Ecological Democratic Party

Ecological Democratic Party
Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei
Abbreviation ÖDP
Leader Christoph Raabs
Founded 23/24 January 1982
Headquarters ÖDP-Federal Office Würzburg
Pommergasse 1
D-97070 Würzburg
[1]
Youth wing Young Ecologists
Membership (2018) Increase6,400 [2]
Ideology Green conservatism
Environmentalism
Political position Centre-right
European affiliation None
International affiliation World Ecological Parties
European Parliament group Greens/EFA
Colours Orange
Bundestag
0 / 709
State Parliaments
0 / 1,855
European Parliament
1 / 96
Website
http://www.oedp.de/
Germany
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The Ecological Democratic Party (German: Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei, ÖDP) is a conservative[3][4][5] and ecologist[6] political party in Germany. The ÖDP was founded in 1982 as a federal party and is the legal successor of the Green Action Future (Grünen Aktion Zukunft), the Green List for Environmental Protection (Grüne Liste Umweltschutz) and the Ecological Politics Working Group (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ökologische Politik).[7]

The strongest level of voting support for the ÖDP is in Bavaria, where in federal state elections they have remained stable with 2% of the votes since 1990, and at municipal level have increased their mandate count in 2014 from 320 to around 380.[8], Since the 2014 European elections, the party is represented in the European Parliament by the MEP Klaus Buchner. The ÖDP is a member of the World Ecological Parties.

Policies

The ÖDP combines issues which are not often found together: a focus on state financial support for families and childrearing, and a belief in consistent life ethic (that is, opposition to late abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty). The latter positions and the differences listed below – have led some, including political scientist Joachim Raschke, to characterize the party as "conservative," but the party feels that all these positions are a consistent response to injustice. In most of those issues which it emphasizes, such as the environment and trade, it is similar to the Green party. It differs from the Green party by being less supportive of immigration and restrictions on state powers in criminal justice issues, not focusing on gay and lesbian rights, and having a differing view of feminism.

It was one of the earliest supporters (since 1989) of a green tax shift, an idea which later gained broader support and has been partially implemented in Germany since the Social Democratic Party and The Greens were elected to form the federal government in 1998.

Though a very small party – it has not gained seats in a state parliament or in the Bundestag – the ÖDP became notable for its involvement in the opposition to a Czech nuclear reactor in Temelin, across the border from Bavaria. It led an initiative for a popular referendum to abolish the Bavarian Senate (that state's upper house) which was successful. It brought suit against a law in North Rhine-Westphalia which requires parties to receive 5% of the vote in order to take their seats in local councils, as well as a national law which reserves state financing only for parties that got more than one percent of the vote in at least three state elections; both laws were overturned.

The party has a youth organization called Young Ecologists (Junge Ökologen).

In the 2014 European parliament elections, the ÖDP received 0.7% of the national vote (185,119 votes in total) and returned a single MEP.[9] The MEP, Klaus Buchner, joined The Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) parliamentary group.[10]

Controversy

On 17 December 2014, the Memmingen/Unterallgäu chapter of the ÖDP said that the proposed gender mainstreaming law was a "state license to corrupt children" and would give LGBT individuals "too much influence over a passive majority", and that LGBT individuals should not be allowed to marry.[11] Party secretary Pablo Ziller said that the party's federal board was "disappointed" at the remarks and that the statements did not represent the party's position. According to Ziller, the party believes in extending marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Leaders

Klaus BuchnerBernd Richter


The current leader of the party is Christoph Raabs. He succeeded Gabriela Schimmer-Göresz in May 2018.[12]

Election results


German Parliament (Bundestag)

Election year # of
constituency votes		 % +/- # of
party list votes		 % +/- # of
overall seats won		 +/-
1983 3,341 0.0 New 11,028 0.0 New
0 / 520
 Steady
1987 40,765 0.1 Increase0.1 109,152 0.3 Increase0.3
0 / 519
 Steady
1990 243,469 0.5 Increase0.2 205,206 0.4 Increase0.1
0 / 662
 Steady
1994 200,138 0.4 Decrease0.1 183,715 0.4 Steady
0 / 672
 Steady
1998 145,308 0.3 Decrease0.1 98,257 0.2 Decrease0.2
0 / 669
 Steady
2002 56,593 0.1 Decrease0.2 56,898 0.1 Decrease0.1
0 / 603
 Steady
2005 - 0.0 - - 0.0 -
0 / 614
 Not participating
2009 105,653 0.2 Increase0.2 132,249 0.3 Increase0.3
0 / 622
 Steady
2013 128,209 0.3 Increase0.1 127,088 0.3 Steady
0 / 630
 Steady
2017 166,228 0.4 Increase0.1 144,809 0.3 Steady
0 / 709
 Steady

European Parliament

Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 +/- # of
overall seats won		 +/–
1984 77,026 0.3 New
0 / 81
 New
1989 184,309 0.7 Increase0.4%
0 / 81
 Steady
1994 273,776 0.8 Increase0.1%
0 / 99
 Steady
1999 100,048 0.4 Decrease0.4%
0 / 99
 Steady
2004 145,537 0.6 Increase0.2%
0 / 99
 Steady
2009 134,893 0.5 Decrease0.1%
0 / 99
 Steady
2014 185,244 0.6 Increase0.1%
1 / 96
 Increase 1


State elections

References

  1. ↑ ÖDP Branch addresses and contacts
  2. ↑ "Chronik der ÖDP nach Jahren". oedp.de.
  3. ↑ Bert Klandermans,; Nonna Mayer (16 November 2005). Extreme Right Activists in Europe: Through the Magnifying Glass. Routledge. p. 171–. ISBN 978-1-134-24546-8.
  4. ↑ Günter Buchstab (2010). Die Ära Kohl im Gespräch: eine Zwischenbilanz. Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar. p. 311–. ISBN 978-3-412-20592-8.
  5. ↑ Wilhelm Hofmann (2005). Politische Identität - visuell. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 71–. ISBN 978-3-8258-8471-0.
  6. ↑ Max Spindler; Alois Schmid (2003). Das neue Bayern: Staat und Politik. C.H.Beck. p. 972–. ISBN 978-3-406-50451-8.
  7. ↑ Satzung der Ökologisch-Demokratischen Partei (Bundessatzung) (Statute of the Ecological Democratic Party (Federal Statute)), in German.
  8. ↑ "ÖDP Bayern: Mandatsträger". oedp-bayern.de. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-05. Retrieved 2014-11-23.
  10. ↑ "Up-to-date list of the MEPs for the new legislative period". greens-efa.eu. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "ÖDP: Homos raus aus dem Standesamt". queer.de. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "ÖDP wählt den Oberfranken Raabs zum neuen Bundesvorsitzenden". br.de.
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