Red–green alliance

For the left-wing Danish party, see Red-Green Alliance (Denmark).

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In politics, a red–green alliance or red–green coalition is an alliance of "red" social-democratic or democratic socialist parties with "green" environmentalist or sometimes Nordic agrarian parties. The alliance is often based on common left political views, especially a shared distrust of corporate or capitalist institutions. While the "red" social-democratic parties tend to focus on the effects of capitalism on the working class, the "green" environmentalist parties tend to focus on the environmental effects of capitalism.

The term was coined by conservative Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt in a debate against the Social Democrat opposition leader Ingvar Carlsson 1994.^[1]

There have been two distinct types of red-green alliances. The first type is formed by centre-left parties for the short-term goal of creating a coalition government. The second type is a long-term organisational alliance of minor far-left parties for the purpose of challenging capitalism.

Red-green coalition governments

There have been a number of red-green governments in Europe since the 1990s.

In Germany, a red-green coalition of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Alliance '90/The Greens led by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder formed the federal government from September 1998 to September 2005.
In France, the 'Plural Left' coalition of the Socialist Party, The Greens, French Communist Party and allies governed from 1997 until 2002. The Ayrault Cabinet which governed from May 2012 until March 2014 had ministers affiliated with the Socialist Party, Radical Party of the Left and Europe Ecology – The Greens.
In Finland, Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen's first and second Cabinets contained ministers from the Social Democratic Party of Finland (including Lipponen himself) and Green League. The Green League participated in government from April 1995 until May 2002.
In Norway, the Red-Green Coalition of the Labour Party, Socialist Left Party and Centre Party governed Norway as a majority government from the 2005 general election until 2013. The Centre Party was the 'green' element of the alliance, and is a centrist agrarian party.
In Iceland, the First and Second Cabinets of Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir were formed from a coalition of the Social Democratic Alliance and Left-Green Movement, governing from February 2009 to May 2013.
In Italy, the Prodi I, D'Alema I, D'Alema II, Amato II and Prodi II Cabinets included the social-democratic Democrats of the Left (later to become the Democratic Party) as the largest party, with the Federation of the Greens receiving at least one ministry. However, unlike a straightforward red–green alliance, these cabinets involved Catholic-inspired, social-liberal and even communist parties.
In Denmark, the Thorning-Schmidt I Cabinet governing from October 2011 to February 2014 contained the Social Democrats as the largest party in coalition with the Social Liberal Party and Socialist People's Party, the latter being a green party and member of the European Green Party and Global Greens.
In Sweden, the Löfven Cabinet established on 3 October 2014 is a coalition of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Green Party.
In Portugal, the António Costa Cabinet established on 26 November 2015 is a Socialist Party minority government with external support of the Left Bloc, Portuguese Communist Party and Ecologist Party The Greens.

Radical red-green alliances

Main article: Green left

Far-left political parties or joint electoral lists have been formed over the years, most often between socialists and left-oriented greens. Example include:

GreenLeft of the Netherlands: a political party that began in 1989 as an political alliance comprising the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party and the Christian left parties Evangelical People's Party and Political Party of Radicals. The alliance had been known as Rainbow for the 1989 European elections.
Unity List – The Red–Greens of Denmark: a political party, originally a political alliance, formed in 1989 by the Left Socialists (VS), Communist Party of Denmark (DKP) and Socialist Workers Party (SAP).
The Nordic Green Left Alliance was a European political alliance formed by the Left Alliance (Finland), the Left-Green Movement (Iceland), the Left Party (Sweden), the Socialist Left Party (Norway) and the Socialist People's Party (Denmark). The MEPs of the NGLA sat in the European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) group in the European Parliament, although the MEPs of the Socialist People's Party sat in The Greens–European Free Alliance (G/EFA) group and later joined the European Green Party.
Left Ecology Freedom: a political party in Italy that was initially formed as a political alliance comprising socialists, greens and social democrats. The political alliance was itself a partial successor to the short-lived The Left – The Rainbow electoral alliance which had existed in Italy from December 2007 until May 2008 comprising the Federation of the Greens, the Communist Refoundation Party, Party of Italian Communists and the Democratic Left.
The Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), a Greek party formed by the merger of a broad set of left-wing and eco-socialist parties, many of which were themselves formerly red–green alliances, such as the Coalition of Left, of Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos), Renewing Communist Ecological Left (AKOA), and Ecosocialists of Greece. The SYRIZA-led cabinet of Alexis Tsipras contains ones junior minister, Giannis Tsironis, from the Ecologist Greens.