Venstre (Denmark)

Venstre - Danmarks Parti Liberal (V ), dän. for left - Denmark's Liberal Party is a liberal party in Denmark. In German usage is the name Liberal Party use.

History

The " United Venstre " in 1870 formed from various groups in the Reichstag, the va representing small and large farming interests and were in opposition to aristocratic landowners and National Liberals. Since 1872, Venstre had the majority in the Folketing, remained excluded from the government. At the latest in 1878 /80, Venstre was split into up to five storage. The question of how the government J.B.S. Estrup ( 1875-94 ) should confront in Parliament, made ​​again and again for conflicts: The "Moderate Venstre " sat on negotiations, "People's Venstre " (Det folke celled Venstre ) confrontation. After the moderates had in 1894 agreed to a military fortifications of Copenhagen, for which the conservative ruling party højre had to give in return on Estrup, the followers of an uncompromising opposition course founded the " Venstre Reform Party." Also this party split, the left-wing liberals founded in 1905 Det Radical Venstre, while the rest to 1910 united with the moderates to the still existing Venstre.

1901 was the parliamentary majority principle be enshrined in the political system. Venstre presented at the beginning of the 20th century, several prime ministers, but lost the mid-1920s, the leadership of the Social Democrats. However, she kept for many decades one step ahead of the other bourgeois party, the Conservatives. Only in the 1980s Venstre dropped significantly and united only 10 percent of the electorate votes. In the 1990s, followed by a rapid re-emergence. Since 2001, Venstre is again the most votes Party of Denmark.

After the Second World War, the Liberals were five times the head of government filters ( 1945-47, 1950-53, 1973-75, 2001-09 and 2009-11 ). In addition, they participated as a smaller partner in coalition governments in 1968-71, 1978-79 and 1982-93. Traditionally, there are the strongholds of the party in the rural areas while the urban voting districts in Copenhagen represent a difficult terrain.

In the 1990s, former Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann -Jensen gave his party a sharper liberal profile and marginalized them so clearly from the rest of the bourgeois camp from. Its not uncharismatisches occurrence brought him, especially among young voters, new followers. After Ellemann -Jensen had a change of government in 1998 narrowly missed, he left Anders Fogh Rasmussen the party chairmanship. Fogh Rasmussen could win in 2001 especially with a campaign for a stricter immigration policy votes, 31.3 % signified the best result in 80 years. From 2001 to 2011 Venstre formed a minority government with the Conservative People's Party. In the elections of 2005 and 2007, although the party suffered minor losses at the polls, but was able to maintain with its alliance partners, the government majority. 2011, however, Venstre increased slightly, but the formation of a government had left the Social Democrats.

Party chairman

The party chairman has a strong position within the organization. In times of great abundance of power, he was of the press and public as the "High Chief " ( Venstre Høvding ) titled. The 1905 split Radical Venstre used a diametrically opposite leadership model.

• Thomas Madsen - Mygdal, 1929-1941
• Knud Kristensen, 1941-1949
• Edvard Sørensen, 1949-1950
• Erik Eriksen, 1950-1965
• Poul Hartling, 1965-1977
• Henning Christophersen, 1977-1984
• Uffe Ellemann -Jensen, 1984-1998
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen, 1998-2009
• Lars Løkke Rasmussen since 2009