1950 Kulmbach by-election

The Kulmbach by-election on May 14, 1950 was the first by-election for the Bundestag (Germany) that had been established 1949. It was caused by the death of Friedrich Schönauer (SPD) April 4, 1950 who had been elected at the 1949 German federal election[1]

1950 Kulmbach by-election

14 May 1950
Constituency of Kulmbach
First party Second party Third party   CSU WAV Candidate Johannes Semler Wenzel Jaksch Alfred Loritz Party CSU SPD WAV Alliance BP | FDP Percentage 38.7% 37.1% 21.8% Swing 19.1% 9.5% 1.1%
MP before election Friedrich Schönauer SPD Elected MP Johannes Semler CSU

Despite an increased result of the SPD, they lost the seat to Johannes Semler (CSU), who was supported by BP and FDP.

This by-election showed a strange effect in the German AMS electoral system of the first election. The SPD in Bavaria had won this seat in the first past the post constituency, but all seats are justified through proportional representation. By winning the Kulmbach seat at the by-election the CSU had technically greater representation than their 1949 results would have proportionally given them. This is a slight anomaly that the electoral law for the first Bundestag does not cater for, but was changed at the end of 1952.