Emsland: results of the 2026 local elections and the 2025 federal election
In the federal election on 23 February 2025, CDU led in Emsland with 41.4% of the second votes, followed by SPD with 18.2%. Below, the results of all 60 municipalities.
- District Administrator
- Reinhard Winter (CDU) · Wikidata
- Population
- 334,403 · 116 per km²
- Largest sector
- Manufacturing 28%
- Turnout
- 85.2% · Lower Saxony 83.4% · Germany 82.5%
- Voters
- 205,957 of 241,862 eligible voters
- Compared with Lower Saxony
- CDU +13.3 · SPD −4.8 · AfD −1.2 · Grüne −4.0
- CDU range across municipalities
- 31.0% to 66.6%
2026 local elections in Emsland
On 13 September 2026, the district council was newly elected, along with the district administrator. Official final result, as of 25.09.2026 14:41. All districts: Lower Saxony local elections 2026.
- Largest group: district council
- CDU 49.2% · 33 of 66 seats
- District administrator
- Marc André Burgdorf (CDU), 54.0%
- Turnout
- 65.2%
- Joint municipalities (Samtgemeinden)
- 9 with their own council
Turnout 65.2% · 270,850 eligible voters · 66 seats · Official final result · 386 of 386 results
Source: Landkreis Emsland, Local elections 2026, official results presentation (votemanager) (file), final result, retrieved 31 Oct 2026, official work, § 5 UrhG. Electoral authority status: 25.09.2026 14:41. Electoral authority's result portal: https://votemanager.kdo.de/20260913/03454000/praesentation/ Compiled by wahlergebnisse.io.
District administrator election
- Burgdorf, CDU54.0%
- Außel, SPD18.6%
- Minich, AfD Niedersachsen14.8%
- Engelken, GRÜNE9.0%
- Meyer, FDP3.6%
Turnout 65.2% · 270,850 eligible voters · Official final result · 386 of 386 results
District council election by municipality and Samtgemeinde
| Area | Turnout | CDU | SPD | AfD | GRÜNE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemeinde Emsbüren | 70.8% | 63.1% | 13.2% | 8.8% | 7.8% |
| Gemeinde Geeste | 66.2% | 46.5% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 8.1% |
| Stadt Haren (Ems) | 63.6% | 53.2% | 16.1% | 14.7% | 7.4% |
| Stadt Haselünne | 67.8% | 45.8% | 18.4% | 10.6% | 10.9% |
| Stadt Lingen (Ems) | 66.1% | 49.2% | 15.1% | 10.8% | 11.3% |
| Stadt Meppen | 66.6% | 37.4% | 23.4% | 13.7% | 10.6% |
| Stadt Papenburg | 58.6% | 31.1% | 26.3% | 18.3% | 9.2% |
| Gemeinde Rhede (Ems) | 61.8% | 62.7% | 9.5% | 15.7% | 5.5% |
| Gemeinde Salzbergen | 68.2% | 50.0% | 21.6% | 10.7% | 9.1% |
| Gemeinde Twist | 63.0% | 52.5% | 16.1% | 16.9% | 5.5% |
| Samtgemeinde Dörpen | 68.3% | 52.7% | 11.9% | 14.5% | 4.6% |
| Samtgemeinde Freren | 72.1% | 62.5% | 12.9% | 12.5% | 6.5% |
| Samtgemeinde Herzlake | 64.4% | 49.5% | 26.0% | 12.3% | 6.5% |
| Samtgemeinde Lathen | 62.7% | 61.0% | 8.3% | 15.1% | 7.6% |
| Samtgemeinde Lengerich | 71.5% | 66.1% | 8.8% | 9.4% | 4.9% |
| Samtgemeinde Nordhümmling | 62.8% | 52.3% | 8.8% | 19.4% | 4.7% |
| Samtgemeinde Sögel | 63.1% | 47.1% | 19.0% | 12.5% | 3.7% |
| Samtgemeinde Spelle | 66.4% | 54.2% | 7.4% | 14.4% | 11.0% |
| Samtgemeinde Werlte | 64.6% | 58.6% | 9.0% | 17.9% | 3.0% |
Joint municipalities (Samtgemeinden) are administrative unions of several municipalities; their member municipalities also have their own councils. Shares in percent of valid votes, others not listed individually.
Samtgemeinde councils in Emsland
- Samtgemeinde DörpenCouncil: CDU 60.0%, 32 seats · mayoral election: Wocken 82.9%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde FrerenCouncil: CDU 70.1%, 26 seats · mayoral election: Dr. Lis 81.9%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde HerzlakeCouncil: CDU 62.2%, 26 seats · mayoral election: Schümers 89.0%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde LathenCouncil: CDU 65.1%, 30 seats · mayoral election: Wilkens 76.9%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde LengerichCouncil: CDU 77.1%, 24 seats · mayoral election: Lühn 87.1%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde NordhümmlingCouncil: CDU 62.5%, 30 seatsSamtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde SögelCouncil: CDU 60.9%, 32 seats · mayoral election: Kuper 67.7%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde SpelleCouncil: CDU 52.0%, 30 seatsSamtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde WerlteCouncil: CDU 64.9%, 30 seats · mayoral election: Kewe 71.4%Samtgemeinde result portal
Second votes in Emsland
Deviation from the state result in points.
Where do these figures come from?
Official results of the 2025 federal election from the Federal Returning Officer's district file, second votes per district.
What does the comparison show?
The lighter bar is the state result of the same election, so you can see where the area differs from its state. Differences are in percentage points.
Source: Federal Returning Officer, 2025 federal election, results by independent city and district (file), final result, retrieved 7 Sep 2026, Data licence Germany, attribution 2.0. Compiled by wahlergebnisse.io.
2024 European election in Emsland
In the European election on 9 June 2024, CDU came first in Emsland with 49.5% of the vote; in Lower Saxony CDU got 31.4%. The bars show the European election shares, the small figures the gap to the 2025 federal election in the same area.
In the 2024 European election, CDU was the strongest party in Emsland with 49.5%, +8.1 points compared with the 2025 federal election. Turnout was 66.2% (2025 federal election: 85.2%).
Why do the European and federal elections differ?
The European election has no electoral threshold, so small parties such as Volt, Die PARTEI or the animal-welfare party win more votes. Turnout is much lower, and the political mood shifted between June 2024 and February 2025. The single European-election vote is compared with the second vote of the federal election in the same area; parties that count as Others in 2025 get no difference.
Where do these figures come from?
Official final result of the 2024 European election from the Federal Returning Officer (kerg2.csv), votes per district and independent city.
| Party | Votes 2024 | European election 2024 | Federal election 2025 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CDU | 81,016 | 49.5% | 41.4% | +8.1 |
| SPD | 22,097 | 13.5% | 18.2% | -4.7 |
| AfD | 19,063 | 11.6% | 16.6% | -5.0 |
| Grüne | 12,126 | 7.4% | 7.5% | -0.1 |
| FDP | 7,245 | 4.4% | 4.4% | ±0 |
| BSW | 6,163 | 3.8% | 3.0% | +0.8 |
| Die PARTEI | 2,402 | 1.5% | – | – |
| Volt | 2,434 | 1.5% | 0.4% | +1.1 |
| Linke | 2,139 | 1.3% | 6.1% | -4.8 |
| Freie Wähler | 1,831 | 1.1% | 0.7% | +0.4 |
| Tierschutzpartei | 1,525 | 0.9% | – | – |
| ÖDP | 295 | 0.2% | – | – |
| Others | 5,338 | 3.3% | – | – |
Die PARTEI, Tierschutzpartei, ÖDP: counted as Others in the 2025 federal election, so no difference is shown.
Source: Federal Returning Officer, 2024 European election, results by state and district (kerg2.csv) (file), final result, retrieved 28 Sep 2026, Data licence Germany, attribution 2.0. Berlin East and Berlin West are aggregated from the boroughs as in the 2025 federal election. Comparison values: second votes of the 2025 federal election in the same area. Compiled by wahlergebnisse.io.
Emsland in figures
Key facts about the place from official statistics and Wikidata, so the election result can be put in context. The figures describe, they do not explain.
- Population
- 334,403 (as of 2025-12-31)
- Area
- 2,883.7 km²
- Population density
- 116 inhabitants per km²
- Under 19
- 19.3%
- 67 and older
- 17.4%
- Foreign nationals (2022 census)
- 12.0%
- Employees subject to social insurance (place of work)
- 155,760 (as of 2025-12-31)
- Largest sectors
- Manufacturing 28% · Health and social work 15% · Trade and vehicle repair 13%
- Commuter balance
- +6,554 (more in-commuters than out-commuters)
- Unemployment rate
- 3.3% (as of 2026-09)
- Johann Bunte
- 1,597 employees
- Emco Group
- 1,200 employees
- Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone
- 1,150 employees
- Bernard van Lengerich Maschinenfabrik
- 301 employees
- Emsländische Volksbank
- 247 employees (2015-12-31)
- District seat
- Lingen (Ems)
- Municipalities
- 60
- Elevation
- 25 m
- First mention or foundation
- 1977
- Website
- www.emsland.de
- Wikipedia
- Emsland (Wikipedia)
Emsland has 334,403 inhabitants. The largest sector is Manufacturing with 28% of employees. The largest company headquartered in Emsland is Johann Bunte with 1,597 employees. The unemployment rate is 3.3%.
Where do the profile figures come from?
Population, area and coordinates from the Federal Statistical Office's municipality register, employees, sectors and unemployment from the Federal Employment Agency, age structure from the 2022 census, coat of arms, website and companies from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons. All sources are openly licensed and linked below the list.
Does the profile explain the election result?
No. It describes the place so readers can put figures in context. Whether sector, age or density relate to voting can only be tested across many places, not from a single result.
Sources: Wikidata (CC0 1.0) · Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), Gemeindeverzeichnis GV-ISys (Datenlizenz Deutschland – Namensnennung – Version 2.0) · Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (© Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Nutzung mit Quellenangabe) · Zensus 2022, Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder, Regionaltabelle Demografie (Datenlizenz Deutschland – Namensnennung – Version 2.0)
Strongest party by municipality in Emsland
Tap to open the municipality result. Labels appear on the largest municipalities by area; all values are in the table below.
Strongest party: CDU in 60 municipalities of 60. Highest share: CDU with 66.6% in Groß Berßen.
What does the map show?
Each municipality is coloured by the party with the highest second-vote share at the 2025 federal election; the intensity follows the share. Postal votes counted at the level of a joint administration are shown on the administration's page. Click a municipality for its full result.
All municipalities in Emsland
Sorted by number of voters. Range across the district: CDU 31 to 66.6%, SPD 9.7 to 22.1%, AfD 7.2 to 29.2%, Grüne 3 to 10.7%, Linke 1.2 to 9.1%, FDP 2.7 to 7.9%, BSW 0.8 to 4%.
| Municipality | Voters | Turnout | CDU | SPD | AfD | Grüne | Linke | FDP | BSW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lingen (Ems) | 35,442 | 84.4% | 37.0 | 20.5 | 13.6 | 10.7 | 7.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
| Meppen | 22,480 | 84.6% | 37.4 | 20.8 | 14.5 | 9.8 | 7.3 | 4.2 | 2.7 |
| Papenburg | 20,984 | 81.0% | 31.0 | 21.8 | 20.0 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 4.3 | 3.9 |
| Haren (Ems) | 14,489 | 85.5% | 44.2 | 16.1 | 17.9 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 3.0 |
| Haselünne | 8,857 | 85.9% | 43.9 | 20.5 | 12.9 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 2.5 |
| Geeste | 7,795 | 86.2% | 43.0 | 19.5 | 15.6 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 4.1 | 2.4 |
| Emsbüren | 7,026 | 89.8% | 49.8 | 17.0 | 11.2 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 1.9 |
| Twist | 5,504 | 83.2% | 43.7 | 17.2 | 17.6 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.6 |
| Salzbergen | 5,398 | 88.4% | 45.6 | 18.5 | 12.0 | 8.9 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 2.8 |
| Spelle | 4,709 | 65.4% | 40.5 | 13.6 | 24.3 | 7.0 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| Werlte | 4,343 | 61.4% | 37.0 | 12.5 | 29.2 | 4.7 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| Lathen | 3,021 | 64.3% | 34.0 | 15.7 | 27.9 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| Rhede (Ems) | 2,898 | 87.6% | 45.8 | 16.1 | 17.3 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 4.1 | 2.7 |
| Sögel | 2,727 | 58.8% | 35.0 | 15.4 | 27.4 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 3.9 |
| Dörpen | 2,460 | 62.5% | 41.6 | 15.8 | 22.6 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 3.6 |
| Esterwegen | 2,442 | 63.5% | 37.6 | 17.3 | 28.0 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
| Lähden | 2,421 | 71.9% | 48.7 | 20.3 | 13.6 | 4.1 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 1.4 |
| Freren | 2,389 | 64.6% | 41.1 | 15.0 | 24.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 3.8 |
| Briefwahl SG Werlte | 2,389 | – | 46.1 | 17.8 | 14.2 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| Briefwahl SG Sögel | 2,311 | – | 46.5 | 18.7 | 12.1 | 8.1 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 2.4 |
| Herzlake | 2,279 | 65.5% | 42.5 | 16.2 | 21.4 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 2.4 |
| Briefwahl SG Spelle | 2,215 | – | 44.5 | 16.2 | 14.5 | 9.9 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.1 |
| Surwold | 2,169 | 68.1% | 36.9 | 16.7 | 26.1 | 3.7 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Briefwahl SG Dörpen | 2,102 | – | 41.8 | 17.9 | 15.6 | 7.6 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 3.6 |
| Briefwahl SG Lengerich | 1,585 | – | 53.3 | 16.0 | 10.5 | 6.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 2.3 |
| Lorup | 1,505 | 67.3% | 47.1 | 11.5 | 21.6 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 3.9 |
| Briefwahl SG Nordhümmling | 1,482 | – | 37.0 | 22.1 | 17.2 | 7.3 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| Briefwahl SG Freren | 1,460 | – | 51.9 | 17.2 | 8.9 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 2.4 |
| Bawinkel | 1,408 | 66.9% | 47.6 | 16.4 | 13.4 | 6.2 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 2.5 |
| Briefwahl SG Herzlake | 1,408 | – | 44.2 | 20.8 | 11.3 | 8.4 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 2.6 |
| Briefwahl SG Lathen | 1,385 | – | 44.0 | 18.0 | 14.7 | 7.9 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 3.0 |
| Lengerich | 1,368 | 62.9% | 52.3 | 12.1 | 16.5 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| Börger | 1,337 | 63.9% | 42.6 | 17.4 | 19.2 | 6.7 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 2.3 |
| Schapen | 1,229 | 63.8% | 51.3 | 12.7 | 18.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 5.5 | 3.1 |
| Heede | 1,203 | 71.9% | 45.2 | 12.8 | 21.0 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 2.5 |
| Lünne | 1,128 | 70.4% | 51.8 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 6.2 | 1.5 |
| Beesten | 1,019 | 76.2% | 55.6 | 14.8 | 10.7 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 1.9 |
| Vrees | 981 | 71.9% | 46.8 | 12.3 | 24.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 6.0 | 2.7 |
| Walchum | 979 | 75.0% | 47.4 | 16.9 | 19.9 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Thuine | 897 | 62.2% | 51.6 | 16.9 | 12.5 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 4.2 | 1.3 |
| Kluse | 878 | 70.7% | 44.7 | 14.3 | 22.4 | 6.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 2.7 |
| Dersum | 802 | 75.6% | 53.9 | 15.4 | 12.5 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 1.1 |
| Neubörger | 776 | 67.1% | 46.6 | 12.6 | 21.9 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 1.6 |
| Niederlangen | 721 | 75.5% | 60.6 | 11.0 | 13.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 1.1 |
| Langen | 712 | 64.6% | 51.6 | 15.4 | 12.5 | 6.1 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 2.8 |
| Spahnharrenstätte | 707 | 66.0% | 51.9 | 13.9 | 15.1 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 2.1 |
| Sustrum | 705 | 77.5% | 54.8 | 12.4 | 15.1 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 1.9 |
| Messingen | 682 | 79.3% | 59.1 | 14.3 | 8.9 | 7.1 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.2 |
| Stavern | 665 | 80.0% | 54.1 | 15.9 | 9.8 | 7.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 2.3 |
| Klein Berßen | 650 | 71.7% | 55.4 | 14.8 | 14.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| Gersten | 648 | 72.1% | 59.0 | 10.4 | 13.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 7.7 | 2.0 |
| Dohren | 622 | 69.3% | 53.2 | 18.4 | 10.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 1.1 |
| Werpeloh | 612 | 75.8% | 55.1 | 13.6 | 10.0 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 2.0 |
| Rastdorf | 562 | 72.2% | 50.5 | 9.7 | 20.3 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 7.9 | 2.3 |
| Lehe | 554 | 75.4% | 47.1 | 18.3 | 15.2 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 2.5 |
| Oberlangen | 551 | 73.6% | 55.7 | 10.2 | 15.1 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 1.6 |
| Fresenburg | 548 | 74.4% | 49.8 | 15.4 | 14.8 | 7.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 2.0 |
| Bockhorst | 528 | 67.7% | 36.4 | 22.1 | 19.8 | 5.3 | 9.1 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| Wippingen | 526 | 72.7% | 52.3 | 12.0 | 17.1 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
| Andervenne | 510 | 73.6% | 58.4 | 14.1 | 10.0 | 6.9 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Handrup | 485 | 75.7% | 61.1 | 15.9 | 7.7 | 6.0 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| Breddenberg | 481 | 74.6% | 40.7 | 14.6 | 28.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
| Lahn | 468 | 75.6% | 56.3 | 12.6 | 13.7 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 7.1 | 1.9 |
| Neulehe | 467 | 78.8% | 48.8 | 13.9 | 17.6 | 3.5 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 2.4 |
| Hilkenbrook | 433 | 74.4% | 45.2 | 22.1 | 14.9 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2.6 |
| Groß Berßen | 404 | 77.4% | 66.6 | 15.6 | 7.2 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| Renkenberge | 402 | 79.8% | 52.5 | 15.0 | 11.2 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Hüven | 321 | 77.0% | 60.4 | 12.5 | 9.0 | 6.2 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 1.6 |
| Wettrup | 313 | 70.0% | 55.5 | 18.1 | 8.4 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 1.9 |
Source: Federal Returning Officer, 2025 federal election, results by polling district (file), final result, retrieved 7 Sep 2026, Data licence Germany, attribution 2.0. Municipal results are the sum of a municipality's polling districts including the postal-vote districts assigned to it. Compiled by wahlergebnisse.io.