Volt Germany
German political party / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Volt Germany (German: Volt Deutschland, mostly known by the abbreviated name Volt) is a social-liberal[6] pro-European,[7] eurofederalist political party in Germany. It is the German branch of Volt Europa, a political movement that operates on a European level.
Volt Germany Volt Deutschland | |
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Abbreviation | Volt |
Leaders | Anna Laura Tiessen Tim Marton [de] |
Chairpersons |
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Founded | 3 March 2018; 6 years ago (2018-03-03) |
Headquarters | Berlin |
Membership (January 2023) | 4,000+[1] |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre-left |
European affiliation | Volt Europa |
Colours | Purple |
European Parliament | 1 / 96 |
Website | |
voltdeutschland | |
Italian Andrea Venzon, French Colombe Cahen-Salvador and German Damian Boeselager founded Volt Europa in 2017 as a counterpart to the rising nationalism and right-wing populism in Europe.[8]
The party has been classified as socially liberal and pro-European. The key topics are: reform of the European Union, tackling the climate crisis, a fair and sustainable economy, and digitalization. Volt has an evidence-based, scientific approach and is highly interested in introducing best practices.[9]
As there is no legal possibility to found a pan-European party, after the founding of the parent organisation Volt Europa A.I.S.B.L., national parties had to be founded to be able to participate in elections. On 3 March 2018, Volt Germany was founded as a party in Hamburg.[10] Volt Germany's first elections were the 2019 European elections and they were able to win one mandate, which Damian Boeselager holds in the European Parliament.[11] At the municipal level, Volt Germany is part of the city governments of Munich,[12] Cologne,[13] Frankfurt am Main,[14] and Wiesbaden[15] among others.
The party's name is derived from the international electrical unit Volt in order to have a uniform name that is understandable throughout Europe, symbolizing "new energy" for Europe.