South Schleswig Voter Federation
Encyclopedia
The South Schleswig Voter Federation (German
: Südschleswigscher Wählerverband, Danish
: Sydslesvigsk Vælgerforening, North Frisian
: Söödschlaswiksche Wäälerferbånd) is a regional political party
in Schleswig-Holstein
in northern Germany
. It represents the Danish
and Frisian
minorities.
The SSW declines to identify itself with a left-right-scale
, but it models its policies on the Scandinavia
n countries, which often means favoring a strong welfare state
, but, on the other hand, a more free-market
labour policy than the German model. It is represented in the diet (Landtag) of Schleswig-Holstein
and several regional and municipal councils. It has not contested federal elections since 1965.
As a party for the ethnic Danish minority in Southern Schleswig
, the SSW is not subject to the general requirement of passing a 5% vote threshold in order to receive proportional seats in the state parliament (Landtag). In the most recent 2009 election
, the SSW received 4.3% of the vote and four seats.
In the 2005 election
the SSW received 3.6% (two seats). This was enough for the SSW to hold the balance of power between the national parties of the left and right, and the SSW elected to support a SPD
-Green
coalition, without entering the coalition itself. This resulted in criticism from the CDU and from German national conservative circles, who asserted that since the SSW were granted a special status, they were obliged to defending only minority interests and that their status should be revoked if the SSW behaved like a 'regular' party. The SSW representatives, however, insisted on the full value of their parliamentary seats and their equal rights as German citizens. One particular point was that the SSW had taken a strong position on educational principles in the state (abolishing ability grouping in secondary schools). The CDU argued that since there were separate Danish language schools, it was unreasonable for the SSW to mingle in the affairs of the public schools. The heated public debate resulted in death threats and hate mail to the SSW, whereas other German politicians took to defending the status of the Danish minority.
As the planned SPD-Greens coalition did not make it into office, an SPD-CDU coalition was created. Currently the SSW is part of the opposition.
(Danish
: SSWUngdom, German
: Jugend im SSW) is the youth wing of the South Schleswig Voter Federation.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Südschleswigscher Wählerverband, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
: Sydslesvigsk Vælgerforening, North Frisian
North Frisian language
North Frisian is a minority language of Germany, spoken by about 10,000 people in North Frisia. The language is part of the larger group of the West Germanic Frisian languages.-Classification:...
: Söödschlaswiksche Wäälerferbånd) is a regional political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
in northern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It represents the Danish
Danish minority of Southern Schleswig
The Danish ethnic minority in Southern Schleswig, Germany, has existed by this name since 1920, when the Schleswig Plebiscite split German-ruled Schleswig into two parts: Northern Schleswig, with a Danish majority and a German minority was united with Denmark, while Southern Schleswig remained a...
and Frisian
Frisians
The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal parts of the Netherlands and Germany. They are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, East Frisia and North Frisia, that was a part of Denmark until 1864. They inhabit an area known as Frisia...
minorities.
The SSW declines to identify itself with a left-right-scale
Left-Right politics
The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, political ideologies, or political parties along a one-dimensional political spectrum. The perspective of Left vs. Right is a binary interpretation of complex questions...
, but it models its policies on the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries, which often means favoring a strong welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, but, on the other hand, a more free-market
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
labour policy than the German model. It is represented in the diet (Landtag) of Schleswig-Holstein
Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein
The Schleswig-Holstein Landtag is the state diet of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. It convenes in the state's capital Kiel and currently consists of 95 members of six parties. Its main competences are in the fields of education, culture, regional planning and domestic politics...
and several regional and municipal councils. It has not contested federal elections since 1965.
As a party for the ethnic Danish minority in Southern Schleswig
Southern Schleswig
Southern Schleswig denotes the southern half of the former Duchy of Schleswig on the Jutland Peninsula. The geographical area today covers the thirty or forty northernmost kilometers of Germany up to the Flensburg Fjord, where it borders on Denmark...
, the SSW is not subject to the general requirement of passing a 5% vote threshold in order to receive proportional seats in the state parliament (Landtag). In the most recent 2009 election
Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2009
State elections were held in Schleswig-Holstein on 27 September 2009, the same day as the German federal elections and the Brandenburg state elections...
, the SSW received 4.3% of the vote and four seats.
In the 2005 election
Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2005
The Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2005, was conducted on February 20, 2005, to elect members to the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein.-Issues and Campaign:...
the SSW received 3.6% (two seats). This was enough for the SSW to hold the balance of power between the national parties of the left and right, and the SSW elected to support a SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
-Green
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
coalition, without entering the coalition itself. This resulted in criticism from the CDU and from German national conservative circles, who asserted that since the SSW were granted a special status, they were obliged to defending only minority interests and that their status should be revoked if the SSW behaved like a 'regular' party. The SSW representatives, however, insisted on the full value of their parliamentary seats and their equal rights as German citizens. One particular point was that the SSW had taken a strong position on educational principles in the state (abolishing ability grouping in secondary schools). The CDU argued that since there were separate Danish language schools, it was unreasonable for the SSW to mingle in the affairs of the public schools. The heated public debate resulted in death threats and hate mail to the SSW, whereas other German politicians took to defending the status of the Danish minority.
As the planned SPD-Greens coalition did not make it into office, an SPD-CDU coalition was created. Currently the SSW is part of the opposition.
SSWUngdom
The Youth in the SSWSSW-Youth
The Youth in the South Schleswig Voter Federation , a political youth organization in Germany, is the youth wing of the South Schleswig Voter Federation.-Names:...
(Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
: SSWUngdom, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Jugend im SSW) is the youth wing of the South Schleswig Voter Federation.