The South Schleswig Voters’

Associationa minority-, regional- or

lifestyle party?

Martin Klatt, PhD.Associate Professor of Contemporary History

Dept. of Border Region StudiesSønderborg

Danish-German border until 1864

A short history

1867: Schleswig annexed into Prussia – Nort Schleswig Voters’ Association represents the Danish majority in North Schleswig politically in the Reichstag and the Prussian Diet

1920: today’s border drawn after two plebiscites – two symmetrical minorities remain German minority: Schleswigian Party/NSDAP-N Danish Minority: Schleswigian Association

After 1945: a new plebiscite?

Aim: secession/reunification with Denmark

National conflict British occupation

administration accepts a party aside from the minority‘s cultural association in 1948

Secession must not be named in the program

4

Election posters, 1948

”Heimat” – movement under the Danish flag in South

SchleswigElection posters SSW, 1950

Success?

”Landtag” elections 1947 – 33 % in South Schleswig, but a majority of the local population (East German refugees)

Local differences: strong in the cities, weak in rural areas

Since then: votes declined

Political settlement in 1955

Case: 5% threshold clause in German elections (representation in Federal and State parliamens require min. 5% of the votes)

German Constitutional Court: no decisive vote Political solution: Danish-German negotiations on

a minority settlement in 1955 result in an exemption of the 5% threshold clause

Minority political participation

2-string: Political party (SSW and SP)

Municipal, county, state and national/federal level (if successful)

Cultural organization (SSF and BdN) Lobbying at national and European level

Difference: SP suborganisation of BdN SSW parallel organisation to SSF

A Regional Party – new agenda?

SSW’s program: ”Heimat” and Scandinavia Decline of votes stopped in the 1970’s, since then

expansion New program in 1981: environmental issues,

adapting to societal trends SSW – nordic lifestyle party attracting left wing

liberals

”From against each other to with each other”

A new, multicultural narrative: Minorities are an enrichment to our region Minority and majority profit from each other

Minorities as regionauts

Common policymaking on minority issues

’Regionalist’ political agenda in election campaigns since the 1950’s Seemingly successful for

SSW since the 1970’s Seemingly successful for SP

in the 2009 municipal elections

SSW and ”big politics”

SSW plays the regional and the ”Scandinavian” card

Bundestag? 2005: SSW agreed not to join,

but to support SPD-Green government in SH – failed anyhow

Election campaign in all of Schleswig-Holstein, not only South Schleswig, at the 2012 Landtag elections

SSW in power

Nov. 2010: SSW’s candidate wins the direct election as Lord Mayor in Flensburg, South Schleswig’s largest city

June 2012: SSW joins a coalition government with the Social Democrats and the Green Party in Schleswig-Holstein

Everything fine?

Many voices against SSW joining a government Abuse of exemption from 5 % threshold Contradicts the status of minority party

Leading members of the Young Conservatives (”Junge Union”) filed a complaint at the Schleswig-Holstein constitutional court

Free Democratic Party (right liberals) also argue that only max. one seat in the Landtag should be exempted from the 5%-threshold

The ”ethnic card” is used (”Dänenampel”) But so far the government works smoothly

SSW – a left-wing liberal party?

Two major program points dominate in retoric: Support for the minority (financial issues) Regional policy

Election results Geographical shift south – but core remains

South Schleswig Solidarity by the minority – but also voters

from outside the core minority