Dansk Folkeparti

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Dansk Folkeparti
Party logo of the Danish People's Party
Kristian Thulesen Dahl
Party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl
Group chairmanship in the Folketing Peter Skaarup
Political spokesman Kristian Thulesen Dahl
Party secretary Poul Lindholm Nielsen
founding October 6, 1995
Alignment Right-wing populism ,
national conservatism ,
EU skepticism
Headquarters Copenhagen
Number of members 15,911 (2016)
Youth association Dansk Folkepartis Ungdom
Electoral list O
Sit in the Folketing
16/179
MEPs
1/14
EP Group Identity and democracy
www.danskfolkeparti.dk

The Dansk Folkeparti ( DF ), dan. for Danish People's Party , is a right-wing populist party in Denmark . It was founded on October 6, 1995 and worked from 2001 to 2011 in the Danish parliament with a minority government from Venstre and the Conservative People's Party . Between 2015 and 2019, the DF supported a minority government made up of Venstre, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party as the second largest group .

Political positions

The program of the Dansk Folkeparti shows both strong conservative and social democratic elements. The party advocates a decidedly conservative value policy, which is often paraphrased with the slogan "God, King and Fatherland". In opinion polls, the party is associated more than any other party with specifically "Danish values" such as hyggelighed , security and modesty. In contrast, the party's social policy tends to be social-democratic ( distribution policy ) and is geared towards maintaining the Danish welfare state . In Denmark, the party is often seen as a threat, especially to the social democrats. Others, however, see the party as more of a threat to the Conservatives, from whom the party won many votes.

The Dansk Folkeparti is critical of globalization and of the EU . She also advocates strict integration and immigration laws. With their participation, the immigration legislation in Denmark was noticeably tightened. Other issues and demands of the party are a more critical treatment of political Islam, the promotion of civil liberties, the promotion of senior citizens and families, animal welfare, the expansion of the health system and a tightening of internal security laws. The party represents a decidedly pro-Israeli policy. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions initiative is strictly rejected. The DF itself announced in a speech by Mogens Camre in 2002 that it was a “party of the center”.

As the majority procurer of a liberal-conservative government, the DF managed to implement a rigid migration policy between 2001 and 2011. On November 10, 2010, together with the liberal-conservative coalition, it implemented stricter regulations for the reunification of family members or newly wedded spouses from abroad. These regulations, which were partially withdrawn by the social democratic government (2011 to 2015), were specifically aimed at a “stop for non-Western immigration”. The judicial policy spokesman Peter Skaarup of the Dansk Folkeparti said: "I am sure that they [the regulations] will soon be copied in many other countries." The liberal Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen saw it similarly , who said: "Some are simply not supposed to into our country, that's not a question of age, but of common sense. ”After the Folketing elections in 2015 , the Dansk Folkeparti found itself again as a support party for the liberal-conservative Venstre, as it had between 2001 and 2011. Since the summer of 2015, the Danish refugee policy has again been tightened considerably with the votes of the Dansk Folkeparti, with many of the party's demands being implemented.

In the 2019 Folketing election , the DF lost massive votes and was only the third strongest force in parliament with 8.7%.

Origin and structure

The Dansk Folkeparti emerged in 1995 from the Progress Party founded by Mogens Glistrup . The then party leader Pia Kjærsgaard left with Kristian Thulesen Dahl, Poul Nødgaard, Ole Donner u. a. the party in protest against the reactivation of the provocative-troubled party founder. The DF adopted the critical stance towards immigration and the European Union, but replaced the progressive party's ultra-liberal, tax and state hostile thrust with a social policy influenced by social democrats. This link between the national welfare state and anti-immigration policies found the term “ welfare chauvinism ” in political science .

The former party leader Kjærsgaard cultivated a hierarchical leadership style and played a key role in determining the external appearance of the party. Applicants for the list places for the Folketing Election must be approved centrally by the party executive. In this way, on the one hand, differences of opinion within the party are to be avoided, and on the other, right-wing extremists are to be kept away from the party. In August 2006, several DF local chairmen fell victim to undercover research by the Ekstra Bladet newspaper after they had signaled their willingness to accept an alleged member of the racist network Dansk Front into the party. With the publication of their reaction, the local politicians were immediately expelled from the party. In October 2006 a further nine members were expelled after accusing the party leadership of an unfree debate. Other members expressed similar criticism without being excluded.

Like all parties in the Folketing, the Dansk Folkeparti has a youth organization ( Dansk Folkepartis Ungdom ).

International cooperation

The party maintains relatively few international contacts. In particular, attention is paid to keeping a distance from parties in other countries that are characterized by radical positions such as anti-Semitism or racism. In 2010, however, a collaboration with the Sweden Democrats was considered for the first time . The traditionally Israel-friendly Dansk Folkeparti maintains contacts with Israel through the Friends of Israel organization, among others . In the European Parliament , the party is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group .

The DF was a member of the European Party Alliance for Europe of Nations from 2002 to 2007 and of the Movement for a Europe of Freedom and Democracy (MELD), which existed from 2011 to 2015 .

ideology

Own representation

According to its own statement, the DF does not have any particular ideology, rather the party represents certain attitudes based on the question of what uses Denmark and the Danes. Nonetheless, certain conservative, liberal and social democratic elements can be found in the party's program and practical policy.

Classification by third parties

Foged / Molgaard Nielsen / Roslyng-Jensen classify the DF as socially liberal. The party occupies a position between social democracy on the one hand and Venstre / conservatives on the other.

Other party researchers classify the DF as a right-wing conservative party. The political scientist Thomas Schubert describes the DF's position as “soft”, his colleague Richard Stöss describes it as “moderate” right-wing extremism . The party avoids any connection to neo-Nazism and has no international contacts with right-wing extremists. The party is characterized by ethnic-nationalist xenophobia, anti- establishment populism, welfare state chauvinism and nativism . However, this classification is not undisputed in political science, since it presupposes “a relatively broad understanding of extremism”.

The Dresden political scientist Steffen Kailitz writes:

“[...] [U] m to qualify a party as unequivocally right-wing extremist, nationalist or racist slogans as well as welfare chauvinist statements [must] have a prominent meaning in their argumentation .
In this respect, the Vlaams Blok appears to be right-wing extremist […] With a view to immigration, the Danish and Norwegian Progress Party , as well as the Austrian FPÖ , take a much less extreme stance than the FN , the REP and the Vlaams Blok .
For example, representatives of the Danish and Norwegian progressive parties such as the Dansk Folkeparti distance themselves from right-wing extremist wing parties such as the Front National . This distance is credible in view of the positions of the Dansk Folkeparti, which are clearly distinguishable from the FN [...]. "

- Steffen Kailitz : The ideological profile of right (and left) wing parties

From the point of view of the Danish historian and Holocaust expert Therkel Stræde from the University of Southern Denmark , however, the "extremely xenophobic nationalism" that emerged in the Islamophobic legislative proposals of the DF in 2007 (see below) even establishes a relationship between DF and Nazism, even if he expressly states that the DF are not Nazis.

The Danish columnist Eva Smith criticized DF MP Martin Henriksen in the Danish daily Politiken for his skepticism towards the recognition of people of other origins than Danish citizens.

A study from 2019 that looked at the voting behavior of parties on climate policy issues in the EU Parliament rated the Dansk Folkeparti as a “dinosaur” in relation to climate-friendly politics.

Policy

The current policy was adopted in October 2002. Central statements are:

  • Strengthening of national sovereignty, preservation of democracy, rule of law and monarchy
  • Preservation of the special status of the Danish People's Church ; Guarantee of freedom of belief and belief
  • Protecting the right to freedom of expression in Denmark and around the world
  • Rejection of the European Union
  • Effective law enforcement and speedy justice
  • Strengthening Danish citizenship at home and abroad
  • Efficient social and health services
  • Protection of the family as the core cell of society
  • Diligence and efficiency must pay off again
  • Environmentally friendly use of natural raw materials

elections

Folketing

In the general election in 1998 , the party went to the first time and achieved 7.4% of the vote 13 parliamentary seats. In 2001 it increased to 22 seats and since then has played a key role in the Danish parliament, while the Progressive Party lost all seats. In the Folketing election 2005 the DF rose to the third strongest party in Denmark with 13.3%, in the Folketing election 2015 the DF became the second largest party with 21.1% after the Social Democrats with 26.3%.

The Muslim protests, riots and death threats after the Mohammed cartoons strengthened the Dansk Folkeparti in the electorate. Before the 2007 Folketing Election , the party tried to raise its profile with legislative proposals, some of which were described as openly discriminatory. Among other things, they wanted the wearing of headscarves in public places, prayer rooms for Muslim employees in Danish companies and halal let -Meat ban in kindergartens. After a slight decrease in votes in the 2011 Folketing election (12.3%), the DF became the strongest party in the bourgeois camp in 2015 with 21.1%. It even became the strongest party in several municipalities in southern Jutland and in rural Zealand . It achieved the highest share of votes at constituency level in Aabenraa with 31.8 percent.

Folk election Share of votes MPs
1998 7.4% 13
2001 12.0% 22nd
2005 13.3% 24
2007 13.9% 25th
2011 12.3% 22nd
2015 21.1% 37
2019 8.7% 16

European elections

In the 2009 European elections , the party achieved 15.3 percent of the vote and two seats with a turnout of 59.5 percent with a total of 357,942 votes. Morten Messerschmidt and Anna Rosbach joined the group Europe of Freedom and Democracy . However, Rosbach left the DF in March 2011 and joined the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists .

In the 2014 European elections , the DF was the strongest party in Denmark with a slightly lower turnout of 56.3 percent with 605,889 votes (26.6 percent of valid votes) and won four seats in the European Parliament. The DF switched to the Group of European Conservatives and Reformists . With Rikke Karlsson's resignation in October 2015, the DF delegation shrank to three members. The 2019 European elections ended with a huge loss of votes for the party, which means that only one MP will be represented in the future. It is planned to join the Group of the European Alliance of Peoples and Nations .

Chairperson

Network medium

At the beginning of August 2018, Dansk Folkeparti launched an independent network medium called Dit Overblik (Your Overview). They want to cover topics that are underrepresented in common media.

Others

After the founding of the Dansk Folkeparti in 1995, it did not go unnoticed that a party of the same name had existed during the German occupation of Denmark from 1941 to 1943 , see Dansk Folkeparti (1941) . According to statements made by the founders of the current party, they were not aware of this fact and consider it insignificant.

literature

  • Jørgen Goul Andersen: Nationalism. New Right, and New Cleavages in Danish Politics. Foreign and Security Policy of the Danish People's Party . In: Christina Schiori Lang (Ed.): Europe for the Europeans: The Foreign and Security Policy of the Populist Radical Right . Ashgate Publishing, Burlington et al. a. 2007, ISBN 978-0-7546-4851-2 , pp. 103 ff.
  • Susi Meret: The Danish People's Party: From Tax Protest to Right-Wing Populism . In: Ernst Hillebrand (ed.): Right-wing populism in Europe: Danger for democracy? . Dietz, Bonn 2015, ISBN 978-3-8012-0467-9 , p. 15 ff.
  • Clemens Wirries: Populism and Pragmatism. Genesis and establishment of the Danish People's Party . In: Frank Decker , Bernd Henningsen , Kjetil Jakobsen (eds.): Right-wing populism and right-wing extremism in Europe. The challenge of civil society through old ideologies and new media . Nomos, Baden-Baden 2015, ISBN 978-3-8487-1206-9 , p. 129 ff.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Membership figures 2016 Folketingets Oplysning, accessed on October 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ a b DF er de nye conservative , article in the Dagbladet information of September 24, 2008
  3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from November 19, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Speech by Mogens Camre ( Memento of October 20, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Danish), June 5, 2002
  5. ^ Basic program of the Danish People's Party. October 2002, archived from the original on March 7, 2014 ; Retrieved April 19, 2011 .
  6. ↑ Denmark's government is tightening its policy on foreigners Die Welt, accessed on August 12, 2011.
  7. ↑ Luise Steinberger: Denmark tightens immigration law NZZ of June 26, 2011, accessed on August 31, 2012.
  8. ↑ Copenhagen bans Muslims from Frankfurter Rundschau, accessed on November 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ Frank Decker: The new right-wing populism. 2nd edition, Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2004, p. 97.
  10. ↑ DF fyrer ni local tillidsmænd (Danish), Danmarks Radio, 21 August 2006
  11. ↑ Ni medlemmer smides ud af Dansk Folkeparti (Danish.), Danmarks Radio, 6 October 2006
  12. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from November 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ https://danskfolkeparti.dk/styrket-venskab-mellem-dansk-folkeparti-og-israel/
  14. ↑ http://www.danskfolkeparti.dk/Ideologi
  15. ↑ Ebbe Foged, Kim Molgaard Nielsen, Palie Roslyng-Jensen: Samfundsstudier. Grundbog til Samfundsfag , Verlag Gyldendal Uddannelse, ISBN 87-02-07882-1 , p. 154.
  16. ↑ Jens Rydgren: right-wing populism in Sweden and Denmark . In: Frank Decker (Ed.): Populism: Danger to Democracy or Useful Corrective? VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-531-14537-1 .
  17. ^ Manfred Ertel: Denmark - Strong disposition . In: Der Spiegel . No. 11 , 2000.
  18. ↑ Federal Agency for Civic Education: Elections in Denmark , September 16, 2011
  19. ^ Sven Jochem: The political systems of Scandinavia. Springer VS (2012), p. 110
  20. ^ A b Thomas Schubert : Extremism in Denmark . In: Eckhard Jesse , Tom Thieme (ed.): Extremism in the EU countries . VS Verlag, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-17065-7 , pp. 73 (With reference to Jørgen Goul Andersen: The parliamentary elections in Denmark, February 2005, in: Electoral Studies 25 (2006), pp. 393–398, here 397; and Piero Ignazi: Extreme right Parties in Western Europe, Oxford 2003, Pp. 140, 148.).
  21. ^ Richard Stöss : Right-wing extremist parties in Western Europe . In: Oskar Niedermayer , Richard Stöss , Melanie Haas (eds.): The party systems of Western Europe . 1st edition. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-531-14111-2 .
  22. ^ Kai Arzheimer: The voters of the extreme right 1980 - 2002 . VS Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-531-16065-8 , pp. 37 .
  23. ↑ Steffen Kailitz : The ideological profile of right (and left) wing parties . In: Uwe Backes and Eckhard Jesse (eds.): Threats to freedom. Extremist ideologies in comparison . Writings of the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarism Research. 1st edition. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2006, ISBN 3-525-36905-0 , p. 308 .
  24. ↑ a b Dansk Folkeparti spiller igen udlændingekortet (Danish), information, October 26, 2007
  25. ^ Eva Smith Professor emerita: Der var et yndigt land. October 9, 2016, accessed December 9, 2018 (da-DK).
  26. ↑ http://www.caneurope.org/docman/climate-energy-targets/3476-defenders-delayers-dinosaurs-ranking-of-eu-political-groups-and-national-parties-on-climate-change/file
  27. ^ Bernd Kretschmer: Denmark . A neighborhood customer. 1st edition. Christoph Links Verlag GmbH, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-510-2 , p. 102 f .
  28. ↑ Fintællingsresultat Danmarks Statistics, June 20, 2015.
  29. ↑ Danmarks Statistics : Official final result of the Danish European elections 2009 (Danish), accessed on May 27, 2014
  30. ↑ Danmarks Statistics : Official final result of the Danish European elections 2014 (Danish), accessed on June 20, 2015
  31. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/05/david-cameron-under-fire-as-dpp-and-true-finns-enter-ecr-group
  32. ↑ DF søsætter borgerligt and EU-kritisk netmedie . In: www.bt.dk . ( bt.dk [accessed August 8, 2018]).