Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East (electoral constituency)
Encyclopedia
Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg- - Prenzlauer Berg East is one of the 299 single member constituencies
used for the German parliament, the Bundestag
. Located east of Berlin
centre, it was created for the 2002 election and is the only single member constituency in the Bundestag to be represented by Alliance '90/The Greens
(GR).
of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
. This borough, a merger of two former boroughs, was created by a 2001 administrative reform and joined two areas which are linked only by one single bridge over the Spree
river, the Oberbaumbrücke
. The constituency also includes the eastern section of Prenzlauer Berg
in the borough of Pankow
. The constituency was created for the first time for the 2002 election when the number of constituencies in Berlin was reduced from 13 to 12. Together with Berlin Mitte, which was also created for the 2002 election, it is the first time that a constituency has included parts of the former East Berlin
and West Berlin
. The constituency contains a number of Berlin landmarks such as the East Side Gallery
the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall
, Checkpoint Charlie
, Berlin Ostbahnhof
historically one of the two main railway stations in Berlin, the Stalin era Karl-Marx-Allee and the towers at Frankfurter Tor.
Each section of the new constituency had previously been an eponymous part of one of the three previous constituencies of Berlin Kreuzberg - Schöneberg, Berlin Friedrichshain - Lichtenberg and Berlin Mitte - Prenzlauer Berg. Although the previous constituencies had been won by either the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD) or the Left Party.PDS
(PDS), the Kreuzberg - Schöneberg constituency had produced the Greens highest percentage vote share in any German constituency. Hans-Christian Ströbele
, the former Kreuzberg - Schöneberg candidate won the new constituency for the Alliance '90/Green party, the first constituency seat to be won by the party. Although he won the constituency narrowly in 2002, he increased his majority in 2005 winning the largest percentage majority in Berlin.
Under the German election system, only parties which receive at least 5% of the vote nationwide or win three constituency seats qualify for list seats. After winning two constituencies, the failure of PDS to win a third seat here or in other seats where they had good prospects such as Berlin Pankow or Berlin Treptower proved significant for the overall result as it meant that the party missed out on 14 list seats.
Excluding the Prenzlauer Berg section, the figure rises to 23.2% in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough while in the Kreuzberg district 31.6% were born outside Germany, the second highest figure in Berlin after the district of Wedding
. The district often has levels of poverty and high unemployment - surpassing 20% of the working age population. Of those employed on 30 June 2004, 23% worked in Trade, transport and communications while 17.9% worked in Manufacturing. 24.3% of the population had qualifications which met the requirements for University entry.
. Voters have two votes, one for a constituency MP and one for a regional list to elect representatives for the whole of Berlin city. Elections for the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East constituency take place using the First past the post system.
Out of a total electorate of 215,324, the total number of votes cast was 164,838 (76.6%) of which 3,034 votes were invalid.
Votes for other parties were: The Party 1,363 (0.8%), Stiewe 1,111 (0.7%), APPD 699 (0.4%) BüSo 329 (0.2%), HP 268 (0.2%) and Wendt 245 (0.2%)
Out of a total electorate of 209,818 the total number of votes cast was 158,449 (75.5%) of which 2,582 where invalid.
Votes for other parties were: GRAY 1,951 (1.3%), DKP 322 (0.2%), Berger 479 (0.3%), Schettlinger 128 (0.1%).
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
used for the German parliament, the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. Located east of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
centre, it was created for the 2002 election and is the only single member constituency in the Bundestag to be represented by Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
(GR).
History and boundaries
The constituency, numbered constituency 84 by the German electoral authorities, contains the whole of the Berlin boroughBoroughs and localities of Berlin
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states. It is made up of twelve boroughs , each with its own borough government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.-History:Each borough is made up of several officially recognized localities...
of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is the second borough of Berlin, formed in 2001 by merging the former East Berlin borough of Friedrichshain and the former West Berlin borough of Kreuzberg...
. This borough, a merger of two former boroughs, was created by a 2001 administrative reform and joined two areas which are linked only by one single bridge over the Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
river, the Oberbaumbrücke
Oberbaumbrücke
The Oberbaum Bridge is a double-deck bridge crossing Berlin's River Spree, considered one of the city landmarks. It links Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, former boroughs that were divided by the Berlin Wall, and has become an important symbol of Berlin’s unity....
. The constituency also includes the eastern section of Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg is a locality of Berlin, in the borough of Pankow.Until 2001, Prenzlauer Berg was a borough of Berlin; in that year it was included in the borough of Pankow....
in the borough of Pankow
Pankow
Pankow is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.- Overview :...
. The constituency was created for the first time for the 2002 election when the number of constituencies in Berlin was reduced from 13 to 12. Together with Berlin Mitte, which was also created for the 2002 election, it is the first time that a constituency has included parts of the former East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
and West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. The constituency contains a number of Berlin landmarks such as the East Side Gallery
East Side Gallery
The East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. It is a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin Wall located near the centre of Berlin on Mühlenstraße in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.-Description:...
the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War....
, Berlin Ostbahnhof
Berlin Ostbahnhof
Berlin Ostbahnhof is a mainline railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is in Friedrichshain, now part of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, and has undergone several name changes in its history. It was known as Berlin Hauptbahnhof from 1987 to 1998, a name now applied to Berlin's new central station...
historically one of the two main railway stations in Berlin, the Stalin era Karl-Marx-Allee and the towers at Frankfurter Tor.
Each section of the new constituency had previously been an eponymous part of one of the three previous constituencies of Berlin Kreuzberg - Schöneberg, Berlin Friedrichshain - Lichtenberg and Berlin Mitte - Prenzlauer Berg. Although the previous constituencies had been won by either the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) or the Left Party.PDS
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
(PDS), the Kreuzberg - Schöneberg constituency had produced the Greens highest percentage vote share in any German constituency. Hans-Christian Ströbele
Hans-Christian Ströbele
Hans-Christian Ströbele is a German politician and lawyer. He is a member of the German Green party.Ströbele studied law and political science in Heidelberg and at the Free University of Berlin. Has practiced law since 1969 in Berlin...
, the former Kreuzberg - Schöneberg candidate won the new constituency for the Alliance '90/Green party, the first constituency seat to be won by the party. Although he won the constituency narrowly in 2002, he increased his majority in 2005 winning the largest percentage majority in Berlin.
Under the German election system, only parties which receive at least 5% of the vote nationwide or win three constituency seats qualify for list seats. After winning two constituencies, the failure of PDS to win a third seat here or in other seats where they had good prospects such as Berlin Pankow or Berlin Treptower proved significant for the overall result as it meant that the party missed out on 14 list seats.
Profile
The district has a large foreign born population of 19.8%, a figure exceeded in Berlin only by the neighbouring Berlin Mitte constituencyExcluding the Prenzlauer Berg section, the figure rises to 23.2% in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough while in the Kreuzberg district 31.6% were born outside Germany, the second highest figure in Berlin after the district of Wedding
Wedding (Berlin)
Wedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
. The district often has levels of poverty and high unemployment - surpassing 20% of the working age population. Of those employed on 30 June 2004, 23% worked in Trade, transport and communications while 17.9% worked in Manufacturing. 24.3% of the population had qualifications which met the requirements for University entry.
Electoral system
Elections in Germany take place using the Additional Member SystemAdditional Member System
The Additional Member System is the term used in the United Kingdom for the mixed member proportional representation voting system used in Scotland, Wales and the London Assembly....
. Voters have two votes, one for a constituency MP and one for a regional list to elect representatives for the whole of Berlin city. Elections for the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East constituency take place using the First past the post system.
2009 election
2005 election
| Party | Constituency results | List results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % share | +/- | Votes | % share | +/- | ||
| Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
Hans-Christian Ströbele Hans-Christian Ströbele Hans-Christian Ströbele is a German politician and lawyer. He is a member of the German Green party.Ströbele studied law and political science in Heidelberg and at the Free University of Berlin. Has practiced law since 1969 in Berlin... |
69,988 | 43.3 | +11.7 | ||||
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Ahmet İyidirli | 33,562 | 20.7 | -8.4 | ||||
| The Left Party.PDS | Cornelia Reinauer | 29,145 | 18.0 | -3.4 | ||||
| Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
Kurt Wansner | 18,300 | 11.3 | -1.7 | ||||
| Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
Christopher Paun | 4,328 | 2.7 | -0.3 | ||||
| National Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party of Germany The National Democratic Party of Germany – The People's Union , is a far right German nationalist party. It was founded in 1964 a successor to the German Reich Party . Party statements self-identify as Germany's "only significant patriotic force"... |
2,466 | 1.5 | N/A | |||||
| Others | 4,015 | 2.5 | N/A | |||||
Out of a total electorate of 215,324, the total number of votes cast was 164,838 (76.6%) of which 3,034 votes were invalid.
Votes for other parties were: The Party 1,363 (0.8%), Stiewe 1,111 (0.7%), APPD 699 (0.4%) BüSo 329 (0.2%), HP 268 (0.2%) and Wendt 245 (0.2%)
2002 election
| Party | Constituency results | List results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % share | Votes | % share | ||
| Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
Hans-Christian Ströbele Hans-Christian Ströbele Hans-Christian Ströbele is a German politician and lawyer. He is a member of the German Green party.Ströbele studied law and political science in Heidelberg and at the Free University of Berlin. Has practiced law since 1969 in Berlin... |
49,204 | 31.6 | |||
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Andreas Matthae | 45,400 | 29.1 | |||
| The Left Party.PDS | Bärbel Grygier | 33,324 | 21.4 | |||
| Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
Kurt Wansner | 20,321 | 13.0 | |||
| Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
Martina Schaefer | 4,738 | 3.0 | |||
| Others | 2,880 | 1.9 | ||||
Out of a total electorate of 209,818 the total number of votes cast was 158,449 (75.5%) of which 2,582 where invalid.
Votes for other parties were: GRAY 1,951 (1.3%), DKP 322 (0.2%), Berger 479 (0.3%), Schettlinger 128 (0.1%).