Centre Party (Sweden)
Centerpartiet ( shortly C, German Centre Party ) is a political party represented in the Swedish Parliament. It is a bourgeois party with a green profile, which represents the interests of agriculture and small business owners. The party chairman since 2011 Annie Lööf. The Centre Party reached at the last general election in 2010 6.6% of the vote and 23 of 349 seats. At European level, the party is a member of the ELDR and is a member of the European Parliament of the liberal ALDE group.
History
1913, the party was founded Bondeförbundet ( Farmers' Union ), who wanted to represent the interests of agriculture. 1921, was agreed upon with the Peasant Party, founded in 1915 Jordbrukarnas Riksförbund ( Reich Association of Farmers ) under the name Bondeförbundet, the one kept until 1958 when it renamed itself in Centerpartiet.
In the first decades Bondeförbundet was a marked interest party that represented the interests of agriculture on a conservative value basis. But after the global economic crisis of 1929, which also hit the agriculture, you went in 1933 an agreement with the Social Democrats, which included subsidies for agriculture and various measures against unemployment. In 1936, the cooperation of a coalition government with the Social Democrats, which lasted until the beginning of World War II. A second center-left government existed from 1951 until 1957.
The late 1960s and gained early 70s environmental issues and the nuclear policy an ever greater weight, and the Centre Party distinguished itself with a green policy. This led to the largest electoral victories in 1973 and 1976, when the party got 24.1 % of votes. The party chairman Thorbjorn Fälldin led as prime minister of a bourgeois coalition. After a six - year reign finally lost the election of 1982; then the share of the vote decreased very sharply. 1991-1994 was the Centre Party, a coalition of four parties in the bourgeois government, between 1995 and 1998 supported to the Social Democratic minority government in economic and environmental issues.
The Centre Party has always faced the challenge to position themselves to the political blocs. In addition, it shows itself divided on the EU question. After Maud Olofsson took over the presidency of the party in 2001, a clear trend towards neo-liberal positions was observed. The overtures of the Social Democrats before the 2002 election met the chairman with the words: " I do not want coalition with Göran Persson, period! " On June 17, 2011 Maud Olofsson announced their withdrawal from the party chairmanship.
The youth organization of the party ( Centerpartiets Ungdomsförbund, CUF) has maintained for some years now links to the neo-liberal think- tank " Timbro " and leading center politicians like Fredrick Federley and Annie Lööf, both members of the Riksdag, and Maud Olofsson even profile the party now as a small business-friendly and anti- union. Especially the loosening of employment protection has for some years one of the core issues of the party. Also on environmental issues, the party leadership has enforced a change of course in favor of nuclear energy.
The repositioning of the party is not without controversy and Maud Olofsson has introduced intra-party criticism. At the core is the criticism of betraying the ideals of the party, and the fear of a debacle at the next general election. Fears that voters might not support the repositioning of the party, are being reinforced by poor poll numbers.
Election results
Reichstag elections
Until 1968, elections to the Second Chamber. Information from Statistiska Centralbyrån.
Maps
- 0.0 to 4.9 %
- 5.0 to 7.9 %
- 8.0 to 11.9 %
- 12.0 to 15.9 %
- > 16.0%
1976
1979
1982
1985
1988
1991
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010