1961 West German federal election

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1961 West German federal election

← 1957 17 September 1961 (1961-09-17) 1965 →
← outgoing members elected members →
All 499 seats in the Bundestag[a] 250 seats needed for a majority
Registered	37,440,715 ( 5.8%)
Turnout	87.7% ( 0.1pp)
First party Second party Third party   Candidate Konrad Adenauer Willy Brandt Erich Mende Party CDU/CSU SPD FDP Last election 50.2%, 270 seats 31.8%, 169 seats 7.7%, 41 seats Seats won 242[b] 190[c] 67 Seat change 28 21 26 Popular vote 14,298,372 11,427,355 4,028,766 Percentage 45.3% 36.2% 12.8% Swing 4.9pp 4.4pp 5.1pp
Results by constituency (left) and seats by state (right). The pie chart over West Berlin shows the composition of its legislature.
Government before election Third Adenauer cabinet CDU/CSU Government after election Fourth Adenauer cabinet CDU/CSU–FDP

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Federal elections were held in West Germany on 17 September 1961 to elect the members of the fourth Bundestag. The CDU/CSU remained the largest faction, winning 242 of the 499 seats. However, the loss of its majority and the All-German Party losing all its seats led to the CDU having to negotiate a coalition with the long-term junior coalition partner, the Free Democratic Party, leading to a demand for long-term chancellor Konrad Adenauer to leave office in 1963, halfway through his term.
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