Venstre_Reform_Party

Venstre (Denmark)

Venstre (Denmark)

Danish political party

Venstre[lower-alpha 2] (V; Danish: [ˈvenstʁɐ], lit. 'Left'), full name Venstre, Danmarks Liberale Parti (English: Left, Denmark's Liberal Party), is a conservative-liberal,[2][3][4] agrarian[10] political party in Denmark. Founded as part of a peasants' movement against the landed aristocracy, today it espouses an economically liberal, pro-free-market ideology.[11]

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Venstre is the major party of the centre-right in Denmark, and the second-largest party in the country. The party has produced many Prime Ministers. In the 2022 general elections, Venstre received 13.3% of the vote and 23 out of 179 seats. Following the resignation of Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the party is led by Troels Lund Poulsen who serves as the country's Deputy Prime Minister.[12] Since December 2022, the party has been a junior partner in the second Frederiksen government.

The party is a member of Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and has four MEPs in the European Parliament.[13]

History

Venstre 1945 election material ("Venstre has been dealt a good hand")

1870–1910

Venstre was founded in 1870 under the name Det Forenede Venstre ("The United Left"). Originally, the party consisted of multiple conflicting groups, all united under the classical liberal (then the standard left-wing) ideology, the safeguarding of farmers' interests and opposition to the then right-wing classical conservative party Højre (literally "Right"). After the party in 1872 gained an absolute majority in the Folketing, it became the leading voice in the battle for parliamentarism, whereafter the party in 1895 split in two, Venstrereformpartiet ("Venstre Reform Party") and Det Moderate Venstre ("The Moderate Left"). In 1905, social liberal factions split from the party and formed Radikale Venstre (also known as the Danish Social Liberal Party), and in 1910 Venstrereformpartiet and Det Moderate Venstre reunited again under the name Venstre.[14]

1910–2009

With the decreasing numbers of farms and the growing urbanisation, membership and voter support dropped in the 1950s. During the 1960s the party gradually evolved from being a traditional farmers' party to a more general liberal party. In 1984 Uffe Ellemann-Jensen was elected chairman, and by profiling the liberal ideology in sharp confrontation to the Social Democrats, for example by campaigning for a reduction of the public sector, increasing market management and privatisation, and by being pro-EU, the party returned to its historical position as the biggest liberal party in the 1990s.[14]

After a disappointing 1998 general election, Ellemann-Jensen resigned as chairman and Anders Fogh Rasmussen was elected in his place. He immediately changed the party's usual confrontational strategy, instead appealing to the political centre. In the 2001 general elections the party campaigned for tighter immigration policies and a "tax stop", which proved successful and the party once again became the biggest in parliament, winning 31.2% of the vote and 56 seats. Venstre formed a coalition government with the Conservative People's Party and the Danish People's Party. For the first time since 1929 a liberal government was no longer dependent on the centre parties. Despite a small decline in both the 2005 general elections (29% and 52 seats) and the 2007 general elections (26.2% and 46 seats), the party remained the biggest and the coalition government continued.[14]

On 5 April 2009 Fogh Rasmussen resigned as chairman, instead serving as Secretary General of NATO. In his place Lars Løkke Rasmussen was elected.[15]

2009–present

In the 2011 general elections, the party gained 26.7% of the vote and 47 seats, but was not able to form a government, instead leading the opposition against Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's Social Democratic coalition.

Even though the party lost voter support in the 2015 general elections, only gaining 19.5% of the vote, the party formed a minority government. This government was short-lived, and in 2016 Løkke Rasmussen invited the Conservative People's Party and the Liberal Alliance to form a coalition government instead.[16]

During the campaign of the 2019 general elections, Løkke Rasmussen published an autobiography, in which he opened up for the possibility of forming a government with the Social Democrats.[17] This was seen as controversial in the liberal "blue bloc", and Social Democratic leader Mette Frederiksen immediately declined the proposition.[18]

Following internal fighting in the party, Løkke Rasmussen and vice chairman Kristian Jensen both resigned on 31 August 2019. On 21 September 2019, political spokesman and former Minister for Environment and Food Jakob Ellemann-Jensen was elected the party's next chairman.[19]

Following the 2022 general election, in which Venstre suffered its worst result since 1988, Venstre joined a grand coalition government led by Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen, and also comprising the Moderates, a Venstre splinter formed by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.[20]

Ideology

Venstre is categorised as centre-right on the political spectrum,[7] although it has been also described as centrist[21][22] and right-wing.[23][24][25][26] Ideologically, it has been described as conservative-liberal,[27][2][3][4][26] liberal-conservative,[28][29][30][31] liberal,[32][33][34][35] conservative,[26][36] classical-liberal,[37] and agrarian.[26] Additionally, Venstre takes a nativist stance regarding immigration and asylum-seeking; they had also said that "immigrants should learn Danish and understand and respect Danish culture and traditions".[38][39]

Venstre is an economically liberal party[32][40] within the Nordic agrarian tradition,[41] and today is notably more pro–free market than its sister parties.[42][needs update] Since the elections in 2001, Venstre has enacted a so-called "tax stop" in order to halt the growth in taxes seen during the previous eight years under the Social Democrats. This tax stop has been under heavy fire from the parties on the left wing of Danish politics, allegedly for being "asocial" and "only for the rich."[43][44]

Prominent members

Prime ministers

Party leaders since 1929

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Origin of the name

The fact that the major centre-right political party in a country calls itself 'Left' is often confusing to foreign (and sometimes Danish) observers. The name has, however, its historical explanation. At the time of its foundation, Venstre affirmed then-progressive ideas in the Danish parliament. Their opponents, Højre (Right), the forerunner of the present-day Conservative People's Party, advocated for established interests, particularly the Church of Denmark and the landed gentry. In current Danish politics there is a clear distinction between the concepts of Venstre (Left, i.e., the party bearing that name) and venstrefløj (left wing, i.e., socialist and other left-leaning parties). The use of the word for "left" in the name of the Danish political party Radikale Venstre (literally: "Radical Left") and the Norwegian party Venstre is meant to refer to liberalism and not socialism.

Members of the party are referred to as venstremænd and venstrekvinder, respectively "Venstre men" and "Venstre women" (singular: -mand, -kvinde).

Election results

Parliament

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Local elections

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European Parliament

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European representation

In the European Parliament, Venstre sits in the Renew Europe group with four MEPs.[45][46][47][48]

In the European Committee of the Regions, Venstre sits in the Renew Europe CoR group, with three full and two alternate members for the 2020–2025 mandate.[49][50]

Youth and student wings

See also

Notes

  1. Only 175 of the 179 seats in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing, are obtainable by Danish political parties as Greenland and the Faroe Islands are assigned two seats each due to their status as territories in the Kingdom of Denmark.
  2. The party name is officially not translated into any other language, but is in English often referred to as the Liberal Party. Similar rules apply for the name of the party's youth wing Venstres Ungdom.
  3. Party stood as Capital Venstre in Nomination districts of the Copenhagen constituency

References

  1. [1]
    "Hvor mange medlemmer har de politiske partier?". Folketinget. November 28, 2016.
  2. [2]
    Emil Joseph Kirchner; Alistair H. Thomas (1988). Liberal Parties in Western Europe. Cambridge University Press. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-521-32394-9. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
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    Hans Slomp (2011). Europe, A Political Profile: An American Companion to European Politics: An American Companion to European Politics. ABC-CLIO. pp. 415, 420. ISBN 978-0-313-39182-8. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
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    Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Denmark". Parties and Elections in Europe.
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    Svante Ersson; Jan-Erik Lane (1998). Politics and Society in Western Europe. SAGE. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7619-5862-8. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
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    Christensen, Nikolaj (2022). Unorganized Religion: Pentecostalism and Secularization in Denmark, 1907-1924. Brill. p. 25. ISBN 9789004509900. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
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    Josep M. Colomer (2008). Political Institutions in Europe. Routledge. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-134-07354-2.
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    "AKVA3: Valg til regions råd efter område, parti og stemmer/kandidater/køn". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
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    "VALGK3: Valg til kommunale råd efter område, parti og stemmer/kandidater/køn". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
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    Nanna Kildal; Stein Kuhnle (2007). Normative Foundations of the Welfare State: The Nordic Experience. Routledge. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-134-27283-9.
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    Åsa Bengtsson; Kasper Hansen; Ólafur Þ Harõarson; Hanne Marthe Narud; Henrik Oscarsson (2013). The Nordic Voter: Myths of Exceptionalism. ECPR Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-907301-50-6.
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    "Troels Lund Poulsen er valgt som Venstres nye formand - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
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    "Europavalg". DR. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
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    Bille, Lars; Rüdiger, Mogens. "Venstre". danmarkshistorien.dk (in Danish). Retrieved September 3, 2019.
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    Lund, Kenneth (April 5, 2009). "Anders Fogh er trådt tilbage". Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved September 6, 2019.
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    Bille, Lars; Bille, Mogens (February 2, 2009). "Venstre | Gyldendal - Den Store Danske". denstoredanske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved September 6, 2019.
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    "Denmark's new government bridges left-right divide". December 14, 2022.
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    "Socialists call for 'cordon sanitaire' around Europe's far right". EUobserver. October 15, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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    Castle, Stephen (May 6, 2019). "Brexit? Danes Have Seen This Show, and It Doesn't End Well". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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    "DF considers new role in government". The Local Denmark. June 19, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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    "Despite condemnations, Denmark passes controversial 'jewellery' law". www.euractiv.com. January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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    "Danish eurosceptics say 'no thanks' to EU justice rules". France 24. December 3, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  26. [26]
    Oskar Niedermayer; Richard Stöss; Melanie Haas (2007). Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas. Springer-Verlag. pp. 17, 74. ISBN 9783531900612. Retrieved December 31, 2022. Page 17: In Dänemark ordnen wir beispielsweise die rechtsliberale Venstre in die politische Rechte ein, [...]; Page 74: Der eigentliche Gewinner seit 1974 war die (konservative) Agrarpartei (Venstre), [...]
  27. [27]
    Eric S. Einhorn (2023). "Scandinavia". In Erik Jones; Masha Hedberg (eds.). Europe Today: A Twenty-First Century Introduction. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 124. ISBN 978-15-3811094-2.
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    "Keiner der beiden Blöcke hat Mehrheit". Tagesschau. November 1, 2022.
  29. [29]
    "Seltenes Zweckbündnis: Dänemarks neue Regierung steht". Handelsblatt. December 14, 2022.
  30. [30]
    Hermann, Rudolf (February 12, 2018). "Dänemarks Sozialdemokraten überholen rechts". Neue Züricher Zeitung.
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    "Neue Drei-Parteien-Regierung in Dänemark steht". Rheinische Post. December 13, 2022.
  32. [32]
    "Very Libérål". Süddeutsche Zeitung. April 6, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
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    "Europawahl in Dänemark: Katastrophenwahl für dänische Rechtspopulisten". Münchner Merkur. May 27, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  34. [34]
    Christopher Munthe Morgenstierne, ed. (2003). Denmark and National Liberation in Southern Africa: A Flexible Response. Nordic Africa Institute. p. 106. ISBN 9789171065179. On August 30 , the 'SV-government', a coalition between the Social Democratic party and the liberal Venstre, was formed.
  35. [35]
    Irène Bellier; Thomas M. Wilson, eds. (December 22, 2020). An Anthropology of the European Union: Building, Imagining and Experiencing the New Europe. Routledge. ISBN 9781000181067. However, Nordic particularism was also used to justify a 'yes' vote, as in this speech given to a local meeting by a Liberal (Venstre) member of parliament, and reported in Skive Folkeblad on 6 March: ...
  36. [36]
    Robert Bohn (2016). "X. Industrialisierung und politischer Wandel". Dänische Geschichte. C.H.Beck. ISBN 9783406691294. Retrieved December 31, 2022. Die auf dem linken Flügel dominierenden Kraft war die Venstre - heute eine konservative Partei.
  37. [37]
    Thomas J. DiLorenzo, ed. (2016). The Problem with Socialism. Simon and Schuster. p. 82. ISBN 9781621575979.
  38. [38]
    "The Local's party guide: Venstre". The Local Denmark. June 12, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  39. [39]
    Dickheiwer, Robin (October 27, 2022). "The Copenhagen Post". Copenhagen Post (in Danish). Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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    Dimitri Almeida (2012). The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus. Routledge. p. 98–. ISBN 978-0-415-69374-5.
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    Almeida, Dimitri. "Liberal Parties and European Integration" (PDF).
  42. [42]
    Esaiasson, Peter; Heidar, Knut (1999). Beyond Westminster and Congress: the Nordic experience. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. p. 377. ISBN 978-0-8142-0839-7.
  43. [43]
    "Kritik af skattereform: De rige vinder og de fattige taber". www.bt.dk. February 24, 2009.
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    "AE: Skattestop forgylder de rige". Politiken. September 4, 2002.
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    "Home | Asger CHRISTENSEN | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  46. [46]
    "Home | Søren GADE | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. January 27, 1963. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
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    "Home | Morten LØKKEGAARD | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  48. [48]
    "Home | Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL | MEPs | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. March 30, 1987. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  49. [49]
    "Members Page CoR".
  50. [50]
    "Members Page CoR".

Further reading

  • Tom Matz (2004), Venstre ved du hvor du har (in Danish). ForlagsKompagniet: Nørhaven Book.
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