Peter Harry Carstensen was the representative of Nordfriesland – Dithmarschen Nord, receiving 44.3% of all votes cast in the 2005 election.

In the vote to decide the premier of Schleswig-Holstein in the opening session of the state parliament on 17 March 2005 incumbent Heide Simonis (SPD) did not receive the required majority.

In February 2009, Carstensen and Mayor Ole von Beust of Hamburg agreed on a €13 billion bailout of state-owned shipping financier HSH Nordbank.

[2] The two states were forced to intervene after the SoFFin fund, which had been set up by the federal government in 2008 to stabilize the financial markets, said it could not help out HSH Nordbank until it got rid of all its bad debts.

[3] In July 2009 Carstensen announced that he would seek early state elections as a result of ongoing quarrels within the coalition government.

[4] From 2020 to 2022, Carstens served in the honorary office of State Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Anti-Semitism in the government of Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Günther.

[5][6] Ahead of the Christian Democrats’ leadership election in 2018, Carstensen publicly endorsed Friedrich Merz to succeed Angela Merkel as the party’s chair.