Independent of party
Individuals and organizations that operate without any closer ties to a political party are referred to as party-independent (not belonging to any party, not bound by any party) . However, you can cooperate with one in a loose form.
Non-party politics
Common forms of non-partisan politics are
- in elections
- independent candidates for national, regional or local elections
- independent voter communities such as lists of names or lists of citizens
- Support committees for candidates, preferential votes , etc.
- general
- Activities in trade unions and other professional representations - although they are usually carried out in loose party affiliation
- Activities in local associations with regional or local political significance - e.g. fire brigade , environmental protection, alpine association , cultural organizations, sports clubs , etc.
- Citizens' initiatives , forms of discussion, petitions
- Support for popular initiatives and other forms of popular legislation
- official forms of citizen participation
Independent candidates
Many campaigning parties also endeavor to win non-party candidates, for a variety of reasons: Demonstrating the openness of a party, its closeness to the citizen , the fame of a person (e.g. from sports or television) or their social prestige in an aid organization . A certain closeness in the worldview is generally assumed .
The independence of the candidates can be guaranteed orally or contractually, based on good faith or its form can be left open. In addition to unrestricted freedom of speech , political independence includes, above all, the exemption from any parliamentary compulsory club membership , while election advertising is expected to be based on the party's standpoints.
Non-party organizations
The extent to which socially active organizations define themselves as independent of parties depends on the country's political culture. For example, it is closer to the party in Austria than in Germany .
Looking at developments over the past few decades, there is a clear trend towards emphasis on independence , even in traditionally party-affiliated institutions . Writes Lars Holtkamp 2009 anthology The future of the membership party :
“As early as the early 1990s, the growing distance between citizens and parties was referred to in the mass media as disaffection with parties. Even if party research in Germany reacts relatively reserved to these crisis scenarios, especially since 10 party crises have been ascertained since 1949 alone […], this detachment of the social basis is largely confirmed by the parties in the discussion about party change and also increasingly problematized from a normative perspective. "
This development is also connected with the declining number of party members and their partial aging as well as with the disaffection with politics that can be found in Europe .
Areas in which a previously noticeable closeness to parties has weakened or transformed into independence include the alpine and sports clubs, motorist clubs, organizations dealing with cultural policy and universities .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duden: keyword "party independent"
- ↑ Lars Holtkamp: Renewal of the parties “from below”. In: Jun / Niedermayer / Wiesendahl: Future of the member party. ( [1] )