Party leader

Party chairman, in Switzerland Party President in Austria mainly language use of socialist parties, called by the bourgeois parties party chairman, at parties with basic democratic claim national speakers, is the senior party official, who represents a political party to the outside, in fact often leads. In the professional and also everyday language, the term is used synonymously party leader or as a generic term.

2.1 Austria

3.1 CDU
3.2 CSU
3.3 SPD
3.4 FDP
3.5 Alliance 90/The Greens
3.6 The Left

Possible party organizations

Party organizations without formal chairman

Especially in states with majority voting, the parties have often formed from combinations of electoral organizations at the constituency level. In each constituency was formed before each election, a group of supporters of local candidates. Party leader in this sense did not exist. Like-minded MPs came together to form factions. A separate party organization and party leader so that there was not at first. Examples of such party organizations were historically in the UK, the Tories and Whigs. The parties in Germany as the National Liberal Party and the German Center Party originated first by their fractions. From the 1870s slowly developed party structures that were independent of the fractions. The role of the party leader ( if such was ever named) remained largely predominantly insignificant until the 20th century. The respective faction leader was the real leader of the party.

Party organizations with collective leadership

Parties do not necessarily need a party chairman. In the United States it is so that the two major parties, the Republicans and Democrats is the party's leadership of the National Committees, whose main task is the organization of the National Convention who choose the candidates and adopt the program. The chairs of the National Committees, the Chairmen, have little political significance. Your responsibilities in accordance with the Managing Director of European parties.

Party organizations with double top

For proportional reasons, some parties have a double peak. In Germany, these were the Greens, the virtue of the statutes had a double peak by gender and in practice at the beginning of fundamentalists and realists. Even the Left has at the federal level by a double peak, there represents the gender and origin from East and West.

Party organizations with Chairman

Party leaders are - usually with two or more of their deputies - elected on party days, as a rule for the maximum allowable term of two years. The party leaders of major parliamentary parties often have additional high office in personal union, such as head of government / in, Minister / or in Group Chairman ( Austria: club chairman ). In Switzerland, these dual functions are rare.

Many contemporary states have a law on political parties, which marks out the rough framework for political parties and often the partial financing of the party and educational work ( Party Academy, etc. ) governs by public funds. In this case, the responsibility of the party leaders and the finance officers is not only party internally, but also against the state and its criminal law. The internal party responsibility is given by periodic party days and taking place on them " relief " by the meetings of the National Executive (or the Bureau ) and.

De facto, the tips of a party but also - in spite of the free mandate of the representatives - responsible for successes and failures in parliamentary elections.

But not the / the chairman, but the party secretary or general secretary is responsible for the organization of the party and the regular contacts with the members.

As a rule, party leaders have a "party career" behind it, in the can develop their skills. It often begins as a student officer / in or in a function at the party youth at a church organization or a trade union.

Austria

In Austria, the term is only in the Socialist parties in use, federal party chairman called the party leader of the Social Democratic Party of Austria ( SPÖ) and the Austrian Communist Party ( KPO ).

The other parties have chairmen or national speakers as peak function.