Berlin Pankow (electoral district)
Encyclopedia
Berlin Pankow is one of the 299 single member constituencies
used for the German parliament, the Bundestag
. Located in north-east Berlin
the constituency was created in its current form for the 2002 election. The predecessor constituencies had been won by the Social Democratic Party of Germany
in 1990 and by the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), the successor party to the East German Communist party
, in 1994 and 1998. The redrawn constituency was won by the SPD in 2002 and 2005 but lost to The Left Party
(DL) in 2009.
of Pankow
. This borough, a merger of the former boroughs of Pankow, Prenzlauer Berg
and Weissensee was created by the 2001 administrative reform. The current constituency excludes the eastern section of Prenzlauer Berg, which is placed in the Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East constituency
. The legislation establishing the constituency describes it as containing the "borough of Pankow without the area east of Mitte and Prenzlauer Allee south of the road and mid Lehderstrasse Gürtelstrasse and the Jewish Cemetery."
The first constituency to be based around the Pankow and Weissensee areas, constituency number 258, Berlin Pankow – Hohenschönhausen – Weissensee II, was used for the 1990 election, the first after German reunification. For the 1994 election, the remainder of the Weissensee area was added and the constituency renamed as Berlin Hohenschönhausen – Pankow – Weissensee and numbered constituency 261.
The reduction in the number of single member constituencies from 328 to 299 meant that Berlin lost one of its 13 constituencies for the 2002 election. The boundary changes which took effect for the 2002 election transferred the Hohenschönhausen
area to the new Berlin Lichtenberg
while the redrawn Pankow constituency gained the western section of Prenzlauer Berg from the abolished Berlin Mitte - Prenzlauer Berg constituency. These boundary changes proved significant as the PDS had won the constituency by just 3,293 votes in 1998 and out of the 23 Berlin boroughs then in existence, Hohenschönhausen had produced their fourth highest vote share, 41.4% against the SPD vote of 31.5%. In contrast, in the newly added Prenzlauer Berg section, SPD had led PDS in the Prenzlauer Berg borough as a whole by 38.2% to 34.0% Controversy arose after the Chief German statistician produced figures showing that, on the new 2002 boundaries, the SPD would have beaten the PDS by 36.1% to 32.7% in 1998.
Consequently the newly redrawn constituency was won by the SPD in 2002. Under Germany's electoral system, a party must win either 3 constituency seats or poll more than 5% of the vote across Germany as a whole in order to be awarded list seats. Having won four constituency seats at the previous election, the failure of the PDS to win a third constituency here or in other potential seats such as Berlin Treptow – Köpenick
or Berlin Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain - Prenzlauer Berg East
in 2002 proved crucial to the overall result as it meant the party missed out on 15 list MPs. In 2009, a large drop in the SPD vote allowed the Left to gain the seat, although the winning percentage was just 28.8%, the second lowest winning percentage of the election after the neighbouring Berlin Mitte
constituency.
. 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 Pankow constituency take place using the First past the post system.
Out of a total electorate of 232,246, the total number of first votes cast was 166,149 of which 3,081 votes were invalid. The turnout was thus
71.5%, a drop of 6.3% compared to the 2005 election.
source:
Out of a total electorate of 224,621, the total number of votes cast was 174821 (77.8%) of which 2,700 votes were invalid.
Out of a total electorate of 220,153, the total number of votes cast was 169,910 (77.2%) of which 2,241 votes were invalid.
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 in north-east 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...
the constituency was created in its current form for the 2002 election. The predecessor constituencies had been won by 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...
in 1990 and by the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), the successor party to the East German Communist party
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
, in 1994 and 1998. The redrawn constituency was won by the SPD in 2002 and 2005 but lost to The Left Party
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....
(DL) in 2009.
History and boundaries
The constituency, numbered constituency 77 by the German electoral authorities, contains most 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 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 :...
. This borough, a merger of the former boroughs of Pankow, 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....
and Weissensee was created by the 2001 administrative reform. The current constituency excludes the eastern section of Prenzlauer Berg, which is placed in the Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East constituency
Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East (electoral constituency)
thumb|right|300px|Location of constituency in BerlinBerlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg- - Prenzlauer Berg East is one of the 299 single member constituencies used for the German parliament, the Bundestag...
. The legislation establishing the constituency describes it as containing the "borough of Pankow without the area east of Mitte and Prenzlauer Allee south of the road and mid Lehderstrasse Gürtelstrasse and the Jewish Cemetery."
The first constituency to be based around the Pankow and Weissensee areas, constituency number 258, Berlin Pankow – Hohenschönhausen – Weissensee II, was used for the 1990 election, the first after German reunification. For the 1994 election, the remainder of the Weissensee area was added and the constituency renamed as Berlin Hohenschönhausen – Pankow – Weissensee and numbered constituency 261.
The reduction in the number of single member constituencies from 328 to 299 meant that Berlin lost one of its 13 constituencies for the 2002 election. The boundary changes which took effect for the 2002 election transferred the Hohenschönhausen
Hohenschönhausen
Hohenschönhausen was a borough of Berlin, that existed from 1985 until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform. It was composed by the localities of Alt-Hohenschönhausen , Neu-Hohenschönhausen, Malchow, Wartenberg and Falkenberg.-Overview:...
area to the new Berlin Lichtenberg
Berlin Lichtenberg (electoral district)
thumb|right|250px|Location of constituency in BerlinBerlin Lichtenberg is one of the 299 single member constituencies used for the German parliament, the Bundestag. Located in East Berlin, the constituency was created for the 2002 election and all elections to date have been won by The Left Party...
while the redrawn Pankow constituency gained the western section of Prenzlauer Berg from the abolished Berlin Mitte - Prenzlauer Berg constituency. These boundary changes proved significant as the PDS had won the constituency by just 3,293 votes in 1998 and out of the 23 Berlin boroughs then in existence, Hohenschönhausen had produced their fourth highest vote share, 41.4% against the SPD vote of 31.5%. In contrast, in the newly added Prenzlauer Berg section, SPD had led PDS in the Prenzlauer Berg borough as a whole by 38.2% to 34.0% Controversy arose after the Chief German statistician produced figures showing that, on the new 2002 boundaries, the SPD would have beaten the PDS by 36.1% to 32.7% in 1998.
Consequently the newly redrawn constituency was won by the SPD in 2002. Under Germany's electoral system, a party must win either 3 constituency seats or poll more than 5% of the vote across Germany as a whole in order to be awarded list seats. Having won four constituency seats at the previous election, the failure of the PDS to win a third constituency here or in other potential seats such as Berlin Treptow – Köpenick
Berlin Treptow – Köpenick (electoral district)
thumb|right|300px|Location of constituency in BerlinBerlin Treptow – Köpenick is one of the 299 single member constituencies used for the German parliament, the Bundestag. Located in south-east Berlin the constituency was created for the 1994 election. After the 2005 election it was one of just...
or Berlin Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain - Prenzlauer Berg East
Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg East (electoral constituency)
thumb|right|300px|Location of constituency in BerlinBerlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg- - Prenzlauer Berg East is one of the 299 single member constituencies used for the German parliament, the Bundestag...
in 2002 proved crucial to the overall result as it meant the party missed out on 15 list MPs. In 2009, a large drop in the SPD vote allowed the Left to gain the seat, although the winning percentage was just 28.8%, the second lowest winning percentage of the election after the neighbouring Berlin Mitte
Berlin Mitte (electoral constituency)
thumb|right|300px|Location of constituency in BerlinBerlin Mitte or Berlin Central is one of the 299 single member constituencies used for the German parliament, the Bundestag. Located in central Berlin, it was created for the 2002 election and all elections to date have been won by the Social...
constituency.
Profile
The number of residents with German citizenship was 94.0%, a figure above the Berlin average of 86.6% and the third highest figure for any Berlin constituency. 33.5% of residents 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 Pankow constituency take place using the First past the post system.
2009 election
| Party | Constituency results | List results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % share | +/- | Votes | % share | +/- | ||
| The Left Party.PDS | Stefan Liebich | 47,053 | 28.8 | +4.5 | 45,087 | 27.5 | +3.2 | |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse is a German politician .- Early years in the GDR :Thierse was born in Breslau . He is a Roman Catholic and grew up in East Germany. After his A-levels he first worked as a typesetter in Weimar... |
44,732 | 27.4 | -13.7 | 29,795 | 18.2 | -16.4 | |
| 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... |
Gottfried Ludewig | 28,332 | 17.4 | +2.0 | 28,179 | 17.2 | +2.9 | |
| 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... |
Heiko Thomas | 26,770 | 16.4 | +3.6 | 32,505 | 19.9 | +4.1 | |
| 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... |
Martin Lindner | 9,617 | 5.9 | +2.8 | 13,606 | 8.3 | +2.6 | |
| 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"... |
3,669 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 2,964 | 1.8 | -0.1 | ||
| Others | 3,062 | 2.0 | N/A | |||||
Out of a total electorate of 232,246, the total number of first votes cast was 166,149 of which 3,081 votes were invalid. The turnout was thus
71.5%, a drop of 6.3% compared to the 2005 election.
source:
2005 election
| Party | Constituency results | List results | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % share | +/- | Votes | % share | +/- | ||
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse is a German politician .- Early years in the GDR :Thierse was born in Breslau . He is a Roman Catholic and grew up in East Germany. After his A-levels he first worked as a typesetter in Weimar... |
70,730 | 41.1 | -3.6 | 59,613 | 34.6 | -3.2 | |
| The Left Party.PDS | Stefan Liebich | 41,864 | 24.3 | -1.8 | 42,051 | 24.4 | +4.2 | |
| 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... |
Günter Nooke Günter Nooke Günter Nooke is a German CDU politician and a former civil rights activist.- Background :Nooke was born in Forst , Germany, a small town in Brandenburg... |
26,407 | 15.3 | -1.4 | 24,750 | 14.4 | -1.6 | |
| 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... |
Werner Schulz | 21,946 | 12.8 | +6.3 | 27,181 | 15.8 | -0.4 | |
| 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... |
5,241 | 3.0 | -0.6 | 9,839 | 5.7 | 0.8 | ||
| 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"... |
3,821 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 3,235 | 1.9 | +1.1 | ||
| Others | 2,112 | 1.3 | N/A | |||||
Out of a total electorate of 224,621, the total number of votes cast was 174821 (77.8%) of which 2,700 votes were invalid.
2002 election
| Party | Constituency results | List results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % share | Votes | % share | ||
| Social Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse is a German politician .- Early years in the GDR :Thierse was born in Breslau . He is a Roman Catholic and grew up in East Germany. After his A-levels he first worked as a typesetter in Weimar... |
74,948 | 44.7 | |||
| The Left Party.PDS | 43,833 | 26.1 | ||||
| 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... |
28,089 | 16.8 | ||||
| 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... |
10,784 | 6.4 | ||||
| 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... |
6,172 | 3.7 | ||||
| The Grays – Gray Panthers The Grays – Gray Panthers The Greys – Grey Panthers was a German political party and interest group founded by activist Trude Unruh. Their main areas of focus were the protection of the interests of seniors and the securing of stable pensions. They were also active on environmental issues.... |
2,019 | 1.2 | ||||
| Others | 1,824 | 1.0 | ||||
Out of a total electorate of 220,153, the total number of votes cast was 169,910 (77.2%) of which 2,241 votes were invalid.