Democracy in Motion (german: Demokratie in Bewegung, ) is a

minor party A minor party is a political party that plays a smaller (in some cases much smaller, even insignificant in comparison) role than a major party in a country's politics and elections. The difference between minor and major parties can be so great ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The basis for the party's founding was a petition on

change.org Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...

, in which petitioners promised to run as a party in September 2017 at the federal election if the petition reached at least 100,000 signatures, which it reached on 20 July 2017. After this was accomplished, the party 'Democracy in Motion' was established on 29 April 2017 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

.Statute of 29 April 2017
/ref>

Content profile

The Party Platform outlines four core values: # Democracy, participation, transparency # Justice on social, political, economic, and environmental issues # Cosmopolitanism and diversity # Future-oriented sustainabilityParty Platform
(self-presentation on the website, accessed on 18 August 2017) Policy was adopted at the 2nd Federal Party Congress on 27 August 2017 in Cologne in accordance to the campaign requirements for the 2017 Bundestag election. The proposals for this were developed in a grassroots manner using the principle of initiative and presented to the federal party congress for a final vote.The Principle of Initiative
(self-presentation on the website, accessed on 18 August 2017) The code of ethics, an ethical commitment in accordance to core party values laying down a series of rules of conduct, is given to all new party members, "movers", and advocates (MPs). The party has outlined, by statute, a women's quota and diversity rate.

Transparency and participation

The party believes that the introduction of a lobbying register is required in order to hinder covert influence on elected officials.
(initiative to introduce a binding lobby register, website of the party, retrieved on 10 September 2017) The party's Code of Ethics requires its own members to disclose their ancillary income and take other measures to combat lobbying. The party does not accept donations from companies. The party calls for more citizen participation possibilities, for example, administrative decisions should be able to be made on a federal level via

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. Similarly, the 5 percent hurdle should be lowered to 3 percent to facilitate smaller parties being represented in the Bundestag and thus more accurately reflect the opinion of the electorate.

Social justice

Social inequality is discussed in the basic program with various measures proposed to improve conditions, including reform of

Hartz IV The Hartz concept, also known as Hartz reforms or the Hartz plan, is a set of recommendations submitted by a committee on reforms to the German labour market in 2002. Named after the head of the committee, Peter Hartz, these recommendations went ...

to introduce

unconditional basic income Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of an ...

,
(Initiative for the introduction of an unconditional basic income, website of the party, retrieved on 10 September 2017) increase of the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

to €12,
(initiative to raise the minimum wage, website of the party, retrieved on 10 September 2017) improved working conditions for

temporary work Temporary work or temporary employment (also called gigs) refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time based on the needs of the employing organization. Temporary employees are sometimes ...

ers, and creation of a fairer, standardized, pension system.

Family and social equality policies

The party calls for the improvement of midwife profession, the development of all-day

child care Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

, and the reduction of

gender pay gap The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted ...

s, in particular the abolition of spousal

income splitting Income splitting is a tax policy of fictionally attributing earned and passive income of one spouse to the other spouse for the purposes of assessing personal income tax (i.e. "splitting" away the income of the greater earner, reducing his/her inc ...

. The party also advocates the introduction of a women's quota in governing bodies.

Violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often consi ...

should be combated through financial support for aid organizations and the establishment of victim protection clinics. The party is committed to the rights of

disabled people Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

and calls for more

inclusion Inclusion or Include may refer to: Sociology * Social inclusion, aims to create an environment that supports equal opportunity for individuals and groups that form a society. ** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabiliti ...

of the disabled, for example, freedom to choose how they live their lives and recognition of

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

as an

official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...

. The party also believes in complete equality of same-sex marriage and that the equal treatment of

LGBTIQ Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (such as genitals, gonads, and chromosome patterns) that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, ...

people should be anchored in the constitution.

Tax policy

The party calls for raising the

tax rate In a tax system, the tax rate is the ratio (usually expressed as a percentage) at which a business or person is taxed. There are several methods used to present a tax rate: statutory, average, marginal, and effective. These rates can also be p ...

on the highest income tax bracket, more effective taxation of large companies and combating

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the taxp ...

, whilst also relieving lower and middle income groups, and introducing a

financial transaction tax A financial transaction tax (FTT) is a levy on a specific type of financial transaction for a particular purpose. The tax has been most commonly associated with the financial sector for transactions involving intangible property rather than real ...

Health policy

According to the party, the

two-tier healthcare Two-tier healthcare is a situation in which a basic government-provided healthcare system provides basic care, and a secondary tier of care exists for those who can pay for additional, better quality or faster access. Most countries have both p ...

system should be abolished in favor of guaranteed health insurance, and having private health insurance offer additional benefits. DiB wants the health system modernized and working conditions improved, and advocate for professional active euthanasia.

Foreign policy

The party calls for giving greater power to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

, including through the introduction of right of initiative. In the long term, it advocates the establishment of a European, federal, parliamentary republic.
(Initiative to found the United States of Europe, website of the party, accessed 10 September 2017) In negotiating Free-trade area, free trade agreements such as

TTIP The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was a proposed trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, with the aim of promoting trade and multilateral economic growth. According to Karel de Gucht, European ...

and

CETA The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union and its member states. It has been provisionally applied, thus removing 98% of the preexisting tariffs between the two parts. ...

, the party calls for greater democratic control and transparency, including through the establishment of an ethics committee. The party calls for the creation of safe escape routes for

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s, an international fight against the causes of the flight of refugees from their countries of origin, increased funding for international development, and increased regulation, with severe limitation, of the

arms industry The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and servi ...

and for it to be completely dropped in areas of conflict. Germany should end their

nuclear sharing Nuclear sharing is a concept in NATO's policy of nuclear deterrence, which allows member countries without nuclear weapons of their own to participate in the planning for the use of nuclear weapons by NATO. In particular, it provides for the arm ...

deals, and a global ban on nuclear weapons is sought.

Sustainability

With respect to sustainability the party advocates a rapid switch to

renewable energies Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...

, a decentralization of energy policy, and an introduction of an emissions

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

and

methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...

to discourage air pollution thus counteract

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. The party calls for

Organic farming Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...

to be promoted;

factory farming Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also known by its opponents as factory farming and macro-farms, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to animal husbandry designed to maximize production, while ...

, the patenting of living organisms, the use of

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

, and

glyphosate Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum Herbicide, systemic herbicide and Crop desiccation, crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by inhibiting the plan ...

in agriculture to be ended.

Education and digitization

The party calls for more money in education, and free access to

daycare Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time, whose ages range from two weeks of age to 18 years. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(r ...

and

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, school education to be standardized across all federal states. DiB advocates increased digitization with greater connection of rural areas to the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, the allowance of smaller artists to compete with larger media companies and to be able to live off of the gains from their art. The party opposes

mass surveillance Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by local and federal governments or governmental organizati ...

and is critical of

computer and network surveillance Computer and network surveillance is the monitoring of computer activity and data stored locally on a computer or data being transferred over computer networks such as the Internet. This monitoring is often carried out covertly and may be comple ...

, and for example, fears the development of a government

Trojan horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

Infrastructure

The party opposes

privatization Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

public infrastructure Public infrastructure is infrastructure owned or available for use by the public (represented by the government). It is distinguishable from generic or private infrastructure in terms of policy, financing, purpose, etc. Public infrastructure is ...

and calls for a constitutionally anchored common carrying for the likes of electricity, telecommunications, roads and railways. DiB would counteract emigration from rural areas by increasing the quality of life in said areas, and calls for a fairer, more environmentally friendly, transport system that promotes

alternatives to car use Established alternatives to car use include cycling, walking, kick scooters, rollerblading, skateboarding, twikes and (electric or internal combustion) motorcycles. Other alternatives are public transport vehicles (buses, guided buses, trol ...

Organisational structure

Party board

The party leaders of the party Federal Association are Alexander Plitsch and Julia Beerhold. The other members of the board are Dorothee Vogt (treasurer), Benedikt Sequeira Gerardo, Narges Lankarani, Franka Kretschmer and Lea Brunn.

National associations

There are regional associations in all 16 federal states. These were founded within five weeks of the founding of the Federal Association accordingly. Shortly after the foundation of the last state association in Rhineland-Palatinate on 4 June, state lists for the 2017 federal elections were drawn up in all 16 federal states.Party
(self-presentation on the website, accessed on 18 August 2017)

District associations

The first two district associations were founded in

Halle (Saale) Halle (Saale), or simply Halle (; from the 15th to the 17th century: ''Hall in Sachsen''; until the beginning of the 20th century: ''Halle an der Saale'' ; from 1965 to 1995: ''Halle/Saale'') is the largest city of the Germany, German States of ...

on 18 October 2017 and one day later in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

Members

The party has 379 confirmed party members (as of December 31, 2017), the proportion of women is 35%. Added to this are 785 (as of 31 December 2017) confirmed "movers" in the ''marketplace of ideas and the plenary of mover'' who actively work on the preparation of initiatives, which are, after majority vote at a federal party congress, then incorporated into the party platform.

Election results

2017 federal election

The party appeared in eight states (Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt) for the 2017 federal election. They won 60,826 second votes nationwide, equivalent to 0.1%. Their best results were achieved in the states of Hamburg, and Berlin; each with 0.4%. The party received her best constituency result in the constituency Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg Ost in

, with 0.7%.Bundestag Election 2017, Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg - Prenzlauer Berg Ost
(from http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de)

References

External links

Demokratie in Bewegung
(Official website)

(Broadcast by Deutschlandfunk from 2 June 2017)
Demokratie in Bewegung - A New Party
(Interview within podcast) {{German political parties 2017 establishments in Germany category:Alter-globalization Democratic socialist parties in Europe Ecofeminism Feminist organisations in Germany Feminist parties in Europe Green political parties in Germany Political parties established in 2017 Pro-European political parties in Germany Socialist parties in Germany Universal basic income in Germany Political parties supporting universal basic income