Die PARTEI
Encyclopedia
Die PARTEI is a satirical
political party
in Germany
founded in 2004 by editors of the German satirical
magazine
Titanic
. Leader of the Party is Martin Sonneborn
.
("die PARTEI") is evocative of totalitarian parties (see Socialist Unity Party of Germany
and National Socialist German Workers Party
) and is therefore a tongue-in-cheek reference to the totalitarian ambitions of the founders of "Die PARTEI". This is exploited in advertising in which the SED party
hymn, 'The Party is always right' ("Die Partei hat immer recht") is played.
The PARTEI refers to itself as a harbor for voters disappointed by other parties. It plans to engage in a (self-declared) "populist
campaign" centering on
As it freely admits the PARTEI intends to win votes largely on a program of populism. Sonneborn explains this as follows: 'In politics nowadays sentiments that bring in votes are the ones that get expressed and that's what I intend to do. Better that we get those votes than some sort of neo-Nazis.' In order to achieve its majority, the PARTEI is willing to form a coalition with any other party – bar the FDP
, 'After all, we're no joke party.'
According to the party's manifesto the party's policies focus on real people. Following in the tradition of the German constitution and on the basis of their values of freedom, equality and brotherliness they intend to work towards a situation by political means in which they can cooperate with others to strive towards and realize a truly humane, that is to say, peaceful and fair society.
Within the party an "Anti-constitutional-platform" was formed, in an attempt to force the German intelligence agency to observe the party. The latter, however, refused to do so, considering the PARTEI a frivolous political party. The goals of the Anti-constitutional-platform:
According to Die PARTEI, goals in politics are overrated. They promise a "modern" version of politics: They will ask for popular opinion and, once in power, will do something completely different.
The party describes itself in the left-right politics
scheme with "There cannot be anything, mustn't be anything and won't be anything left and right of the party!"
The only program point that cannot even remotely be found in other parties' programm is the resurrection of the wall that once divided East and West Germany, something that, according to certain polls, some 20% of all Germans wish for.
All in all, the PARTEI is more a satirical action to promote the popularity of the Titanic magazine than a real political party. Their official goals are situated between populism and pure nonsense
.
In electoral campaigns the PARTEI often caricatures slogans of other parties in order to show how nonsensical some of them are. Examples are "Hamburg
– city in the North!", "Education starts with 'E'" (Bildung fängt mit 'B' an) or "Youth crime – not with us!".
At the heart of the PARTEI's political efforts lies the aim of resurrecting the Berlin Wall
and all other border fortifications along the border with the former German Democratic Republic. This goal has however been hidden away in the last point of the party manifesto and was characterized by party chairman Sonneborn as merely a, 'populist vehicle'. He held out the prospect of a referendum after the PARTEI's accession to power. In order to raise the necessary finances for the erection of the Wall members are requested to donate the proceeds of their savings contracts. Chairman Martin Sonneborn described the project as follows: 'I give you and all the German public my word of honor, I repeat – my word of honor – that under us there will be no order to shoot at the Wall.' (This is a reference to a false statement by former GDR SED party leader Walter Ulbricht
who in 1961 claimed that "Nobody has the intention of building a wall" shortly before the wall was actually built.)
The territory of the former GDR is thus to become a, 'Special Cultivation Zone' or SBZ in German for short (not to be confused with the previous use of 'SBZ' – the Soviet Zone of Occupation) that is to be separated from the rest of the republic by edificial means in order to emphasize the visionary idea of such a zone and is to benefit from a de-bureaucratized and streamlined administrative system. Additionally, the PARTEI is demanding a reform of health care provision, protection of natural resources and a program for reduction of working time as an alternative to Agenda 2010 [N.B. An unpopular set of labor market reforms introduced under Chancellor Schroeder from 2003]. On top of all this the PARTEI supports improved co-determination rights for citizens, in particular it demands that a new constitution be passed on the basis of wide-ranging discussions, to be ratified by the people (in line with article 146 of the constitution).
and the top echelons of the PARTEI and the editorial team of the magazine continue to entertain close personal relations. Examples include the chairman Sonneborn, previously chief editor at Titanic, a role which also once belonged to the current honorary chairman, Oliver Maria Schmitt. Despite the fact that the PARTEI's official headquarters are located at Mauerstraße in Berlin, the fax number given turns out to be the same as that of Titanic editorial offices. Titanic is furthermore the official print organ of the PARTEI.
The Titanic, a satirical magazine that is decidedly left-leaning but quite drastically targets people from all walks of life, is the party's official media organ. Before the establishment of the PARTEI, Titanic joined in a variety of election campaigns with satirical stunts. At the German federal election, 2002
they put up a stand, supposedly for the Free Democratic Party
shouting racist slogans, in January 2003, several Titanic authors, pretended to be candidates of the Social Democratic Party
(SPD) in Hesse
. At the elections 2003 in Bavaria
Titanic surrendered in the name of the Bavarian Social Democrats ("SPD: Wir geben auf"), who always face the superiority of the Christian Social Union.
are:
to join forces in an alliance, Zweckbündnis, for the German federal election, 2005
.
The most spectacular campaign action of the party was to sell its advertising times in German television (every party participating at German federal elections gets some minutes of TV time for campaign spots for free) at eBay. As a reference to a scandal of masked advertising in public television earlier the year, the party's – mostly satirical – TV spots were presented in the corporate design of a German airline company.
Candidating only in the cities of Hamburg
and Berlin
, the PARTEI gained 10,379 votes (0.022% of all votes on national level).
In July 2009 Roderich Egeler, Bundeswahlleiter (Federal Returning Officer
) and president of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany
, denied official party status and the approval for participation in the German federal election, 2009. He criticised lack of seriousness and organisation within the party. He claimed his decision was based on a Fax by Die PARTEI which expressed that there is just one single Landesverband (organisation in one of the states). Die PARTEI rejoined that no such Fax existed and announced to take legal steps. T-Shirts with the imprint "Where is my vote, Wahlleiter?" were sold as part of a protest campaign and the party demanded that Egeler resigns after he did not revise his decision.
On 3 November 2009 the party launched a challenged the validity of the 2009 federal elections at the Bundestag. The PARTY also saw itself validated by President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert's maiden speech in which he criticized the election registration practices vis à vis parties as yet not represented in the Bundestag, 'in the Election Committee representatives of the established parties decide whether or not to register the competition'. The OSCE's final report on the federal elections of 2009, published on December 14, 2009 suggested a reform of the election registration process, since the composition of the Federal Election Committee might encourage subjective decision-making and because of the fact that the current system does not allow for appeals against non-registration before elections.
On December 6, 2010, represented by Gunnar Folke Schuppert, the party launched an official election complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court in relation to the refusal of registration for the 2009 federal elections, a complaint that was officially accepted in February 2011 and rejected in April 2011 on the grounds that the party chairman as the complainant did not have the necessary right to complain.
The PARTEI was once again allowed to participate in state elections in North Rhine Westphalia in 2010, Hamburg and Baden-Württemberg in 2011.
The PARTEI took part in municipal elections in North Rhine Westphalia on August 30, 2009, achieving 0.69% in its Krefeld
stronghold.
. Candidate for the office of prime minister was forensic biologist Mark Benecke
. He was supported by several well-known artists.
held on 20 February 2011, the party Die PARTEI won 23,994 votes (0.7% of the total). In St. Pauli
the party came in sixth place, winning 1.450 votes (4.9%), after SPD (37.4%), Greens (21.5%), The Left (20.1%), Pirate Party (6.7%) and CDU (5.8%). In five districts (Hammerbrook, St. Pauli, Sternschanze, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook) the PARTEI beat the well established FDP. The PARTEI did best of all in the Kleiner Grasbrook district, where it attracted 39 votes or 5.3% drawing level in the district with Germany's largest party, the CDU
.
city council via the election list of the 'Die Linke'
party, announced his defection to the PARTEI, making him the PARTEI's only elected representative at the current time.
During the 2009/10 legislature the PARTY student organization was able to advance its own man to the post of the President of the Düsseldorf student parliament. In the 2010/11 legislature the PARTY student organization now controls the post of assistant President of the student parliament at the Gießen-Friedberg University of Applied Sciences, their LISTE standing for 'List for Integration, Freedom from university fees, Technology and Promotion of Elites'). On April 20 (Hitler's birthday
), 2011, Tobias M. Bölz, chairman of LISTE at the university of Karlsruhe was elected to the chairmanship of the executive committee of the student body, having been president of the student parliament in the previous legislative period.
The Hintner Youth's uniform, with its blue shirt, gray trousers and red scarf are reminiscent of East Germany's Pioneer organization and the Free German Youth FDJ. The Hintner Youth organizes an annual summer camp at the Helmut Kohl
memorial camp site near Waldhambach as well as a number of other events, among them climbing the Watzmann
in the name of, 'heaping up the summit to get up to at least 3001 meters.'
and foreign languages. The school's director is Heike Zeilinger, with Ulf Mittelstädt and Michael Padefke as heads of the individual departments. According to the PARTY the school has no real estate of its own.
, Heinz Strunk
, Mark Benecke
and the rappers Maxim and Nico from the Berlin Hip-Hop group K.I.Z.
.
Rod Gonzáles, Hella von Sinnen
, Dirk Bach
and Guildo Horn
all had their pictures taken with top flight officials from the PARTEI to express their support during the 2010 state election.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
founded in 2004 by editors of the German satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Titanic
Titanic (magazine)
Titanic is a German monthly satirical magazine based in Frankfurt. It has a circulation of approximately 100,000.- History :Titanic was founded in 1979 by former contributors and editors of Pardon, a satirical monthly, which the group had left after conflicts with its publisher...
. Leader of the Party is Martin Sonneborn
Martin Sonneborn
Martin Sonneborn is a German satirist. He was editor-in-chief of the humorist magazine Titanic from 2000 to October 2005...
.
Name
"PARTEI" is an acronym for Partei für Arbeit, Rechtsstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative (Party for Work, Rule-of-Law, Protection of Animals, Advancement of Elites, and Grassroot-Democratic Initiative). At the same time, "Partei" is German for party. Usage of the definite articleArticle (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
("die PARTEI") is evocative of totalitarian parties (see Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
and National Socialist German Workers Party
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
) and is therefore a tongue-in-cheek reference to the totalitarian ambitions of the founders of "Die PARTEI". This is exploited in advertising in which the SED party
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
hymn, 'The Party is always right' ("Die Partei hat immer recht") is played.
Goals
Amongst other things, the PARTEI parodies existing parties' features and election tactics and its parody events sometimes include visiting other parties' events.The PARTEI refers to itself as a harbor for voters disappointed by other parties. It plans to engage in a (self-declared) "populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
campaign" centering on
- rebuilding the Berlin WallBerlin WallThe Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
and the Iron CurtainIron CurtainThe concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
between east and west Germany, changing east Germany into an "SBZ", a "Sonderbewirtschaftungszone" (Special Economic Zone). East Germany had the same abbreviation between 1945 and 1949 when it was called "Sowjetische Besatzungszone" (Soviet Occupation Zone). - a reform of the health insurance system
- a reduction in working hours along with the abolishment of the Hartz IV laws and others introduced by "the neoliberal SchröderGerhard SchröderGerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder is a German politician, and was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , he led a coalition government of the SPD and the Greens. Before becoming a full-time politician, he was a lawyer, and before becoming Chancellor...
regime" (as an alternative to the Agenda 2010Agenda 2010The Agenda 2010 is a series of reforms planned and executed by the German government which are aimed at reforming the German social system and labour market. The declared aim of Agenda 2010 is to improve economic growth and thus reduce unemployment....
) - a new constitution discussed and ratified by the people (according to Artikel 146 German constitutionBasic Law for the Federal Republic of GermanyThe Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany is the constitution of Germany. It was formally approved on 8 May 1949, and, with the signature of the Allies of World War II on 12 May, came into effect on 23 May, as the constitution of those states of West Germany that were initially included...
).
As it freely admits the PARTEI intends to win votes largely on a program of populism. Sonneborn explains this as follows: 'In politics nowadays sentiments that bring in votes are the ones that get expressed and that's what I intend to do. Better that we get those votes than some sort of neo-Nazis.' In order to achieve its majority, the PARTEI is willing to form a coalition with any other party – bar the FDP
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
, 'After all, we're no joke party.'
According to the party's manifesto the party's policies focus on real people. Following in the tradition of the German constitution and on the basis of their values of freedom, equality and brotherliness they intend to work towards a situation by political means in which they can cooperate with others to strive towards and realize a truly humane, that is to say, peaceful and fair society.
Within the party an "Anti-constitutional-platform" was formed, in an attempt to force the German intelligence agency to observe the party. The latter, however, refused to do so, considering the PARTEI a frivolous political party. The goals of the Anti-constitutional-platform:
- abolition of federalism
- a war of aggression against LiechtensteinLiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
in order to force democratization and abolish serfdom. - that the first article of the German constitution ("Human dignity is inviolable") be changed such that CEOs of certain TV channels would not possess human dignity.
According to Die PARTEI, goals in politics are overrated. They promise a "modern" version of politics: They will ask for popular opinion and, once in power, will do something completely different.
The party describes itself in the left-right politics
Left-Right politics
The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, political ideologies, or political parties along a one-dimensional political spectrum. The perspective of Left vs. Right is a binary interpretation of complex questions...
scheme with "There cannot be anything, mustn't be anything and won't be anything left and right of the party!"
The only program point that cannot even remotely be found in other parties' programm is the resurrection of the wall that once divided East and West Germany, something that, according to certain polls, some 20% of all Germans wish for.
All in all, the PARTEI is more a satirical action to promote the popularity of the Titanic magazine than a real political party. Their official goals are situated between populism and pure nonsense
Nonsense
Nonsense is a communication, via speech, writing, or any other symbolic system, that lacks any coherent meaning. Sometimes in ordinary usage, nonsense is synonymous with absurdity or the ridiculous...
.
In electoral campaigns the PARTEI often caricatures slogans of other parties in order to show how nonsensical some of them are. Examples are "Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
– city in the North!", "Education starts with 'E'" (Bildung fängt mit 'B' an) or "Youth crime – not with us!".
Berlin Wall
Far in advance of Germany's reunification Titanic had the foresight to campaign against it. Titanic co-founder Chlodwig Poth explained, 'The definitive division of Germany – this is our mission', a sentiment included in Titanic's masthead since December 1989 in a nod to the quotation in the BILD newspaper's masthead over decades, 'The unity of our fatherland in freedom, that is out mission'.At the heart of the PARTEI's political efforts lies the aim of resurrecting the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
and all other border fortifications along the border with the former German Democratic Republic. This goal has however been hidden away in the last point of the party manifesto and was characterized by party chairman Sonneborn as merely a, 'populist vehicle'. He held out the prospect of a referendum after the PARTEI's accession to power. In order to raise the necessary finances for the erection of the Wall members are requested to donate the proceeds of their savings contracts. Chairman Martin Sonneborn described the project as follows: 'I give you and all the German public my word of honor, I repeat – my word of honor – that under us there will be no order to shoot at the Wall.' (This is a reference to a false statement by former GDR SED party leader Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht
Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician. As First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1950 to 1971 , he played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany and later in the early development and...
who in 1961 claimed that "Nobody has the intention of building a wall" shortly before the wall was actually built.)
The territory of the former GDR is thus to become a, 'Special Cultivation Zone' or SBZ in German for short (not to be confused with the previous use of 'SBZ' – the Soviet Zone of Occupation) that is to be separated from the rest of the republic by edificial means in order to emphasize the visionary idea of such a zone and is to benefit from a de-bureaucratized and streamlined administrative system. Additionally, the PARTEI is demanding a reform of health care provision, protection of natural resources and a program for reduction of working time as an alternative to Agenda 2010 [N.B. An unpopular set of labor market reforms introduced under Chancellor Schroeder from 2003]. On top of all this the PARTEI supports improved co-determination rights for citizens, in particular it demands that a new constitution be passed on the basis of wide-ranging discussions, to be ratified by the people (in line with article 146 of the constitution).
Die PARTEI and Titanic magazine
The foundation of the PARTEI was carried out on August 2, 2004 by editors of the Frankfurt satirical magazine TitanicTitanic (magazine)
Titanic is a German monthly satirical magazine based in Frankfurt. It has a circulation of approximately 100,000.- History :Titanic was founded in 1979 by former contributors and editors of Pardon, a satirical monthly, which the group had left after conflicts with its publisher...
and the top echelons of the PARTEI and the editorial team of the magazine continue to entertain close personal relations. Examples include the chairman Sonneborn, previously chief editor at Titanic, a role which also once belonged to the current honorary chairman, Oliver Maria Schmitt. Despite the fact that the PARTEI's official headquarters are located at Mauerstraße in Berlin, the fax number given turns out to be the same as that of Titanic editorial offices. Titanic is furthermore the official print organ of the PARTEI.
The Titanic, a satirical magazine that is decidedly left-leaning but quite drastically targets people from all walks of life, is the party's official media organ. Before the establishment of the PARTEI, Titanic joined in a variety of election campaigns with satirical stunts. At the German federal election, 2002
German federal election, 2002
The 15th German federal election, 2002 was conducted on 22 September 2002, to elect members to the Bundestag of Germany.-Issues and campaign:...
they put up a stand, supposedly for the Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
shouting racist slogans, in January 2003, several Titanic authors, pretended to be candidates of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. At the elections 2003 in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
Titanic surrendered in the name of the Bavarian Social Democrats ("SPD: Wir geben auf"), who always face the superiority of the Christian Social Union.
State organizations
The chairmen in the strictly federal system of the German statesStates of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
are:
| Chairperson | |
|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants... |
Peter Mendelsohn |
| Bayern | Gerd Bruckner |
| Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... |
Martin Sonneborn |
| Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... |
Alexander Grupe |
| Hessen | Christian Scheeff |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Ulf Mittelstädt |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | Mark Benecke Mark Benecke Mark Benecke is a German forensic biologist.Benecke was born in Rosenheim . After receiving a Dr. rer. medic. at Cologne University in 1997, he worked in the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan, New York from 1997–1999. , he works internationally on forensic cases as a freelance expert... |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | Stien Höhn |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | Kevin Schimka |
| Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig... |
Martin Rövekamp |
From foundation to the federal elections of 2005
The PARTEI has participated in one federal election and most state and municipal elections since 2005, achieving its best results in a few districts in Berlin and Hamburg without however doing well enough to gain any seats. Political scientists have characterized it as a 'joke party' ('Spaßpartei').German federal election, 2005
In June 2005, the PARTEI agreed with the Anarchist Pogo PartyAnarchist Pogo Party of Germany
The Anarchistic Pogo Party of Germany is the self-declared party of the Pöbel and "social parasites". It was created in 1981 by two punks in Hannover and took part in the 1998 election to the Bundestag with the promise to pay the voters with free beer...
to join forces in an alliance, Zweckbündnis, for the German federal election, 2005
German federal election, 2005
German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
.
The most spectacular campaign action of the party was to sell its advertising times in German television (every party participating at German federal elections gets some minutes of TV time for campaign spots for free) at eBay. As a reference to a scandal of masked advertising in public television earlier the year, the party's – mostly satirical – TV spots were presented in the corporate design of a German airline company.
Candidating only in the cities of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the PARTEI gained 10,379 votes (0.022% of all votes on national level).
Battle over Federal Elections 2009
The PARTEI, along with several other parties which had already participated in earlier federal and state election, was refused permission to take part in the 2009 federal elections.In July 2009 Roderich Egeler, Bundeswahlleiter (Federal Returning Officer
Federal Returning Officer
In Germany, the Federal Returning Officer is the Returning Officer responsible for overseeing elections on the federal level. The Federal Returning Officer and his deputy are appointed indefinitely by the Federal Minister of the Interior; traditionally this position has been held by the President...
) and president of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany
Federal Statistical Office of Germany
The Federal Statistical Office of Germany is a federal authority of Germany. It is a part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany....
, denied official party status and the approval for participation in the German federal election, 2009. He criticised lack of seriousness and organisation within the party. He claimed his decision was based on a Fax by Die PARTEI which expressed that there is just one single Landesverband (organisation in one of the states). Die PARTEI rejoined that no such Fax existed and announced to take legal steps. T-Shirts with the imprint "Where is my vote, Wahlleiter?" were sold as part of a protest campaign and the party demanded that Egeler resigns after he did not revise his decision.
On 3 November 2009 the party launched a challenged the validity of the 2009 federal elections at the Bundestag. The PARTY also saw itself validated by President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert's maiden speech in which he criticized the election registration practices vis à vis parties as yet not represented in the Bundestag, 'in the Election Committee representatives of the established parties decide whether or not to register the competition'. The OSCE's final report on the federal elections of 2009, published on December 14, 2009 suggested a reform of the election registration process, since the composition of the Federal Election Committee might encourage subjective decision-making and because of the fact that the current system does not allow for appeals against non-registration before elections.
On December 6, 2010, represented by Gunnar Folke Schuppert, the party launched an official election complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court in relation to the refusal of registration for the 2009 federal elections, a complaint that was officially accepted in February 2011 and rejected in April 2011 on the grounds that the party chairman as the complainant did not have the necessary right to complain.
The PARTEI was once again allowed to participate in state elections in North Rhine Westphalia in 2010, Hamburg and Baden-Württemberg in 2011.
The PARTEI took part in municipal elections in North Rhine Westphalia on August 30, 2009, achieving 0.69% in its Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
stronghold.
German state election North-Rhine Westphalia, 2010
On May 9, 2010, Die PARTEI reached 0.17% in the elections of Germany's largest state North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. Candidate for the office of prime minister was forensic biologist Mark Benecke
Mark Benecke
Mark Benecke is a German forensic biologist.Benecke was born in Rosenheim . After receiving a Dr. rer. medic. at Cologne University in 1997, he worked in the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan, New York from 1997–1999. , he works internationally on forensic cases as a freelance expert...
. He was supported by several well-known artists.
Hamburg State Elections, 2011
In the Hamburg state election, 2011Hamburg state election, 2011
On February 20, 2011, a state election was held in Hamburg, Germany, for the 20th legislative period of the Hamburg Parliament after World War II. The election is a result of the collapse of the coalition government led by the Christian Democratic Union and the Green Alternative List . The Hamburg...
held on 20 February 2011, the party Die PARTEI won 23,994 votes (0.7% of the total). In St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
the party came in sixth place, winning 1.450 votes (4.9%), after SPD (37.4%), Greens (21.5%), The Left (20.1%), Pirate Party (6.7%) and CDU (5.8%). In five districts (Hammerbrook, St. Pauli, Sternschanze, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook) the PARTEI beat the well established FDP. The PARTEI did best of all in the Kleiner Grasbrook district, where it attracted 39 votes or 5.3% drawing level in the district with Germany's largest party, the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
.
Elected representatives
On May 17, 2011 Manuel Lindlar, who had originally been elected to the LeverkusenLeverkusen
Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf....
city council via the election list of the 'Die Linke'
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
party, announced his defection to the PARTEI, making him the PARTEI's only elected representative at the current time.
The LIST – the PARTEI student organization
Between 2005 and 2009 the PARTY's student organizations began to make themselves felt in student parliaments in Bochum, Aachen, Berlin, Dortmund and Düsseldorf. In most cases the groups branded themselves as List for Grass-Roots Democratic Initiatives, Education, Animal Breeding and Promotion of Elites (German acronym LISTE -- Liste für basisdemokratische Initiative, Studium, Tierzucht und Elitenförderung ). The student organization has 8000 members nationwide according to its own reports.During the 2009/10 legislature the PARTY student organization was able to advance its own man to the post of the President of the Düsseldorf student parliament. In the 2010/11 legislature the PARTY student organization now controls the post of assistant President of the student parliament at the Gießen-Friedberg University of Applied Sciences, their LISTE standing for 'List for Integration, Freedom from university fees, Technology and Promotion of Elites'). On April 20 (Hitler's birthday
Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday
Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday on April 20, 1939 was a national holiday in Nazi Germany. On that day, the largest military parade in the history of the Third Reich was held in Berlin.-Celebrations:...
), 2011, Tobias M. Bölz, chairman of LISTE at the university of Karlsruhe was elected to the chairmanship of the executive committee of the student body, having been president of the student parliament in the previous legislative period.
The Hintner Youth
In line with the motto, 'We need a children’s and youth wing, because we need a children’s and youth wing!', the Hinter Youth, named after our general secretary Thomas Hintner, was founded on June 5, 2005 during the state conference in Mannheim. It looks after the youngest of our future politicians, who after being members of the Hintner-Jugend are later promoted to the party's very own Prosecco Youth. The Hintner Youth's official greeting is, 'Hi Hintner!', thus alluding to the Nazi party's Hitler Youth and greeting.The Hintner Youth's uniform, with its blue shirt, gray trousers and red scarf are reminiscent of East Germany's Pioneer organization and the Free German Youth FDJ. The Hintner Youth organizes an annual summer camp at the Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
memorial camp site near Waldhambach as well as a number of other events, among them climbing the Watzmann
Watzmann
The Watzmann is the third highest mountain in Germany, and the highest peak standing entirely within Germany. Its three main peaks are Hocheck , Mittelspitze and Südspitze .The Watzmann massive also includes the...
in the name of, 'heaping up the summit to get up to at least 3001 meters.'
The PARTEI school
The PARTEI runs a school in Schwerin, which by allusion to the official SED schools is simply known as the, 'PARTEI school'. The school's purpose is not only to improve PARTEI official's political literacy but also to provide general educational programs, including ITInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and foreign languages. The school's director is Heike Zeilinger, with Ulf Mittelstädt and Michael Padefke as heads of the individual departments. According to the PARTY the school has no real estate of its own.
Celebrities
Many German speaking celebrities are also members of the PARTEI, some of whom participate as their candidates during election time, among them Rocko SchamoniRocko Schamoni
Rocko Schamoni, real name is Tobias Albrecht, is a German entertainer, author, musician, club proprietor and member of the comedy ensemble Studio Braun.- Biography :...
, Heinz Strunk
Heinz Strunk
Heinz Strunk, legal name Mathias Halfpape is a German entertainer, author, and member of Studio Braun. Strunk's comedy ranges from goofy prank calls to biting political and cultural satire, often involving music....
, Mark Benecke
Mark Benecke
Mark Benecke is a German forensic biologist.Benecke was born in Rosenheim . After receiving a Dr. rer. medic. at Cologne University in 1997, he worked in the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan, New York from 1997–1999. , he works internationally on forensic cases as a freelance expert...
and the rappers Maxim and Nico from the Berlin Hip-Hop group K.I.Z.
K.I.Z.
kiz sratK.I.Z. is a German hip hop group from Berlin, Germany. The members are the three rappers Tarek, Nico and Maxim, with a DJ called DJ Craft. Their lyrics often contain a lot of black humor and irony as well as sociocritical content....
.
Rod Gonzáles, Hella von Sinnen
Hella von Sinnen
Hella Kemper known by her stage name Hella von Sinnen is a German entertainer. She had several TV shows on German private channels...
, Dirk Bach
Dirk Bach
Dirk Bach is a German television comedy actor, best known as Pepe in the German version of Sesamstraße and as an actor in television series Lukas.-Life:...
and Guildo Horn
Guildo Horn
Guildo Horn He is mainly famous for his eccentric stage persona, which includes outrageous clothes and very extroverted antics.At the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, he came in 7th with the title "Guildo hat euch lieb!" ....
all had their pictures taken with top flight officials from the PARTEI to express their support during the 2010 state election.
Literature
- Martin Sonneborn: Das PARTEI Buch. Wie man in Deutschland eine Partei gründet und die Macht übernimmt. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln 2009, ISBN 978-3-462-04090-6 ['The PARTY book. How to found a party in Germany and take over.']
- Gerd Bruckner: Die PARTEI – der ultimative Polit-Guide für Aktivisten und Nichtmitglieder. Im Eigenverlag, München 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-025551-9 ['The PARTY – the ultimate political guide for activists and non-members.']
- Gerd Bruckner: Die PARTEI – Politisches Manifest 1.0 Inspiration und Motivation für eine selbstbestimmte Zukunft. Realpolitische Plattform. Im Eigenverlag, München 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-032278-5 ['The PARTY- Political Manifesto 1.0 Inspiration and Motivation for a self-determined future. A platform for Realpolitik']
External links
- Official site (German)
- Titanic (German)