EU election: Who are the small parties striving for votes?
There's a host of small parties among the 34 running in the upcoming European Parliament election in Germany. Here are some of the renegades, revolutionaries, and single-issue campaigners vying for votes on June 9.
Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance)
The newest party in Germany's political landscape is an alliance of rebels led by Sahra Wagenknecht, the outspoken populist who abandoned the socialist Left Party, taking several MPs with her. The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) combines a leftist economic agenda with demands for tighter immigration control and wants to force Ukraine to make a peace deal with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Freie Wähler (Free Voters)
The Freie Wähler are a grass-roots party roughly positioned between the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the far-right populism of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Strong in rural areas of southern and eastern Germany, the Freie Wähler is seeking a larger role at national level, and currently has two MEPs.
Letzte Generation (Last Generation)
The climate activists of the "Last Generation" are in an unusual position: They have turned their civil disobedience campaign into a political party fielding candidates for the EU parliament just as some of their members have been charged with forming a criminal organization. Five activists stand accused of attacking an oil refinery, among other acts of sabotage.
Volt
The German Volt was the first national branch of the centrist pan-European party to be founded in 2017. Volt's key driving factor is a stronger, more progressive and more integrated European Union — a federally-organized European superstate in which the parliament has more power.
Die Grauen and die Graue Panther (The Gray Ones and the Gray Panthers)
The "Gray Ones" and the "Gray Panthers" are the remains of a defunct party that collapsed in a donation scandal in 2008. Broadly representing the rights of senior citizens, the parties advocate values such as decency and honesty. The "Gray Ones" also want to appeal to progressive younger voters, while the "Gray Panthers" are more conservative.
Die Partei (The Party)
The satirical "Party" is now a veteran of the German political scene — and has been represented in the EU parliament for the past decade in the shape of comedian and editor Martin Sonneborn. But Die Partei does more than make fun — Sonneborn's speeches in parliament have often brought up alleged corruption. This year, Die Partei is reinforced with a new candidate: Star author Sibylle Berg.
Tierschutzpartei (Human Environment Animal Protection Party)
Germany is a country of animal lovers: 34 million pets live here. Officially called the Human Environment Animal Protection Party, the Tierschutzpartei mixes animal rights — something it wants enshrined in the German constitution — with social justice, and advocates a universal basic income. The party managed to return one MEP in both 2014 and 2019, but both left the party to become independents.