Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party (German: Freie Demokratische Partei), abbreviated to FDP, is a classical liberal political party in Germany. The FDP is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union (Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union) in the German federal government. The FDP's parliamentary group has 93 members and is currently the third largest in the Bundestag.
The FDP was founded in 1948 by members of the former liberal political parties existing in Germany before World War II, the German Democratic Party and the German People's Party. For most of the Federal Republic's history, it has held the balance of power in the Bundestag. It has been in federal government longer than any other party, as the junior coalition partner to either the CDU/CSU (1949–56, 1961–66, 1982–98, and since 2009) or the Social Democratic Party (1969–82).
The FDP, which strongly supports human rights, civil liberties, and internationalism, has shifted from the centre to the centre-right over time. Since the 1980s, the party has firmly pushed economic liberalism, and has aligned itself closely to the promotion of free markets and privatisation. It is a member of the Liberal International and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, and is the joint-largest member of the ALDE Group group in the European Parliament.
Read more about Free Democratic Party (Germany): History, Policies, Federal Election Results
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