Democratic Party (Luxembourg)

This article is about a political party in Luxembourg. For otheruses, see Democratic Party (disambiguation).
Democratic Party
Demokratesch Partei
AbbreviationDP
LeaderLex Delles[1]
Founded24 April 1955 (1955-04-24)
Headquarters2a, rue des Capucins L-1313 Luxembourg Luxembourg
Youth wingDemocratic and Liberal Youth
IdeologyLiberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre to centre-right
Regional affiliationLiberal Group[2]
European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
European Parliament groupRenew Europe
International affiliationLiberal International
Colours  Blue
Chamber of Deputies
14 / 60
European Parliament
1 / 6
Local councils
135 / 722
Benelux Parliament
1 / 7
Website
http://www.dp.lu

The Democratic Party (DP; Luxembourgish: Demokratesch Partei, French: Parti démocratique, German: Demokratische Partei), is the major liberal[3][4][5][6] political party in Luxembourg. One of the three major parties, the DP sits on the centre to centre-right,[7][8][9][10][11][12] holding moderate market liberal views combined with a strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights, and internationalism.[13]

Founded in 1955, the party is currently led by Lex Delles.[14] Its former president, Xavier Bettel, was the Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 2013 to 2023, leading the Bettel I and II governments in coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) and The Greens. It is the second-largest party in the Chamber of Deputies, with fourteen seats out of sixty, having won 17.8% of the vote at the 2023 general election, and has two seats in the European Parliament out of six. The party's stronghold is around Luxembourg City,[15] where it has held the mayorship for all but 7 years since the end of World War II.

The party has often played the minor coalition partner to the Christian Social People's Party (CSV). In Gaston Thorn and Xavier 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 the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the Liberal 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.[16]

  1. ^ "The party". dp.lu. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Politieke fracties". Benelux Parliament (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  3. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2018). "Luxembourg". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  4. ^ José Magone (26 August 2010). Contemporary European Politics: A Comparative Introduction. Routledge. p. 436–. ISBN 978-0-203-84639-1. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  5. ^ Georgios Terzis (2007). European Media Governance: National and Regional Dimensions. Intellect Books. p. 135–. ISBN 978-1-84150-192-5. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  6. ^ Bale, Tim (2021). Riding the populist wave: Europe's mainstream right in crisis. Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-009-00686-6. OCLC 1256593260.
  7. ^ Dumont et al (2003), p. 412
  8. ^ Jacobs, Francis (1989). Western European Political Parties: A Comprehensive Guide. London: Longman. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-582-00113-8.
  9. ^ Country by Country. London: Economist Intelligence Unit. 2003. p. 96.
  10. ^ Stalker, Peter (2007). A Guide to the Counties of the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-19-920271-3.
  11. ^ Josep M. Colomer (24 July 2008). Comparative European Politics. Taylor & Francis. p. 221–. ISBN 978-0-203-94609-1. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  12. ^ Xenophon Contiades (20 December 2012). Engineering Constitutional Change: A Comparative Perspective on Europe, Canada and the USA. Routledge. p. 250–. ISBN 978-1-136-21077-8. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  13. ^ Hearl (1988), p. 392–3
  14. ^ "The party". dp.lu. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schulze 812 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Hearl (1988), p. 376