1965 German Federal Election
19 September 1965 · The Bonn Republic · 496 seats, 249 for a majority
A federal election was held in West Germany on 19 September 1965 to elect the members of the 5th Bundestag. The CDU/CSU remained the largest faction, while the Social Democratic Party remained the largest single party in the Bundestag, winning 217 of the 518 seats (including 15 of the 22 non-voting delegates for West Berlin).
Chancellor before
Ludwig Erhard
CDU
Chancellor (continued)
Ludwig Erhard
CDU
Largest force
CDU/CSU
245 of 496 seats
Turnout
86.8%
The result
CDU/CSU
Ludwig Erhard · 47.6% of votes · +3 seats
245
seats
SPD
Willy Brandt · 39.3% of votes · +12 seats
202
seats
FDP
Erich Mende · 9.5% of votes · -18 seats
49
seats