Grafschaft Bentheim: results of the 2026 local elections and the 2025 federal election
In the federal election on 23 February 2025, CDU led in Grafschaft Bentheim with 35.5% of the second votes, followed by SPD with 24.4%. Below, the results of all 25 municipalities.
- District Administrator
- Friedrich Kethorn (CDU), since 2004 · Wikidata
- Population
- 144,674 · 147 per km²
- Largest sector
- Manufacturing 21%
- Turnout
- 84.7% · Lower Saxony 83.4% · Germany 82.5%
- Voters
- 83,044 of 98,058 eligible voters
- Compared with Lower Saxony
- CDU +7.4 · SPD +1.4 · AfD −3.4 · Grüne −2.7
- CDU range across municipalities
- 28.1% to 63.9%
2026 local elections in Grafschaft Bentheim
On 13 September 2026, the district council was newly elected, along with the district administrator. Official final result, as of 30.09.2026 08:41. All districts: Lower Saxony local elections 2026.
- Largest group: district council
- CDU 39.0% · 19 of 50 seats
- District administrator, run-off
- Silvia Pünt-Kohoff (SPD), 51.4%
- Turnout
- 60.9%
- Joint municipalities (Samtgemeinden)
- 4 with their own council
Turnout 60.9% · 114,317 eligible voters · 50 seats · Official final result · 141 of 141 results
Source: Landkreis Grafschaft Bentheim, Local elections 2026, official results presentation (votemanager) (file), final result, retrieved 31 Oct 2026, official work, § 5 UrhG. Electoral authority status: 30.09.2026 08:41. Electoral authority's result portal: https://votemanager.kdo.de/20260913/03456000/praesentation/ Compiled by wahlergebnisse.io.
District administrator election
Decided in the run-off on 27 September 2026: Silvia Pünt-Kohoff (SPD) with 51.4%.
Run-off 27 September 2026
- Pünt-Kohoff, SPD51.4%
- Schmidt, Einzelwahlvorschlag48.6%
Turnout 38.3% · 114,294 eligible voters · Official final result · 141 of 141 results
First round 13 September 2026
- Schmidt, Einzelwahlvorschlag33.9%
- Pünt-Kohoff, SPD33.6%
- Terhorst, CDU32.5%
Turnout 60.9% · 114,317 eligible voters · Official final result · 141 of 141 results
District council election by municipality and Samtgemeinde
| Area | Turnout | CDU | SPD | AfD | GRÜNE | IPG | Die Linke |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadt Bad Bentheim | 57.5% | 36.9% | 33.1% | 10.5% | 11.1% | 1.4% | 3.6% |
| Stadt Nordhorn | 56.6% | 24.4% | 32.9% | 13.4% | 12.1% | 9.6% | 4.9% |
| Gemeinde Wietmarschen | 70.8% | 61.4% | 12.7% | 10.3% | 8.1% | 1.2% | 3.1% |
| Samtgemeinde Emlichheim | 64.6% | 53.4% | 21.2% | 7.5% | 7.9% | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Samtgemeinde Neuenhaus | 63.4% | 44.2% | 24.1% | 11.6% | 10.7% | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| Samtgemeinde Schüttorf | 60.9% | 36.5% | 27.6% | 14.2% | 12.4% | 1.8% | 3.8% |
| Samtgemeinde Uelsen | 67.4% | 52.7% | 25.6% | 8.3% | 7.4% | 1.2% | 2.6% |
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 Grafschaft Bentheim
- Samtgemeinde EmlichheimCouncil: CDU 55.5%, 30 seats · mayoral election: Breukelman 50.7%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde NeuenhausCouncil: CDU 47.6%, 32 seats · mayoral election: Kramer 70.8%Samtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde SchüttorfCouncil: CDU 36.1%, 32 seatsSamtgemeinde result portal
- Samtgemeinde UelsenCouncil: CDU 56.0%, 28 seats · mayoral election: Kamphuis 85.0%Samtgemeinde result portal
Second votes in Grafschaft Bentheim
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 Grafschaft Bentheim
In the European election on 9 June 2024, CDU came first in Grafschaft Bentheim with 40.9% 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 Grafschaft Bentheim with 40.9%, +5.4 points compared with the 2025 federal election. Turnout was 65.0% (2025 federal election: 84.7%).
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 | 26,714 | 40.9% | 35.5% | +5.4 |
| SPD | 13,721 | 21.0% | 24.4% | -3.4 |
| AfD | 6,261 | 9.6% | 14.4% | -4.8 |
| Grüne | 6,021 | 9.2% | 8.8% | +0.4 |
| FDP | 3,354 | 5.1% | 4.6% | +0.5 |
| BSW | 2,599 | 4.0% | 3.2% | +0.8 |
| Linke | 982 | 1.5% | 6.5% | -5.0 |
| Freie Wähler | 946 | 1.4% | 0.6% | +0.8 |
| Die PARTEI | 903 | 1.4% | – | – |
| Volt | 822 | 1.3% | 0.3% | +1.0 |
| Tierschutzpartei | 644 | 1.0% | – | – |
| ÖDP | 161 | 0.2% | – | – |
| Others | 2,261 | 3.5% | – | – |
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.
Grafschaft Bentheim 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
- 144,674 (as of 2025-12-31)
- Area
- 981.8 km²
- Population density
- 147 inhabitants per km²
- Under 19
- 19.1%
- 67 and older
- 18.7%
- Foreign nationals (2022 census)
- 14.6%
- Employees subject to social insurance (place of work)
- 55,169 (as of 2025-12-31)
- Largest sectors
- Manufacturing 21% · Health and social work 18% · Trade and vehicle repair 16%
- Commuter balance
- -3,717 (more out-commuters than in-commuters)
- Unemployment rate
- 3.5% (as of 2026-09)
- Grafschafter Volksbank
- 354 employees (2016-12-31)
- Bentheimer Eisenbahn
- 240 employees
- Volksbank Niedergrafschaft
- 118 employees (2016-12-31)
- District seat
- Nordhorn
- Municipalities
- 25
- Elevation
- 17 m
- First mention or foundation
- 1885
- Website
- www.grafschaft-bentheim.de
- Wikipedia
- Grafschaft Bentheim (Wikipedia)
Grafschaft Bentheim has 144,674 inhabitants. The largest sector is Manufacturing with 21% of employees. The largest company headquartered in Grafschaft Bentheim is Grafschafter Volksbank with 354 employees. The unemployment rate is 3.5%.
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 Grafschaft Bentheim
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 25 municipalities of 25. Highest share: CDU with 63.9% in Engden.
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 Grafschaft Bentheim
Sorted by number of voters. Range across the district: CDU 28.1 to 63.9%, SPD 8.8 to 28.7%, AfD 4.5 to 19.1%, Grüne 4.1 to 10.2%, Linke 1.3 to 7.9%, FDP 1.9 to 9.3%, BSW 0.7 to 4.6%.
| Municipality | Voters | Turnout | CDU | SPD | AfD | Grüne | Linke | FDP | BSW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nordhorn | 31,937 | 81.4% | 29.8 | 26.2 | 16.0 | 9.9 | 7.3 | 4.4 | 3.5 |
| Bad Bentheim | 8,817 | 83.8% | 33.0 | 25.5 | 13.9 | 10.2 | 6.6 | 4.7 | 3.4 |
| Wietmarschen | 8,605 | 90.4% | 48.7 | 16.7 | 13.6 | 6.4 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 2.8 |
| Schüttorf | 6,497 | 69.4% | 28.1 | 25.6 | 19.1 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 4.3 | 4.0 |
| Neuenhaus | 5,119 | 68.7% | 31.5 | 24.5 | 17.4 | 9.3 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| Emlichheim | 3,363 | 69.6% | 38.7 | 26.8 | 11.2 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 2.7 |
| Uelsen | 2,942 | 72.8% | 36.4 | 27.3 | 12.8 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 4.3 | 2.1 |
| Briefwahl SG Schüttorf | 1,640 | – | 33.7 | 28.7 | 11.4 | 10.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
| Hoogstede | 1,590 | 74.4% | 46.2 | 23.1 | 10.9 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 2.5 |
| Briefwahl SG Emlichheim | 1,523 | – | 42.6 | 24.4 | 7.6 | 9.8 | 6.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 |
| Briefwahl SG Neuenhaus | 1,515 | – | 35.3 | 25.0 | 10.6 | 12.1 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 2.8 |
| Ringe | 1,013 | 78.5% | 46.4 | 20.5 | 11.1 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 2.5 |
| Briefwahl SG Uelsen | 990 | – | 42.7 | 25.2 | 8.0 | 11.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 2.6 |
| Itterbeck | 861 | 78.3% | 49.6 | 20.7 | 9.9 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 2.0 |
| Wilsum | 823 | 78.9% | 54.0 | 19.5 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 2.7 | 5.6 | 1.3 |
| Laar | 792 | 75.3% | 58.4 | 17.0 | 9.9 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 1.0 |
| Georgsdorf | 681 | 70.8% | 42.3 | 20.6 | 15.3 | 6.9 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| Osterwald | 666 | 80.2% | 55.3 | 19.9 | 9.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 |
| Lage | 568 | 77.5% | 34.6 | 28.3 | 11.0 | 8.5 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 4.6 |
| Samern | 450 | 73.6% | 42.1 | 22.7 | 14.5 | 6.9 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 2.2 |
| Quendorf | 366 | 80.8% | 41.9 | 24.1 | 8.2 | 9.0 | 5.8 | 7.4 | 1.4 |
| Gölenkamp | 364 | 84.1% | 57.0 | 16.5 | 7.7 | 6.3 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 2.8 |
| Ohne | 355 | 77.0% | 42.9 | 24.9 | 9.9 | 7.3 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 2.0 |
| Halle | 340 | 81.3% | 49.6 | 20.9 | 11.2 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 8.3 | 0.9 |
| Isterberg | 324 | 74.0% | 52.8 | 17.6 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 0.9 |
| Esche | 296 | 72.7% | 54.1 | 19.6 | 9.1 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 0.7 |
| Engden | 228 | 80.9% | 63.9 | 8.8 | 9.7 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 9.3 | 0.9 |
| Getelo | 222 | 79.6% | 50.7 | 19.9 | 11.8 | 4.1 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Wielen | 157 | 84.9% | 45.9 | 28.7 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 7.6 | 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.