1961 German Federal Election
17 September 1961 · The Bonn Republic · 499 seats, 250 for a majority
A federal election was 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.
Chancellor before
Konrad Adenauer
CDU
Chancellor (continued)
Konrad Adenauer
CDU
Largest force
CDU/CSU
242 of 499 seats
Turnout
87.7%
The result
CDU/CSU
Konrad Adenauer · 45.3% of votes · -28 seats
242
seats
SPD
Willy Brandt · 36.2% of votes · +21 seats
190
seats
FDP
Erich Mende · 12.8% of votes · +26 seats
67
seats