National Democratic Party Nationaldemokratische Partei | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Norbert Burger |
| Founded | 11 February 1967 |
| Banned | 25 June 1988 |
| Split from | Freedom Party of Austria |
| Ideology | Neo-Nazism |
| Political position | Far-right |
TheNational Democratic Party (Nationaldemokratische Partei, NDP) was afar-right political party inAustria from 1967 until 1988 when its status was revoked for violating the country'santi-Nazi legislation.
The NDP was registered as an association in 1966 inInnsbruck. Its first meeting as a national organisation took place in February 1967 inLinz. The party was founded byNorbert Burger, former chairman of theRing Freiheitlicher Studenten, the student wing of theFreedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). Burger remained the key figure in the NDP until its dissolution. Further members included Herbert Fritz, and a number of "South Tyrol activists" (Befreiungsausschuss Südtirol). The Austrian NDP was based on theGerman sister party, theNational Democratic Party of Germany. Its first chairman was student Rudolf Watschinger.
The party ran in the1970 legislative election, receiving 2,631 (0.1%) of the votes cast. It advocated theAnschluss of Austria into Germany and the re-introduction of thedeath penalty. It also agitated against "superalienation" and "infiltration" by foreign workers (Gastarbeiter). Burger ran in the1980 presidential election "for a German Austria", gaining 140,741 votes (3.2%). Two years later he and Gerd Honsik initiated a petition for a referendum "against superalienation", which however was not achieved.
On 25 June 1988 the NDP was banned by a verdict of theConstitutional Court of Austria on the basis of theVerbotsgesetz 1947 and Article 9 of theAustrian State Treaty (Disbandment of Nazi Organisations), revoking its legal capacity as a political party. In its explanatory statement the court determined that the NDP's "key principles and demands" are based on "biological-racist ideology ("Volksbegriff")" and also that its "pan-German Propaganda" is in agreement with the main goals of theNazi Party.
As an association the NDP was disbanded on 21 November 1988.