Liberal Conservative Reformers

Liberal Conservative Reformers
Liberal-Konservative Reformer
Abbreviation LKR
Chairman Christian Kott
Founded 19 July 2015
Split from Alternative for Germany
Membership  (2015) 2,000
Ideology Liberal conservatism
Euroscepticism
Economic liberalism
Political position Centre-right
European affiliation Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe
International affiliation None
European Parliament group European Conservatives and Reformists
Bundestag
0 / 631
State Parliaments
3 / 1,857
European Parliament
5 / 96
Website
alfa-bund.de

The Liberal Conservative Reformers (German: Liberal-Konservative Reformer, LKR) is a conservative political party in Germany which was known from July 2015 to November 2016 as ALFA.

The party was established in July 2015 as a split from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) led by former AfD spokesman Bernd Lucke.[1][2][3] It was founded as the Alliance for Progress and Renewal (Allianz für Fortschritt und Aufbruch, ALFA), but changed its name in November 2016 after litigation with the pro-life movement "Aktion Lebensrecht für Alle" (Action Right to Live for Everybody) which uses the same abbreviation (Alfa).[4]

The party is represented by five MEPs in the European Parliament (as members of the European Conservatives and Reformists group) and three members of the Bürgerschaft of Bremen due to their formal withdrawal from the AfD.

History

The party founding was preceded by months of power struggle between Bernd Lucke and Frauke Petry for AfD party leadership, the latter being leader of the party's national-conservative wing.[5] In the course of the dispute Lucke and leading AfD members with liberal-conservative and economic liberal orientations founded the association Weckruf 2015 (wake-up call 2015) out of concern for a perceived right-wing populist tendency in the AfD.

At an extraordinary party convention in Essen on 4 July 2015, Lucke was defeated in the election for chairman by his opponent Petry, who received 60% of the vote.[6] The following week, 5 AfD MEPs exited the party on 7 July 2015, and Lucke announced his resignation from the party on 8 July,[7][8] leading to the formation of the ALFA party.

ALFA was formally founded on 19 July 2015 at a closed inaugural meeting of 70 people in Kassel, Hesse where statutes and a party platform were approved and Bernd Lucke MEP was elected chairman.[2][9] Also selected as its foundation were its deputy chairmen was Bernd Kölmel MEP, Gunther Nickel and Reiner Rohlje, and the general secretary Ulrike Trebesius MEP.[10]

It has been estimated that 20% percent of the then AfD membership moved to ALFA with Lucke.[11]

On 18 March 2016, ALFA was admitted into the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists.[12]

The party met on 4 June 2016 for its second convention. On this convention Ulrike Trebesius, member of the European Parliament, was elected party chairwoman. On her side her fellow MEP Bernd Kölmel, Ulrich van Suntum, professor of economics at Münster University and chairman of the party at state level in Northrhine-Westphalia, and Christian Schäfer, chair of the ALFA caucus in the state parliament of Bremen, were elected vice chairmen. Bernd Lucke was instead elected almost unanimously the party's number one candidate for the next general election in Germany, that will be held in 2017.

Former party acronym ALFA

The association "Action right to live for all" (Aktion Lebensrecht für Alle), shortened Alfa in German, took legal action against the Alfa party because of the usage of the same abbreviation. The pro-life movement won at the Augsburg regional court. If Lucke's party disobey, a fine of 250,000 Euro will be the consequence.[13] The German subsidiary of Alfa Romeo, the Italian car manufacturer, is reported as considering taking legal action against the party over the use of the party acronym ALFA.[14] The party changed its name to "Liberal-Konservative Reformer" (Liberal-Conservative Reformers) after the litigation with the pro-life organization "Aktion Lebensrecht für Alle" (Action Right to Live for Everybody).[4]

Party platform

The party calls for a Greek exit from the Euro zone ("Grexit") or Germany’s withdrawal from membership in the Euro currency and a return to national currencies. The party also criticizes the low-, zero- and negative-interest policies of the European Central Bank.[15] The ALFA program corresponds to large parts of the AfD program. However, by contrast, it emphasizes Western alignment with NATO and the EU as the foundation of a transatlantic security structure. ALFA favors free trade in general and under certain conditions the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). It supports immigration of suitably qualified candidates on the Canadian Model. The party rejects a minimum wage, but prefers a so called activating minimum income for every citizen. The party describes itself as morally conservative, economically liberal and as an advocate of technological progress. The party fully rejects extremism of every kind.

Hans-Olaf Henkel has stated that since the party split from the AfD in July 2015 that the media no longer take notice of the party, stating it will be a "challenge" for the five Alfa MEPs to be re-elected in 2019.[16] Henkel, who will be 79 in 2019, does not plan to stand for election again.[16]

Party structure

The party has organisation in every of the 16 German states. In many states there also regional organisations. Additionally there is a Youth Organisation, Junge Reformer (in English Young Reformers), shortened jure. Jure's chairman is Alexander Gonçalves da Silva, a merchant from Dortmund. There are also a club of women within the party and an official group for small an middle class firm owners.

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-chief of German anti-euro party starts new eurosceptic group". Yahoo News. 19 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Germany's ex-AfD leader sets up new eurosceptic party". Reuters UK.
  3. ↑ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany (19 July 2015). "ALFA: AfD-Gründer Bernd Lucke gründet neue Partei". SPIEGEL ONLINE.
  4. 1 2 GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (2016-11-13). "Partei um Bernd Lucke: Alfa findet einen neuen Namen". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 2016-11-13.
  5. ↑ "Ousted chief of Germany′s euroskeptic AfD sets up new political party - News - DW.COM - 19.07.2015". DW.COM.
  6. ↑ "Germany's euroskeptic AfD elects conservative leader Petry". Deutsche Welle. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Nach "Richtungsentscheidung" AfD meldet Hunderte Austritte" (in German). N-TV. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Barkin, Noah (8 July 2015). "German AfD founder leaves party decrying xenophobic shift". Reuters. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "German Eurosceptic leader Lucke sets up Alfa party". BBC News.
  10. ↑ "Bernd Lucke als Chef: AfD-Abtrünnige gründen neue Partei "Alfa"". handelsblatt.com.
  11. ↑ Scholz, KayAlexander (28 November 2015). "AfD upbraids Merkel, migrants at Hanover party congress". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  12. ↑ http://www.aecr.eu/aecr-welcomes-m10-and-alfa-as-new-members/
  13. ↑ KG, STADTZEITUNG Werbeverlag und Reisebüro GmbH & Co. "Gericht verbietet Name „Alfa": Augsburger Verein kontra Bernd Lucke". stadtzeitung.de. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  14. ↑ Hill, Jenny (21 July 2015). "What next for Germany's Eurosceptic AfD party?". BBC News. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  15. ↑ Party program (in German) retrieved on 20 July 2015
  16. 1 2 Teffer, Peter (30 October 2015). "Germany's anti-euro party which became two". euobserver. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

External links

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