Democratic Party Demokratesch Partei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | DP |
| Leader | Carole Hartmann[1] |
| Founded | 24 April 1955 (1955-04-24) |
| Headquarters | 2a, rue des Capucins,Luxembourg City |
| Youth wing | Democratic and Liberal Youth |
| Ideology | Liberalism Economic liberalism Social liberalism Pro-Europeanism |
| Political position | Centre tocentre-right |
| Regional affiliation | Liberal Group[2] |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| European Parliament group | Renew Europe |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Colours | Blue |
| Chamber of Deputies | 14 / 60 (23%) |
| European Parliament | 1 / 6 (17%) |
| Local councils | 135 / 722 |
| Benelux Parliament | 1 / 7 |
| Website | |
| dp.lu | |
TheDemocratic Party (DP;Luxembourgish:Demokratesch Partei,French:Parti démocratique,German:Demokratische Partei) is the majorsocial-liberal[3][4][5]political party inLuxembourg. One of the three major parties, the DP sits on thecentre tocentre-right,[6][7][8][9][10][11] holding moderatemarket liberal views combined with a strong emphasis oncivil liberties,human rights, andinternationalism.[12]
Founded in 1955, the party is currently led byLex Delles.[1] Its former president,Xavier Bettel, was thePrime Minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2023, leading theBettel I andII governments in coalition with theLuxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) andThe Greens. It is the second-largest party in theChamber of Deputies, with fourteen seats out of sixty, having won 17.8% of the vote at the2023 general election, and has two seats in theEuropean Parliament out of six. The party's stronghold is aroundLuxembourg City,[13] where it has held themayorship for all but 6 years since the end of World War II.
The party has often played the minor coalition partner to theChristian Social People's Party (CSV). InGaston Thorn andXavier Bettel, the DP has provided the only Prime Ministers of Luxembourg since 1945 not to be affiliated with the CSV (1974–1979 and 2013–2023). The party is a member of theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and theLiberal International. The party has been one of the most influential liberal parties in Europe, due to its strength, its regular involvement in government, its role in international institutions, and Thorn's leadership.[14]
Although the party traces its history back to the foundation of theLiberal League in 1904, it was founded in its current form on 24 April 1955. It was the successor to theDemocratic Group, which had grown out of the major group of war-time liberal resistance fighters, thePatriotic and Democratic Group. The DP spent the majority of the 1950s and 1960s, under the leadership ofLucien Dury and thenGaston Thorn, establishing itself as the third major party, ahead of theCommunist Party.
At the time of its foundation, the party had six seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Atthe following election in 1959, the DP won 11 seats, allowing it to serve as a minor role in agrand coalition with theChristian Social People's Party (CSV) andLuxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP). However,in 1964, the party went back to six seats. In 1968, the DP absorbed the anti-establishmentPopular Independent Movement.[15] Inthat year's election, the party benefited from a tide of moderates shifting from an increasingly radical LSAP,[15] returned to 11 seats, and consequently entered into government with the CSV under Prime MinisterPierre Werner.
The DP remained in coalition with the CSV until 1974, when it experienced a surge in support in the1974 general election, to 22.2% of the vote and 14 seats. This political upset gave it the opportunity to enter into coalition negotiations with the second-placed LSAP.[16] Surprisingly, in the negotiations, the DP got the upper hand, securing the most ministerial positions and departments, as well as the premiership itself underGaston Thorn.[17]
The formation of Thorn's government, however, coincided with the beginning of an economic crisis,[18] and the government was occupied mostly with the restructuring of thesteel industry whilst attempting to avoid massunemployment.[18]
Despite this, the coalition managed to push through major reforms of social policy,[19] including abolishingcapital punishment (1974), allowingno-fault divorce (1975) and broadening at-fault divorce (1978), and legalisingabortion (1978).[20] In 1977, the government abandoned plans to build anuclear power plant atRemerschen,[20] of which the DP had been the primary advocate.[21] When PM, in 1975, Thorn sat asPresident of the United Nations General Assembly.
In 1979, Thorn went head-to-head with Werner, with the LSAP serving a supporting role to the DP.[22] Both the CSV ended victorious, gaining six seats, and the LSAP's loss of three seats made it impossible for the DP to renew the coalition with them. As a result, Werner formed a coalition with the DP, with Thorn asDeputy Prime Minister.[23] In the firstEuropean election in 1979, the DP won 2 seats: an achievement that it hasn't matched since. In 1980, Thorn was named the newPresident of the European Commission, and was replaced byColette Flesch.
The1984 general election saw the DP's first electoral setback in twenty years.[22] The DP lost one seat, standing on 14, whilst the resurgence of the LSAP meant it overtook the Democratic Party once again. The LSAP formed a coalition with the CSV, withJacques Poos serving as Deputy Prime Minister toJacques Santer. This was renewed twice again, and the DP remained out of government until 1999.
After the1999 general election, the DP became the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies once again, with 15 seats. It also overtook the LSAP in vote share for the first time ever. This allowed it to displace the LSAP as the CSV's coalition partner, withLydie Polfer as Deputy Prime Minister. As a result of the2004 general election, the DP lost 5 seats, bringing its total down to 10. The party also lost its place as the coalition partner back to the LSAP, and remained in opposition until 2013. In the2013 general election, held early due to the collapse of thesecond Juncker–Asselborn government, the party acquired 13 deputies with 18.3% of the vote, becoming joint second-largest party along with the LSAP. In October 2013 the DP negotiated a three-party coalition government with the LSAP andThe Greens,[24] and on 4 December 2013 theBettel-Schneider government was sworn in, with DP leaderXavier Bettel serving as Prime Minister.[25] The2018 general election saw the DP lose a seat, but the three-party coalition was able to maintain its majority under theBettel II Government. In2023, though the DP gained the most votes in its history and had its best result since 1999 with 14 seats, the electoral defeat of the Greens, who went from 9 to 4 seats, meant the government lost its majority. The party became a junior coalition partner to the CSV, with Bettel becoming Deputy Prime Minister in theFrieden-Bettel Government.
The Democratic Party sits on the moderatecentre-right of the political spectrum in Luxembourg. Since the late 1960s, thanks to thesecularisation[26] of Luxembourg and the CSV, the party has moved gradually towards the centre, to allow it to form coalitions with either the CSV or LSAP.[27][28] Now, it could be seen to be to the left of the CSV, in thecentre, and with more in common with the BritishLiberal Democrats or GermanFree Democratic Party than with liberal parties in Belgium or the Netherlands.[27][29] However, the CSV usually prefers forming coalitions with the LSAP to those with the DP, pushing the DP to the economically liberal right.[6]
In economic policies, the DP is a strong supporter ofprivate property rights,free trade, and thefree market, although under Thorn's government, the DP greatly increased public sector employment.[30] Taxation plays a major role in the party platform. It is also a supporter of agriculture, particularly the wine industry.[30] It long advocated the advancement ofnuclear power, but scrapped plans to build a plant atRemerschen, and now supportsrenewable alternatives, although not opposing nuclear power in principle.[21] Indicating its priorities, when in government, the DP has usually or always controlled ministries in charge ofTransport,Public Works, theMiddle Class, theCivil Service, andEnergy.[31]
The DP is the most outspoken party in support of civil liberties. Between 1974 and 1979, it legalised abortion and divorce, and abolished the death penalty.[20] It also focuses its attention on the issues of minority groups, particularly migrant groups, but alsohomosexuals andsingle mothers.[30] Unlike the Catholic CSV, the DP is notablyanti-clerical, which gives it more importance than its electoral performances would suggest.[28]
The DP has led the CSV and LSAP in becoming moreinternationalist in outlook, focusing on theEuropean Union,environmentalism, and advocacy of human rights abroad.[30] It is the most vocal supporter ofEuropean integration, even in a particularly pro-EU country.[32] The party puts great emphasis on the role of the United Nations, and Thorn served asPresident of the UN General Assembly. The party is centrist onnational security, supporting membership ofNATO, but having worked to endconscription.[32]
The leader of the party is the president. Below is a list of presidents of the Democratic Party, and its predecessors, since 1948.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2024) |
The DP has been consistent in its advocacy of themiddle class,[30] and consequently has a very distinctive class profile.[33] When in government, the DP has always held the office ofMinister for the Middle Class.[31] Most DP supporters arecivil servants,white-collar workers,self-employed people, and those on high incomes.[13] This group has been fast-growing, further focusing the party's electoral socio-economic appeal.[29]
The party's most successful areas electorally areLuxembourg City and its wealthy suburbs, where those groups are concentrated.[29] TheMayor of Luxembourg City has come from the DP since 1970, and the party and its liberal predecessors have been out of the office for only seven years since the foundation of theLiberal League in 1904. The city lies in theCentre constituency, where the DP challenges the CSV for the most seats. However, the party also has some traditional following inEst and theNord,[29] consistently coming second in each.
The party has notably more support amongst young people,[33] whilst the CSV, LSAP, and (recently) theAlternative Democratic Reform Party tend to receive the votes of older people.[13] Unlike the CSV and LSAP, the DP is not affiliated to a majortrade union. The party is particularly popular amongst male voters.[13] Despite itsanti-clericalism, DP voters are no less religiously affiliated than the general population.[33]
| Election | Votes | % | Elected seats | Seats after | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 366,860 | 18.0 (#3) | 9 / 51 | New | Coalition | |
| 1948[a] | 97,415 | 11.6 (#3) | 3 / 26 | 9 / 51 |  0 | Coalition |
| 1951[a] | 215,511 | 20.9 (#3) | 5 / 26 | 8 / 52 |  1 | Opposition |
| 1954 | 255,522 | 12.3 (#3) | 6 / 52 | 2 | Opposition | |
| 1959 | 448,387 | 20.3 (#3) | 11 / 52 |  5 | Coalition | |
| 1964 | 280,644 | 12.2 (#3) | 6 / 56 | 5 | Opposition | |
| 1968 | 430,262 | 18.0 (#3) | 11 / 56 | 5 | Coalition | |
| 1974 | 668,043 | 23.3 (#3) | 14 / 59 | 3 | Coalition | |
| 1979 | 648,404 | 21.9 (#2) | 15 / 59 | 1 | Coalition | |
| 1984 | 614,627 | 20.4 (#3) | 14 / 64 | 1 | Opposition | |
| 1989 | 498,862 | 17.2 (#3) | 11 / 60 | 3 | Opposition | |
| 1994 | 548,246 | 19.3 (#3) | 12 / 60 | 1 | Opposition | |
| 1999 | 632,707 | 22.4 (#2) | 15 / 60 | 3 | Coalition | |
| 2004 | 460,601 | 16.1 (#3) | 10 / 60 | 5 | Opposition | |
| 2009 | 432,820 | 15.0 (#3) | 9 / 60 | 1 | Opposition | |
| 2013 | 597,879 | 18.3 (#3) | 13 / 60 | 4 | Coalition | |
| 2018 | 597,080 | 16.9 (#3) | 12 / 60 | 1 | Coalition | |
| 2023 | 703,833 | 18.7 (#3) | 14 / 60 [34] | 2 | Coalition | |
| Election | List leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Gaston Thorn | 274,307 | 28.13 (#2) | 2 / 6 | New | LD |
| 1984 | Colette Flesch | 218,481 | 22.07 (#3) | 1 / 6 | 1 | LDR |
| 1989 | 198,254 | 19.95 (#3) | 1 / 6 | 0 | ||
| 1994 | Lydie Polfer | 190,977 | 18.83 (#3) | 1 / 6 | 0 | ELDR |
| 1999 | Charles Goerens | 207,379 | 20.46 (#2) | 1 / 6 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Lydie Polfer | 162,064 | 14.87 (#4) | 1 / 6 | 0 | ALDE |
| 2009 | Charles Goerens | 210,107 | 18.66 (#3) | 1 / 6 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 173,255 | 14.78 (#3) | 1 / 6 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 268,910 | 21.44 (#1) | 2 / 6 | 1 | RE | |
| 2024 | 253,344 | 18.29 (#3) | 1 / 6 | 1 |
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