Ecological Democratic Party

Ecological Democratic Party Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei
Abbreviation	ÖDP
Leader	Gabriela Schimmer-Göresz
Founded	23/24 January 1982
Headquarters	ÖDP-Federal Office Würzburg Pommergasse 1 D-97070 Würzburg
Youth wing	Young Ecologists
Ideology	Green conservatism
Political position	Centre-right
European affiliation	None
International affiliation	World Ecological Parties
European Parliament group	Greens/EFA
Colours	Orange
Bundestag	0 / 631
State Parliaments	0 / 1,875
European Parliament	1 / 96
Website
http://www.oedp.de/
Politics of Germany Political parties Elections

The Ecological Democratic Party (German: Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei, ÖDP) is a conservative and ecologist 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).,

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., 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 the right to life (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, 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. The MEP, Klaus Buchner, joined The Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) as an independent.

Controversy

On 17 December 2014, the Memmingen/Unterallgäu chapter of the ODP 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. 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

Election results

State elections:

• Bavaria (2003) 2.0%
• Baden-Württemberg (2006) 0.6%
• Rhineland-Palatinate (2006) 0.2%
• Berlin (2006) 0.1%
• Thuringia (2004) 0.2%
• Hamburg (2004) 0.1%
• Hesse (1999) 0.1%
• Saxony-Anhalt (2006) 0.8%
• Lower Saxony (2003) 0.1%
• North Rhine-Westphalia (2005) 0.2%

European Parliament:

• 1984: 0.3%
• 1989: 0.7%
• 1994: 0.8%
• 1999: 0.4%
• 2004: 0.6%

German Parliament (Bundestag):

• 1983: 0.0%
• 1987: 0.3%
• 1990: 0.4%
• 1994: 0.4%
• 1998: 0.2%
• 2002: 0.1%

See also: List of political parties in Germany

External links

• ödp Federal Association
• Basic Program of the ödp Ecological Democratic Party (in English)