The Liberal Democrats – The Social Liberals (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ), abbreviated to LD, is a minor

social liberal Social liberalism (german: Sozialliberalismus, es, socioliberalismo, nl, Sociaalliberalisme), also known as new liberalism in the United Kingdom, modern liberalism, or simply liberalism in the contemporary United States, left-liberalism ...

party in

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 ...

, founded in 1982 and currently led by Kasim Dönmez.

History

The party was founded on 28 November 1982 mainly by former members of the Free Democratic Party, after the FDP had left the

social-liberal coalition Social–liberal coalition (german: Sozialliberale Koalition) in the politics of Germany refers to a governmental coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The term stems from social d ...

led by Chancellor

Helmut Schmidt Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Before becoming Cha ...

and formed a new government with the conservative Christian Democratic Union. On 21 March 2017, the Party held a joint press conference along with the

Pirate Party Germany The Pirate Party Germany (german: Piratenpartei Deutschland), commonly known as Pirates (), is a political party in Germany founded in September 2006 at c-base. It states general agreement with the Swedish Piratpartiet as a party of the informa ...

, the

Party of Humanists The Party of Humanists () is a minor political party in Germany that first participated in the 2017 federal election. Party platform The underlying ideology is evolutionary humanism. The core themes of the Humanist Party are science and edu ...

, the New Liberals, the Transhuman Party Germany, and the youth organization of The Left to announce a "social liberal proclamation" (

: ) and better cooperation among the participating organizations. The proclamation was followed by a joint press statement with the New Liberals in early 2020, declaring an intent of embracing a close cooperation between the parties in the state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

Party program

Basic principles

The Liberal Democrats passed their "social-liberal principles" (

: ) in their 47th general assembly in

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

. Therein, they call for "human dignity through self-determination", "equality of all mankind", "progress through reason" and "democratisation of society".

Education

For the Liberal Democrats, education is deemed as "one of the most important goals of social liberal politics". They call for a federally uniform educational system and centralised exams. The educational system shall be reformed as a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

system. They also call for the replacement of the current religious education through a single class taken by all students regardless of religious and cultural affiliation.

Civil rights

As outlined in their "social-liberal principles", the Liberal Democrats advocate for "equal civil rights for all human beings". Securing

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

is one of the core elements of their policy. They demand the extension of the

secrecy of correspondence __NOTOC__ The secrecy of correspondence (german: Briefgeheimnis, french: secret de la correspondance) or literally translated as secrecy of letters, is a fundamental legal principle enshrined in the constitutions of several European countries. It ...

to an overall secrecy of communications including digital communication. Furthermore, they oppose

data retention Data retention defines the policies of persistent data and records management for meeting legal and business data archival requirements. Although sometimes interchangeable, it is not to be confused with the Data Protection Act 1998. The differen ...

without prior suspicion as well as

eavesdropping Eavesdropping is the act of secretly or stealthily listening to the private conversation or communications of others without their consent in order to gather information. Etymology The verb ''eavesdrop'' is a back-formation from the noun ''eaves ...

operations on homes. The Liberal Democrats refer to personal data as "property of the data subject" and demand user-friendly privacy. They urge for a right to end-to-end encrypted communication and oppose the introduction of

voting machine A voting machine is a machine used to record votes in an election without paper. The first voting machines were mechanical but it is increasingly more common to use ''electronic voting machines''. Traditionally, a voting machine has been defin ...

s. Amongst equal rights for all human beings, they demand equal rights and acceptance for

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

couples and other forms of relationship. They also urge to abolish the

blood donation A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for blood transfusion, transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called Blood fractionation, fractionation (separation of whole blood com ...

prohibition for homosexual people in Germany.

Democracy

The Liberal Democrats call for decreasing the

electoral threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...

, a

single transferable vote Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...

and lowering the

voting age A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. The most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist ( ...

to 16. They claim that

non-citizen In law, an alien is any person (including an organization) who is not a citizen or a national of a specific country, although definitions and terminology differ to some degree depending upon the continent or region. More generally, however, ...

s with a long-term main residence in Germany are also part of the

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

society and shall be eligible to vote. They also demand to introduce more

direct democratic Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate decides on policy initiatives without elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently established democracies, which are represe ...

elements and a stricter

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

Social policy

The Liberal Democrats call for the introduction of an

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 ...

, in which all tax-financed social assistance of the state is combined. This should be available immediately via an adjustment of the tax curve in the event of income shortfalls, without representing an additional income for people with high incomes. They also urge to "actively fight against

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

through housing instead of pushing the topic into the background". To that end, they propose a

Housing First Housing First is a policy that offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to homeless people, and other supportive services afterward. It was first discussed in the 1990s, and in the following decades became government policy ...

solution and demand to end financial subsidies for defensive architecture.

Health policy

The Liberal Democrats favour to establish a national healthcare scheme similar to the British

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. Additional coverage through complementary insurances shall remain possible. They focus on the infrastructure, personnel as well as digitalisation of the healthcare system.

Mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

is also one of the main points in their health policy. They also demand to reform various legal frameworks. As such, they outline conditions under which

assisted suicide Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...

shall be legalised. They urge to abolish the prohibition of blood donation by homosexual individuals as well as to ease access to

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and

assisted reproductive technology Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes medical procedures used primarily to address infertility. This subject involves procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), cryopreservation of gametes o ...

Economic Policy

The Liberal Democrats call for a

social market economy The social market economy (SOME; german: soziale Marktwirtschaft), also called Rhine capitalism, Rhine-Alpine capitalism, the Rhenish model, and social capitalism, is a socioeconomic model combining a free-market capitalist economic system alon ...

. They define social market economy as an economy in which the state shall interfere as less as possible. However at the point at which the

invisible hand The invisible hand is a metaphor used by the British moral philosopher Adam Smith that describes the unintended greater social benefits and public good brought about by individuals acting in their own self-interests. Smith originally mention ...

fails and the economy acts in disfavour of society, the state shall interfere. Safeguarding access to basic supplies and infrastructure has the highest priority in their economic policy. They also take high priority in ensuring labor welfare and outline it as a main condition for access to any

subvention A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

s from the state. Providing the same wage for the same work regardless of a person's gender is also considered part of the fair working conditions they demand. They favor a structural policy that focuses on

innovation Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...

and adjustment. They demand to uphold a

balanced budget amendment A balanced budget amendment is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government. Balanced-budget provisions have been added t ...

with little exceptions to it. They are also proposing to reform the

tax system 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 ...

partially while sustaining

progressive tax A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases.Sommerfeld, Ray M., Silvia A. Madeo, Kenneth E. Anderson, Betty R. Jackson (1992), ''Concepts of Taxation'', Dryden Press: Fort Worth, TX The term ''progre ...

ation. Furthermore, they demand to establish a

fiscal union Fiscal union is the integration of the fiscal policy of nations or states. In a fiscal union, decisions about the collection and expenditure of taxes are taken by common institutions, shared by the participating governments. A fiscal union does not ...

within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

European Union

The Liberal Democrats favour the European Union and demand to further deepen the Union. To do so, they urge to reform the EU as a "European Republic" with a

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 ...

with more competences at its core. They call for establishing a common European government and constitution. The Liberal Democrats urge for solutions at EU-level for various topics, such as in asylum and migration policy, labour policy as well as a common defense policy through establishing an EU-Army. Furthermore, they propose to establish a fiscal union.

Foreign Policy

The Liberal Democrats make positive remarks on how the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

evolved into the EU and emphasise the advantages of international cooperation. As such, they demand to increase

development aid Development aid is a type of aid, foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political International development, development of developing countries. Closely-rel ...

and establish a global partnership in the fight against poverty. Furthermore, they demand to reform the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

with a UN Parliamentary Assembly representing humankind at its core. The reformed UN shall also establish a UN-Army, making national armies unnecessary. The Liberal Democrats demand that military actions shall always be seen as a last resort and always follow legitimation through a

UN resolution A United Nations resolution (UN resolution) is a formal text adopted by a United Nations (UN) body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly. Legal st ...

or a

casus foederis ''Casus foederis'' (or ''casus fœderis'') is derived from the Latin for "case for the alliance". In diplomatic terms, it describes a situation in which the terms of an alliance come into play, such as one nation being attacked by another. Hi ...

. They also condemn violations to

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

in terms of invasion, occupation, resettlements and coups in foreign territory while endorsing

nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance (NVR), or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, cons ...

s of groups of people for their

right of self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...

. They consider aiming for multilateral agreements to be the best way to resolve conflicts.

Leadership

The current federal committee of the Liberal Democrats was elected through postal vote and consists of five members: * Kasim Dönmez (Party Leader) * Paul Vossiek (Secretary General) * Steve Bourne (Deputy Chair) * Christopher Ward (Deputy Chair) * Jonas Kruse (Treasurer)

Federal state parties

References

External links

Website of the Liberal Democrats
{{Authority control Liberal parties in Germany Social liberal parties Pro-European political parties in Germany Political parties established in 1982 1982 establishments in West Germany Universal basic income in Germany