Free Democratic Party (Germany)

Free Democratic Party Freie Demokratische Partei
Leader	Guido Westerwelle
Founded	11 December 1948
Headquarters	Thomas-Dehler-Haus Reinhardtstraße 14 10117 Berlin
Ideology	Classical liberalism
Political position	Centre-right[1][2][3]
International affiliation	Liberal International
European affiliation	European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Parliament Group	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Official colours	Yellow, Blue
Seats in the Bundestag	93 / 622
Seats in the Regional Parliaments	165 / 1,859
Seats in the European Parliament	12 / 99
Website
http://www.liberale.de
Politics of Germany Political parties Elections

The Free Democratic Party (German: Freie Demokratische Partei), abbreviated to FDP, is a classical liberal party in Germany.^[4][5][6] It is led by Guido Westerwelle and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union (Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union) in the German federal government. The FDP fraction has 93 members and is currently the third largest in the Bundestag.

It was founded in 1948 by members of the former liberal parties existing in Germany before World War II, the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party. Since then, the FDP has been in federal government longer than any other party, as the junior coalition partner to either the CDU/CSU (1949–56, 1961–66, 1982–98, and since 2009) or the Social Democratic Party (1969–82).

The FDP strongly supports human rights, civil liberties, and internationalism, but has shifted from the centre to the centre-right over time. Since the 1980s, the party has firmly pushed economic liberalism, and has aligned itself closely to the promotion of free markets and privatisation. It is a member of the Liberal International and European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, and is the joint-largest member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament.

Policies

The current guidelines of the FDP are enshrined in the principles of Wiesbaden. A key objective of the FDP is the "strengthening of freedom and individual responsibility".

Economic Policy

The FDP espouses the most economic liberal ideas of the parties represented in the German federal parliament.

The main goal is the creation of jobs by creating incentives for private investments. This shall be achieved, among other measures, by reducing bureaucracy, through privatizations, through deregulation, through removal of subsidies and reform of collective bargaining. The national debt shall be reduced. In globalization, the party sees many opportunities.

In the tax policy a simple tax code is called for. The income tax rates shall provide for a bracket system, as opposed to the current "linear" system. In the long term, a so-called flat tax is sought. Through tax cuts the purchasing power of employees will be increased and the economy will be stimulated.

Social Policy

In social policy, the FDP aims for the introduction of a citizen's dividend (Bürgergeld), which collects all the tax-financed social welfare and social security funds of the state. The social security funds should be supplemented through privately-funded schemes.

Society Policy

The common view in the party is a critical attitude towards the state and to conservative and egalitarian social policies. Under the slogan "As much government as necessary, as little government as possible," the FDP tries to limit the state involvement in the life of the individual as far as possible. The unifying stance for them is the idea of "creating and maintaining the freedom of individuals". Thus the party supported nearly all social liberalizations that have been implemented in the federal republic.

Throughout its history, the FDP's policies have shifted between emphasis on social liberalism and economic liberalism. Since the 1980s, the FDP has maintained a consistent pro-business stance. The FDP supports strong competition laws and a minimum standard of welfare protection for every citizen. In addition, the FDP endorses to complement the social welfare and health care systems with laws that would require every employed citizen to invest in a private social security account.

The FDP supports gay rights: Party leader Guido Westerwelle is openly gay.

Domestic Policy

The FDP traditionally declines laws which it considers restrictions of fundamental rights. The "Great Wiretapping" ("Großer Lauschangriff") was controversial: In 1995 the FDP undertook a vote in which a majority of 63.6 percent voted for wiretapping in private residences. In response to the outcome, the then FDP Federal Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger resigned.

When in 1998 the parliament adopted the law in question with the votes of the FDP, some prominent members from the left wing of the party deemed it unconstitutional. The national party has in the meantime, in May 2005 in Cologne called for the abolition of wiretapping.

The FDP is opposed to a tightening of the penal code. The party deems the current law sufficient to ensure the internal security. It calls instead for the recruitment of more police officers, judges and prosecutors to improve security and speed up trials. In addition, improved rehabilitation is called for, especially for young offenders. It also rejects data retention in the phone and internet.

The federal executive of the FDP confirmed in its meeting on 11 December 2006 its stance against online searches, since they constitute a serious interference with the right to informational self-determination.

Educational Policy

One objective of the FDP is the promotion of preschool education. There shall be mandatory language tests at the age of four to detect linguistic weaknesses of children with immigrant backgrounds and train them in time for school. Half-day childcare shall be free, in accordance with the legal right to a kindergarten place, from the third year of life and school enrollment. Language teaching shall constitute an integral part of the curriculum from grade one onwards.

The FDP calls for the establishment of full-day schools and the high school diploma after twelve years of schooling. In addition, the Liberals are opposed to all-day schools, because they believe that those schools are not performance-oriented enough and individual student support is not sufficiently guaranteed. The FDP supports tuition fees to fund the universities. It also calls for the abolition of laws and regulations to improve research conditions. The stem cell research should be encouraged. The spelling reform of 1996 was declined by the FDP. Thus, their election manifesto for the Bundestag elections was written in the previously conventional spelling.

European Union Policy

The FDP describes itself as the pro-European party. The FDP wants a politically integrated EU with a common foreign and security policy. However, in the opinion of the FDP, the Lisbon Treaty should have been decided upon in a referendum. It advocates a politically functioning Union. The FDP advocates an accession of Turkey to the EU, although this would require Turkey to fulfill all criteria. The deepening of the EU would take precedence over the extension.

Energy Policy

In energy policy, the FDP calls for a combination of nuclear, coal, oil and gas and renewable energy for electricity production. The phasing out of nuclear power is seen critically by the FDP.

History

Walter Scheel served as Foreign Minister, Vice Chancellor, Acting Chancellor and President of Germany

The FDP was founded on 11 December 1948 through the merger of nine regional liberal parties formed in 1945 from the remnants of the pre-1933 German People's Party (DVP) and the German Democratic Party (DDP), which had been active in the Weimar Republic.^{[Note 1]} The FDP's first Chairman, Theodor Heuss, was formerly a member of the DDP and after the war of the Democratic People's Party (DVP).

In all federal election campaigns since the 1980s, the party sided with the CDU and CSU, the main conservative parties in Germany. An exception to the party policy was made in the 2002 campaign, in which it adopted a position of "equidistance" to the CDU and SPD. Following German reunification in 1990, the FDP merged with the Association of Free Democrats, a grouping of liberals from East Germany and the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany. During the 1990s, the FDP won between 6.2 and 11 percent of the vote in Bundestag elections. It last participated in the federal government by representing the junior partner in the government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl of the CDU.

2005 federal election

In the 2005 general election the party won 9.8 percent of the vote and 61 federal deputies, an unpredicted improvement from prior opinion polls. It is believed that this was partly due to tactical voting by CD and Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU) alliance supporters who hoped for stronger market-oriented economic reforms than the CDU/CSU alliance called for. However, because the CDU did worse than predicted, the FDP and the CDU/CSU alliance were unable to form a coalition government. At other times, for example after the 2002 federal election, a coalition between the FDP and CDU/CSU was impossible primarily because of the weak results of the FDP.

The CDU/CSU parties had achieved the 3rd worst performance in German postwar history with only 35.2 percent of the votes. Therefore, the FDP wasn't able to form a coalition with its preferred partners, the CDU/CSU parties. As a result, the party was considered as a potential member of two other political coalitions, following the election. One possibility was a partnership between the FDP, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Alliance 90/The Greens, known as a "traffic light coalition", named after the colors of the three parties. This coalition was ruled out, because the FDP considered the Social Democrats and the Greens insufficiently committed to market-oriented economic reform. The other possibility was a CDU-FDP-Green coalition, known as a "Jamaica coalition" because of the colours of the three parties. This coalition wasn't concluded either, since the Greens ruled out participation in any coalition with the CDU/CSU. Instead, the CDU formed a Grand coalition with the SPD, and the FDP entered the opposition. FDP leader Guido Westerwelle became the unofficial leader of the opposition by virtue of the FDP's position as the largest opposition party in the Bundestag.

Guido Westerwelle, Chairman of FDP

2009 federal election

In the national vote on September 27, 2009 the FDP increased its share of the vote by 4.8% to 14.6%, an all-time record so far. This percentage was enough to offset a decline in the CDU/CSU's vote compared to 2005, to create a CDU-FDP governing coalition in the Bundestag with a 53% majority of seats. On election night party leader Westerwelle said his party would work to ensure that civil liberties were respected and that Germany got a "equitable tax system and better education opportunities."^[7]

The party also made gains in the two state elections held at the same time, acquiring sufficient seats for a CDU-FDP coalition in the northernmost state, Schleswig-Holstein and gaining enough votes in left leaning Brandenburg to clear the 5% hurdle to enter that state's parliament.

Federal election results

Below are charts of the results that the Free Democratic Party has secured in each election to the federal Bundestag. Timelines showing the number of seats and percentage of party list votes won are on the right.

Leadership

Hans-Dietrich Genscher served almost continuously as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1974 to 1992

Chairmen of the party since 1948:

• Theodor Heuss 1948–1949
• Franz Blücher 1949–1954
• Thomas Dehler 1954–1957
• Reinhold Maier 1957–1960
• Erich Mende 1960–1968
• Walter Scheel 1968–1974
• Hans-Dietrich Genscher 1974–1985
• Martin Bangemann 1985–1988
• Otto Graf Lambsdorff 1988–1993
• Klaus Kinkel 1993–1995
• Wolfgang Gerhardt 1995–2001
• Guido Westerwelle 2001–

See also

• Liberalism in Germany
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation
• Young Liberals (Germany)
• Liberal Students Association

Notes

1. ↑ These nine regionally organised liberal parties were the Bremian Democratic People's Party (BDV) in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the Democratic Party of Southern and Middle Baden (DemP) in the State of South Baden, the Democratic Party (DP) in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Democratic People's Party of Northern Württemberg-Northern Baden (DVP) in the State of Württemberg-Baden, the Democratic People's Party of Southern Württemberg-Hohenzollern (DVP) in the State of Württemberg-Hohenzollern, the united Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) of the British zone of occupation, the Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) in the Free State of Bavaria, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the State of Hesse, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Berlin (West). Cf. Almut Leh and Alexander von Plato, Ein unglaublicher Frühling: erfahrene Geschichte im Nachkriegsdeutschland 1945 - 1948, Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (ed.), Bonn: Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung, 1997, p. 77. ISBN 3-89331-298-6
2. ↑ Counts Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union together for purposes of comparison.

References

External links

• Official website

Political parties in Germany Christian Democratic Union (194) • Social Democratic Party (146) • Free Democratic Party (93) • The Left (76) • Alliance '90/The Greens (68) • Christian Social Union (45) Portal:Politics - List of political parties - Politics of Germany