German Abbreviations
Deutsche Abkürzungen - Politische Parteien
German Abbreviations > Political Parties
POLITICAL PARTIES in Austria, Germany, Switzerland
German-English
The following abbreviations for political parties in the German-speaking world are often seen in the news, but English-speakers may not know what they mean. Abbreviations such as CDU, DVU, FDP, or NPD are generally understood by Germans, Austrians, or German Swiss—and now you can understand them, too! In Germany, a party must get at least five percent of the national vote to gain a seat in the Bundestag. Also see the related Web links for political parties at the end of the abbreviations list. When it is not obvious from the party’s name, the country is indicated by A (Austria), CH (Switzerland), or D (Germany).
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| Partei- Abkürzung |
German | English |
| AfW | Allianz freier Wähler | Alliance of Free Voters (D) |
| The AfW is supported by 70 citizens' initiatives. It won only 0.9% of the vote in Brandenburg in Sept. 2004. | ||
| Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen |
Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen |
Alliance 90/ Green Party (D) |
| Not really an abbreviation, but the Alliance/Greens are included here as an important national party in Germany. The Greens, as you might expect, are strong on environmental issues. | ||
| CDU | Christlich-Demokratische Union | Christian Democratic Union |
| CSU | Christlich-Soziale Union | Christian Socialist Union |
| The nationwide CDU and the Bavarian CSU conservative political parties work together and are considered one party in the Bundestag (parliament). Germany's main conservative opposition party, roughly comparable to the US Republican party. | ||
| DKP | Deutsche Kommunistische Partei | German Communist Party |
| The DKP has been outlawed several times. The German Communists generally get below one percent of the vote. | ||
| DVU | Deutsche Volksunion | German People's Union |
| The DVU is a German far-right, neo-Nazi political party that won 6.1% of the vote in Brandenburg in Sept. 2004. The DVU was founded in Munich in 1971 and now works in cooperation with the NPD. | ||
| EVP | Evangelische Volkspartei der Schweiz | Protestant People's Party of Switzerland |
| FDP | Freie Demokratische Partei | Free Democratic Party "Die Liberalen" (D) |
| FPÖ | Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs | Freedom Party of Austria |
| KPÖ | Kommunistische Partei Österreichs | Communist Party of Austria |
| KVP | Katholische Volkspartei | Catholic People's Party (CH) |
| LIF | Liberales Forum | Liberal Forum (A) |
| Linke.PDS* | Die Linkspartei.PDS | "Party of the Left.PDS" |
| *This is the new name of the union of the former PDS and WASG parties (2005), but the WASG prefers leaving out the ".PDS" part. At the state (Bundesland) level, the name is usually "Die Linke.Hesse" (with the state name). The new name(s) has been a good source of humor in German blogs: "Just what left-handed people have always wanted!" | ||
| NPD | Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands | National Democratic Party of Germany |
| The NPD is a German far-right, neo-Nazi political party that won 9.1% of the vote in Saxony in Sept. 2004. The NPD was founded in 1964 in Hannover. Currently headquartered in Berlin-Köpenick. | ||
| ÖVP | Österreichische Volkspartei | Austrian People's Party |
| PDS* | die Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus | Party of Democratic Socialism (D) See Linkspartei above. |
| *The PDS merged with the WASG and changed its name to die Linkspartei ("Party of the Left") in 2005. The PDS was an offshoot of the former East German SED (Social Unity) party. It still draws most of its membership from eastern Germany. | ||
| REP | die REPublikaner | The Republicans (D) |
| The German Republican party is a right-wing party founded in 1983 in Munich. After a strong showing in Baden-Württemberg (10.9% in 1992), internal strife, low voter support, and other factors have led to the REPs being replaced by other right-wing parties in various parts of Germany. | ||
| SD | Schweizer Demokraten | Swiss Democrats |
| SLP | Sozialistische LinksPartei | Socialist Left Party (A) |
| SPD | Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands | Social Democratic Party of Germany |
| The SPD is Germany's main liberal party, roughly comparable to the US Democratic party. Until 2005 it was the ruling party in a coalition with Alliance 90/The Greens. | ||
| SPÖ | Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs | Social Democratic Party of Austria |
| WASG* | Wahlalternative Arbeit und Soziale Gerechtigkeit | Voting Alternative Work and Social Justice (D) |
| *The WASG, along with the PDS, became die Linkspartei ("Party of the Left") in 2005. | ||
| ON THE WEB > • Elections and Political Parties in Germany • German Political Parties • Political Resources: Austrian Parties • Political Resources: German Parties • Political Resources: Swiss Parties • IDGR - Informationsdienst gegen Rechtsextremismus PARTY WEB SITES > • CDU (also in English) • CSU • DVU • FDP • Grüne (Greens) • Die Linkspartei (was PDS) • NPD • ÖVP (also in English) • PDS (now Die Linke.PDS) |
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