Progress Party (Denmark)

Fremskridtspartiet ( Frp ), dän. for Progress Party, a populist libertarian party was in Denmark. It was founded in 1972 by Mogens Glistrup and was represented from 1973 to 1999 in the Parliament the Folketing. They gradually turned away from the libertarianism and is now a small nationalist party.

• 3.1 Party leader
• 3.2 Party Chairman

History and Program

Era Glistrup 1972-1983

The Progressive Party was founded on August 22, 1972 at the telegenic tax rebels Glistrup. Focal points of the party were at first the abolition of the income tax, limiting state bureaucracy and simplifying the legislative process. Denmark should from all international organizations such as the UN, NATO and the Nordic Council of escape, was demanded. In the parliamentary elections on 4 December 1973, the party immediately reached 15.9 % of the votes and became the second largest party in the Folketing. However, they could exercise only indirect political influence, since the other parties represented in Parliament were not willing to cooperate. The deputies of the Frp was accused of lack of political realism. Nevertheless, an indirect influence is especially noticeable was the tax laws. As an innovation policy group meetings of Frp to the public had access. This marked intra-party disputes, however, the easy way into the media. Glistrups public appearance varied between libertarian populism and satirical and anarchic fundamental opposition.

The burdens of the first oil crisis forced the Poul Hartling ( Venstre ) government to wage limits and a tough austerity. Trade unions and Social Democrats called successfully on big demonstrations. The Frp refused their consent to Venstres economic policy package ( helhedsplan ). Hartling Thereupon elections for January 1975 tender. The favorable polls were confirmed, but Venstres jump from 12 to 23 percent was achieved at the expense of other parties in the bourgeois camp. After lengthy soundings Glistrup rejected a possible UK government, paving a Social Democratic minority government the way. Anker Jørgensen had to work with shifting majorities, but managed to retain office seven and a half years.

Factional dispute

The Frp has never been involved in a government. A moderate wing (called " the languid " ) called for a constructive parliamentary work to be attractive to the bourgeois parties as partners. The dogmatic wing ( called the " Streamline " ) wanted to continue Glistrups opposition strategy. His influence was neutralized its end in 1983, because he had to play a prison sentence for tax evasion. For him, Pia Kjærsgaard moved by the Folketing. She joined the moderate group, and in 1984 Political spokeswoman. Their influence grew steadily.

Ole Vagn Aage Jakobsen Maisted and returned the next confused acting Frp his back and lifted the short-lived " Free Democrats " from the baptism. Later, both came over to the liberal Venstre. Although the detained Glistrup won in the 1984 election again a parliamentary seat, but could not accept the mandate. From the early 1980s, the Frp acted increasingly hostile to foreigners, first, relying on an alleged overloading of the welfare state. Soon, an anti -Muslim chauvinism came more into play.

Era Kjærsgaard 1987-1995

In the final phase of the election campaign in 1987 Kjærsgaard appeared as a top candidate and was able to record the first increase in votes for ten years. But Glistrup so returned to parliament. Early elections in 1988 brought the Frp nearly a doubling of the mandates. The Party Congress in September 1988 awarded consequently important posts to followers Kjærsgaards. 1989 the party voted for the first time the draft budget of the government, which led to a break with Glistrup within a year. Together with Jane Oksen, Pia Dahl and Mogens Elvensø he founded in November 1990 " Trivselspartiet " (Party of recovery ). This gave rise to the expulsion from the party Glistrups. " Trivselspartiet " closed for re-election in December a list associated with the communist " Fælles course"; together, they failed due to the two-percent hurdle.

In August 1994 Kjærsgaard expressed their interest in the party chairmanship. The reactions were repellent, because it would have meant a break with the unwritten statutes of Frp to repeal the personal separation of party and faction. Choosing a compromise candidate meant a first defeat for Kjærsgaard. In the general election of 1994, the balance of power in the fraction shifted to a decisive mandate. She chose then a representative of the " tight " wing, Kim Behnke, their chairman. Kjærsgaard appeared as Spokeswoman back, even though only confirmed unanimously in her office, triggering violent expressions of solidarity to the party base. However, at the party conference in September 1995, she was defeated in the decisive vote. Then she left with Kristian Thulesen Dahl, Ole thunder and Poul Nødgaard on 6 October 1995, the Group and founded the Danish People's Party (DF ).

Resolution

While the DF in 1998 reached 7.4%, the Frp took just under two percent threshold. Political observers have noted that the collection was due to enter parliament especially the popular top candidate Kirsten Jacobsen from North Jutland. To give new impetus to the ailing party, the now extremely xenophobic occurring Glistrup should be reactivated. The four-member parliamentary group then left the party in 1999 under protest. Under the name of "Freedom 2000 ", the Group dedicated more to high income taxes, European integration and rising immigration - Glistrups old program without Glistrup itself a party's foundation was no longer considered.

Splinter party

In the general election in 2001 Mogens Glistrup was again leading candidate of the highly dysfunctional party. She received only 0.6 percent of the vote. In the general election in 2005 the party to no longer occurred. Only in the Municipal Assembly of the Municipality of Morsø the party was represented until 2009 by Aage Brusgaard. The wings fighting continued despite the political insignificance of the party. 2007 first sat down a relatively experienced group by the former Member of Parliament Aage Brusgaard and Ove Jensen. In autumn 2010, however, the Frp radicalized further. The main concerns were summarized in a sectarian " seven-point program" means expulsion of all " Mohammedans " from Denmark, favoring ethnic Danes on the labor market, withdrawal from the EU, more plebiscites, zero income tax, less bureaucracy, promotion of alternative medicine. Ahead of the general election in 2011 it was not possible to collect the necessary 20,000 signatures franchisor citizens to be allowed to vote.

In the summer of 2010, the party broke into two groups, the so-called Brusgaard - wing, led by Niels Højland and a Glistrup - wing under Lars Egmose. This was in 2013 the new name Frihedspartiet. Here are the rights to the name Fremskridtsparti; However, the Danish Ministry of the Interior of the group to Højland has conceded to compete under that name to elections.

Election results

Party leadership

Party leaders

Party founder Mogens Glistrup to 1983 was the undisputed leader. He described himself as a " campaign manager " ( campaign leather ). As a result of his detention Pia Kjærsgaard could pull 1984-1987 power for themselves: She was 1984-1994 Political Officer, a post which Frp had not cultivated further in contrast to other Danish parties until then. Kjærsgaard fortified their position and joined in 1987 as a top candidate. In 1994, she retired as a policy spokeswoman. The power vacuum lasted for one year. After cleavage of the Kjærsgaard - wing 1995, the leadership was distributed among several heads: Kirsten Jacobsen as Political Officer, Kim Behnke as parliamentary leader and John Sørensen in the party chairmanship.

Party chairman

Compared to the parliamentary group in which concentrated the powers of the party organization was weak. Party leaders thus had only a very minor role. A similar constellation known by the Danish parties otherwise, the Serbian Radical Venstre.

• Ulrik Poulsen, 1974
• Palle Tillisch, 1975-1977
• A. Roland Petersen, 1977-1980
• V.A. Jacobsen, 1980-1984
• Poul Sustmann Hansen, Ove Jensen, Marius Jensen, 1984
• Helge Dohrmann, 1984-1986
• Annette Just, 1986-1987
• Johannes Sørensen, 1987-1994 and 1995-1999
• Poul Lindholm Nielsen, 1994-1995
• Per Larsen, 1999
• Aage Brusgaard, 1999-2001
• Aase Heskjær, 2001-2003
• Jørn Herkild, 2003-2006
• Henrik Søndergård, 2006-2007
• Ove Jensen, 2007-2009
• Ernst Simonsen, 2009-2011
• Niels Højland / Lars Egmose, 2011