It covers the northern part of Wartburgkreis.
  
  Wartburgkreis III was created for the 1994 state election. Since 2014, it has been represented by Marcus Malsch of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
  
  ## Geography
  
  As of the 2019 state election, Wartburgkreis III covers the northern part of Wartburgkreis, specifically the municipalities of Bad Liebenstein, Barchfeld-Immelborn, Berka vor dem Hainich, Bischofroda, Creuzburg, Ebenshausen, Frankenroda, Hallungen, Hörselberg-Hainich, Krauthausen, Lauterbach, Mihla, Moorgrund, Nazza, Ruhla, Seebach, Treffurt, and Wutha-Farnroda.
  
  ## Members
  
  The constituency has been held by the Christian Democratic Union since its creation in 1994. Its first representative was Werner Grünert, who served from 1994 to 1999, followed by Gustav Bergemann (1999–2014) and Marcus Malsch (2014–present).
  
  | Election | Member | Party | % |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | 1994 | Werner Grünert | CDU | 40.3 |
  | 1999 | Gustav Bergemann | CDU | 47.7 |
  | 2004 | Gustav Bergemann | CDU | 43.3 |
  | 2009 | Gustav Bergemann | CDU | 34.6 |
  | 2014 | Marcus Malsch | CDU | 37.0 |
  | 2019 | Marcus Malsch | CDU | 29.0 |
  
  ## Election results
  
  ### 2019 election
  
  State election (2019): Wartburgkreis III :
  
  | 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 | % | ±% |
  | | CDU | Y Marcus Malsch | Y Marcus Malsch | 7,971 | 29.0 | 8.0 | 6,204 | 22.5 | 11.4 |
  | | AfD | Klaus Stöber | Klaus Stöber | 6,944 | 25.3 | | 6,576 | 23.9 | 14.9 |
  | | Left | Anke Wirsing | Anke Wirsing | 6,799 | 24.8 | 4.4 | 8,628 | 31.3 | 3.6 |
  | | SPD | Lutz Kromke | Lutz Kromke | 2,424 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 2,273 | 8.3 | 5.6 |
  | | Greens | Elias Bohn | Elias Bohn | 1,343 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 1,050 | 3.8 | 0.8 |
  | | FDP | Sebastian Bethge | Sebastian Bethge | 1,079 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 1,222 | 4.4 | 2.1 |
  | | Free Voters | Andreas Böhme | Andreas Böhme | 792 | 2.9 | 2.2 | | | |
  | | MLPD | Joachim Gärtner | Joachim Gärtner | 99 | 0.4 | | 76 | 0.3 | |
  | | List-only parties | | | | | | 1,514 | 5.5 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 479 | | | 387 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 27,451 | | | 27,543 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,930 | 65.7 | 12.0 | | | |
  | | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 1,027 | 3.7 | 4.1 | | | |
  
  ### 2014 election
  
  State election (2014): Wartburgkreis III :
  
  | 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 | % | ±% |
  | | CDU | Marcus Malsch | Marcus Malsch | 8,695 | 37.0 | 2.4 | 8,015 | 31.3 | 2.6 |
  | | Left | Hans-Jörg Lessig | Hans-Jörg Lessig | 6,873 | 29.2 | 5.1 | 6,548 | 27.7 | 1.3 |
  | | SPD | Matthias Kehr | Matthias Kehr | 3,896 | 16.6 | 1.9 | 3,290 | 13.9 | 6.7 |
  | | AfD | | | | | | 2,136 | 9.0 | |
  | | NPD | Hendrik Tilmann Heller | Hendrik Tilmann Heller | 1,273 | 5.4 | 0.3 | 1,118 | 4.7 | 0.2 |
  | | Free Voters | Andreas Böhme | Andreas Böhme | 1,196 | 5.1 | 2.3 | 520 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
  | | Greens | Danilo Saft | Danilo Saft | 1,002 | 4.3 | 1.0 | 1,092 | 4.6 | 0.5 |
  | | FDP | Fred Leise | Fred Leise | 584 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 545 | 2.3 | 3.8 |
  | | List-only parties | | | | | | 353 | 1.5 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 473 | | | 375 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 23,519 | | | 23,617 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,992 | 53.7 | 2.6 | | | |
  | | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 1,822 | 7.8 | 2.7 | | | |
  
  ### 2009 election
  
  State election (2009): Wartburgkreis III :
  
  | 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 | % | ±% |
  | | CDU | Y Gustav Bergemann | Y Gustav Bergemann | 9,091 | 34.6 | 8.7 | 8,260 | 31.3 | 11.4 |
  | | Left | Sascha Bilay | Sascha Bilay | 6,333 | 24.1 | 5.2 | 6,953 | 26.4 | 0.3 |
  | | SPD | Sabine Doht | Sabine Doht | 4,853 | 18.5 | 0.2 | 5,442 | 20.6 | 4.5 |
  | | Free Voters | Andreas Böhme | Andreas Böhme | 1,934 | 7.4 | | 1,262 | 4.8 | 1.2 |
  | | Greens | Danilo Saft | Danilo Saft | 1,402 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 1,342 | 5.1 | 1.3 |
  | | NPD | Karsten Höhn | Karsten Höhn | 1,335 | 5.1 | | 1,299 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
  | | FDP | Fred Leise | Fred Leise | 1,328 | 5.1 | 0.4 | 1,608 | 6.1 | 3.0 |
  | | List-only parties | | | | | | 188 | 0.7 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 605 | | | 527 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 26,276 | | | 26,354 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,881 | 56.3 | 1.3 | | | |
  | | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 2,758 | 10.5 | 2.5 | | | |
  
  ### 2004 election
  
  State election (2004): Wartburgkreis III :
  
  | 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 | % | ±% |
  | | CDU | Y Gustav Bergemann | Y Gustav Bergemann | 11,170 | 43.3 | 4.4 | 11,106 | 42.7 | 8.9 |
  | | PDS | Rosel Neuhäuser | Rosel Neuhäuser | 7,561 | 29.3 | 8.8 | 6,799 | 26.1 | 7.2 |
  | | SPD | Sabine Doht | Sabine Doht | 4,831 | 18.7 | 6.6 | 4,194 | 16.1 | 5.0 |
  | | FDP | Rüdiger Schwanz | Rüdiger Schwanz | 1,224 | 4.7 | 2.2 | 797 | 3.1 | 2.1 |
  | | Greens | Stefan Schweßinger | Stefan Schweßinger | 1,016 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 980 | 3.8 | 2.0 |
  | | List-only parties | | | | | | 2,126 | 8.2 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,400 | | | 1,200 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 25,802 | | | 26,002 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,202 | 55.0 | 5.3 | | | |
  | | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 3,609 | 14.0 | 8.4 | | | |
  
  ### 1999 election
  
  State election (1999): Wartburgkreis III :
  
  | 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 | % | ±% |
  | | CDU | Gustav Bergemann | Gustav Bergemann | 14,055 | 47.7 | 7.3 | 15,304 | 51.6 | 9.4 |
  | | SPD | Sabine Doht | Sabine Doht | 7,441 | 25.3 | 8.8 | 6,262 | 21.1 | 12.0 |
  | | PDS | Hans-Jörg Lessig | Hans-Jörg Lessig | 6,031 | 20.5 | 7.3 | 5,590 | 18.9 | 5.4 |
  | | FDP | Jürgen Bohn | Jürgen Bohn | 725 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 306 | 1.0 | 2.6 |
  | | REP | Johannes Müller | Johannes Müller | 628 | 2.1 | | 203 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
  | | Greens | Michael Spielmann | Michael Spielmann | 582 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 530 | 1.8 | 3.0 |
  | | List-only parties | | | | | | 1,438 | 4.9 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 613 | | | 442 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 29,462 | | | 29,633 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,075 | 60.3 | 16.1 | | | |
  | | CDU hold | CDU hold | Majority | 6,614 | 22.4 | 16.1 | | | |
  
  ### 1994 election
  
  State election (1994): Wartburgkreis III :
  
  | 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 | % | ±% |
  | | CDU | Werner Grünert | Werner Grünert | 14,089 | 40.3 | | 14,926 | 42.2 | |
  | | SPD | | | 11,941 | 34.1 | | 11,718 | 33.1 | |
  | | PDS | | | 4,654 | 13.3 | | 4,803 | 13.6 | |
  | | FDP | | | 2,359 | 6.7 | | 1,270 | 3.6 | |
  | | Greens | | | 1,942 | 5.6 | | 1,712 | 4.8 | |
  | | List-only parties | | | | | | 977 | 2.8 | |
  | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,416 | | | 995 | | |
  | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | Total Valid votes | 34,985 | | | 35,406 | | |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,401 | 76.4 | | | | |
  | | CDU win new seat | CDU win new seat | Majority | 2,148 | 6.2 | | | | |
  