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{{for|the ] block party|National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany)}}

{{Refimprove|date=July 2007}}
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{{Infobox_German_Political_Party |
party_name = Nationaldemokratische Partei<br>Deutschlands |
party_logo = ] |
party_wikicolourid = CDU |
leader = ] |
foundation = ] ] |
ideology = ],<br>],<br>],<br>] |
headquarters = ] |
europarl = ''None'' |
european = ] |
international = |
website = |
colours = ], ], ] |
}} }}
The '''National Democratic Party of Germany''' ({{lang-de|Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands}}, NPD) is a ] and ] political party founded on ] ]. The Party is a successor to the ] ({{lang-de|Deutsche Reichspartei}}, DRP). ] has led the Party since 1996.<ref name=aust/>

The mainstream media and political opponents of the NPD often label the party as a Neo-Nazi organization. Some of the reasons include the party`s refusal to include non-white Germans and Muslims in the party, for their associations with individuals such a David Duke, for using the colors of Nazi Germany as their party colors and for making reference to the Bundestag as the Reichstag(what is was called during the era of Nazi Germany).<ref name = "NPD">{{cite web
| title = Neo-Nazi NPD party takes hold in municipal vote in Saxony
| url = http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20080609-12381.html
| publisher =
| date = 9 Jun 08
| accessdate = June 10, 2009
| quote =<small>The neo-Nazi NPD party has representatives in every county council in the eastern German state of Saxony after it increased its share of the vote in municipal elections on Sunday.</small>
}}</ref><ref name = "NPD2">{{cite web
| title = Neo-Nazis push into town councils
| url = http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20090609-19809.html
| publisher =
| date = 9 Jun 09
| accessdate = June 10, 2009
| quote =<small>The neo-Nazi NPD party is entering several German city parliaments for the first time after this weekend’s local elections, news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Monday.</small>
}}</ref><ref name="damagepoll">
{{cite web
| title = Poll shows majority of Germany believe NPD to be non-democratic and damaging to Germany's image
| url = http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,438528,00.html
| publisher =
| date = 22 Sep 06
| accessdate = July 21, 2009}}</ref>. The Party rejects this depiction and states it stands for the interests of the ] people and for a German state. However, the NPD is actively working with neo-Nazis and is endorsing the cooperation with protagonists and members of unconstitutional and illegal organisations,
<ref name = "Rechtsextremismus">{{cite web
| title = Rechtsextremismus
| url = http://www.bpb.de/themen/CNCDW9,79,0,Glossar.html
| publisher = Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung
| date = 2006 - 2008
| accessdate = August 23, 2009
| quote = <small>Auch zeigte sich die NPD nun bereit, mit radikalen Kräften aus dem parteiungebundenen Spektrum zusammenzuarbeiten. Formal gilt nach wie vor ein Unvereinbarkeitsbeschluss der NPD-Mitgliedschaft mit der Mitgliedschaft in verbotenen Gruppierungen. Faktisch jedoch setzt sich die NPD mit ihrer Strategie bewusst über die offizielle Verlautbarung hinweg. Die NPD wolle in Zukunft mit denjenigen zusammenzuarbeiten, die dazu bereit seien, "als politische Soldaten zu denken und zu handeln", so die neue Strategie.</small>
}}</ref>
<ref name = "zusammenspiel zwischen NPD und Neonazis">{{cite web
| title = Zusammenspiel zwischen NPD und Neonazis im niedersächsischen Landtagswahlkampf
| url = http://www.verfassungsschutzgegenrechtsextremismus.de/de/aktuelles/news-detailansicht/artikel/11/zusammenspiel-zwischen-npd-und-neonazis-im-niedersaechsischen-landtagswahlkampf.html
| publisher = Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz Bremen
| date = 30 November 2007
| accessdate = August 2, 2009
| quote = <small>Die Kooperation zwischen der NPD und den Freien Nationalisten (Angehörige von neonazistischen Kameradschaften) prägt das Auftreten der Partei im niedersächsischen Landtagswahlkampf. Bekannte Neonazis treten für die NPD als Direktkandidaten an, z.B. Dennis BÜHRIG in Bergen, Klaus HELLMUND in Celle, Mathias BEHRENS in Soltau oder Dieter RIEFLING in Hildesheim.</small>
}}</ref>
and active neo-Nazis themselves are gaining influence in the party.
<ref name = "Neonazis in der NPD auf dem Vormarsch">{{cite web
| title = Neonazis in der NPD auf dem Vormarsch
| url = http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/550/469109/text/
| publisher =
| date = 19 May 2009
| accessdate = August 23, 2009
| quote = <small>Das neonazistische Spektrum hat seinen Einfluss innerhalb der NPD ausgebaut.</small>
}}</ref>
<ref name = "Neonazis kooperieren mit der NPD ">{{cite book
| title = Verfassungsschutzbericht 2008
| url = http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/publikationen/verfassungsschutzbericht/
| publisher =
| date = May 2009
| accessdate = August 23, 2009
| page = 51
| quote = <small>Auch 2008 ist es in der Kooperation zwischen der NPD und der Neonazi-Szene zu erheblichen Spannungen gekommen.</small>
}}</ref>
<ref name = "Kooperation zwischen Neonazis und NPD ">{{cite book
| title = Verfassungsschutzbericht 2008
| url = http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/publikationen/verfassungsschutzbericht/
| publisher =
| date = May 2009
| accessdate = August 23, 2009
| page = 63
| quote = <small>Ungeachtet der andauernden engen Kooperation zwischen Teilen der „Freien Kräfte“ und der NPD war das Verhältnis zeitweise von Anspannung und Misstrauen geprägt. Gleichwohl scheint die Neonazi-Szene weiterhin gewillt zu sein, die als schwierig empfundene Kooperation mit der NPD fortzuführen, da sie darin eine realistische Perspektive sieht, wenigstens einen Teil ihrer politischen Vorstellungen in den öffentlichen Raum einzubringen.</small>
}}</ref>
The German federal intelligence agency, ], classifies the NPD as a "threat to the constitutional order" because of its ], and the party is under their observation.<ref name=aust>. ''''. Published April 8, 2009.</ref>

In recent years, the Party has focused on broader social issues such as unemployment and economic problems.<ref name=sudden>. ]''. Published Feb. 28, 2005 .</ref> The Party currently is represented in two of Germany's sixteen state parliaments with no seats at the federal level.

==Platform and philosophies==

], leader of the NPD, standing in front of a banner depicting ]. Hess is considered a martyr by the NPD.]]
The NPD's political philosophy coincides with the notion of a ], an idea which developed amidst criticisms of both ] and ]. The NPD also endorses certain beliefs about human nature. NPD leader ] states that the philosophy of the NPD differs from both communism and ] in that it acknowledges people as unequal products of their societies and environments, largely governed by what is called ]. Voigt states that the party is also influenced by the views of modern ] such as ] and ]. The NPD calls itself a party of "grandparents and grandchildren" because the ] in Germany, known for the leftist ], seldom supports the NPD's policies. The NPD's economic program promotes ] for Germans and control against ], but the party does not oppose ]. Voigt has demanded the "dismantling" of the "liberal-capitalist system". <ref></ref>

The NPD argues that ] fails to represent the interests and needs of ]an people. The party considers the ] to be little more than a reorganisation of a soviet style Europe along financial lines. <ref>NPD party programme (in German) http://npd.de/medien/pdf/parteiprogramm.pdf</ref> Although highly critical of the EU, as long as Germany remains a part of it, the NPD opposes ] into the organisation. Voigt envisions future collaboration and continued friendly relations with other nationalists and European national parties.

], the text saying "We're cleaning up")]]
The party's platform says that Germany is larger than the present-day Federal Republic, and calls for revision of the post-war border acknowledgements. <ref>Party program, p. 13. ("Deutschland ist größer als die Bundesrepublik! ... Wir fordern die Revision der nach dem Krieg abgeschlossenen Grenzanerkennungsverträge.")</ref> A map of Germany on the party's website omits the border that divides Germany from ] and leaves out the ], which established the limits of federal Germany to the east and was agreed upon with ] in 1990. <ref> on NPD's website http://www.npd.de</ref> While this suggests a desire to renegotiate the status of ], it may be a ] effort to capitalise on the bitter sentiments of ] (especially ], ], ], and ]). The 2005 report of the ] federal agency contains the following description:
<blockquote>"The party continues to pursue a "people's front" of the nationals the NPD, ], and forces not attached to any party, which is supposed to develop into a base for an encompassing "German people's movement". The aggressive agitation of the NPD unabashedly aims towards the abolition of ] and the democratic constitutional state, although the use of violence is currently still officially rejected for tactical reasons. Statements of the NPD document an essential affinity with ]; its agitation is ], ], ], and intends to disparage the democratic and lawful order of the constitution." <ref>Report of the Versfassungsschutz </ref></blockquote>

According to ], its administration is in "serious financial trouble", having to deal with a 2.5 million ] fine enacted in April 2009 for filing incorrect financial statements.<ref name=con>. ]. Published April 24, 2009.</ref>

===Statements on the election of Barack Obama===
In November 2008, shortly after the ], the NPD published a document entitled "Africa conquers the White House" which stated that the election of ] as the first ] ] was the result of "the American alliance of ] and ]" and that Obama aimed to destroy the United States' "white identity." The NPD claimed that "A non-white America is a declaration of war on all people who believe an organically grown social order based on language and culture, history and heritage to be the essence of humanity" and that "Barack Obama hides this declaration of war behind his pushy sunshine smile." The NPD also stated that the extensive support for Obama in Germany "resembles an African tropical disease."<ref>, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), November 11, 2008 (retrieved on December 5, 2008.)</ref><ref>, BreitBart.com, November 10, 2008.</ref><ref> by Jon Swaine, Telegraph.co.uk, November 11, 2008.</ref><ref> by Craig Whitlock, Washington Post, page A15, November 11, 2008 (retrieved on December 5, 2008.)</ref>

==International connections==
] ].]]
Voigt has held meetings with various ] proponents, such as ] politician ].<ref>{{cite web | author = David Duke | title = My Awakening: A Path to Racial Understanding | publisher = Free Speech Press | url = http://shop.davidduke.com/cgi-bin/dukecat/00088.html | accessdate = 2007-09-17}}</ref> In 2009, ] said that the NPD supports ] and the Russian point of view in the ].<ref>NPD Meck. Pom. </ref>

==History==
===Early history===
At the time of the NPD's founding in 1964, the ruling political coalition labeled it "a neo-Nazi party hiding behind a democratic facade." The Party reacted by claiming loyalty to the constitution and lack of opposition to the current system of government to create a less extremist image. Major themes included ], building ] feelings about the ], and promoting ].<ref name=wesley>{{Cite book|first=Wesley D.|last=Chapin|title=Germany for the Germans?|date=1997|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|pages=70-73}}</ref>

The NPD achieved success in the late 1960s, winning local government seats across Germany. In 1966 and 1967, it won 15 seats in ], 10 in ], 8 in ], and several other seats. However, it has never received the minimum 5 percent of votes in federal elections that allow a party to send delegates to the ]. The NPD came the closest to that goal in the 1969 election, when it got 4.3 percent of the vote.<ref name=wesley/>

The Party's limited gains arose partially from the severe economic downturn at that time. As well, the ] between the ] ] and the ] ] left a vacuum in the traditional ], which worked to the party's advantage. When the center-right broke away, around 75 percent of NPD voters switched to it.<ref name=wesley/>

However, the Party had less success in the 1970s and 1980s, suffered an internal split over its failure to get into the ]. The issue of immigration spurred a partial rebound from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, but this proved shortlived and with only limited successes in local elections..<ref name=wesley/>

The Party's fortunes declined through the rest of the century. It suffered an internal split over its failure to get into the ]. The issue of immigration spurred a partial rebound from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, but this proved shortlived and with only limited successes in local elections.<ref name=wesley/>

===Recent history===
====Electoral history====

In the ] in ], the NPD won 9.2% of the overall vote. The NPD currently sends 12 representatives to the Saxony state parliament, the '']''. During the 2004 election, the NPD entered a non-competition agreement with the ] (DVU) and has since maintained that only one of the two parties will compete in any given election. The third white nationalist-oriented party, ] (REP), has so far refused to join this agreement. However, ], a local representative of the Republicans in Saxony, sabotaged her party's registration to help the NPD in the Saxony election. <ref>Kerstin Lorenz, ehem. Landeschefin der Republikaner in Sachsen, tritt in die NPD ein! http://www.wno.org/newpages/par46b.html </ref>

In the ], the NPD received 1.6 percent of the vote nationally. It garnered the highest percent of votes in the states of ] (4.9 percent), ] (3.7 percent), ] (3.5 percent) and ] (3.2 percent). In most other states, the party won around 1 percent of the total votes cast. In the ], the NPD received 7.3% of the vote and thus achieved state representation there, as well. <ref> BBC News update </ref>

The NPD had 5,300 registered party members in 2004. <ref>Spiegel </ref> Over the course of 2006, the NPD processed roughly 1,000 party applications to push the membership total over 7,200. In 2008, the trend of a growing number of members has been reversed and NPD's membership is estimated at about 7000.
<ref name = " NPD membership ">{{cite web
| title = Verfassungsschutzbericht 2008
| url = http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/de/publikationen/verfassungsschutzbericht/
| publisher =
| date = May 2009
| page = 79
| accessdate = August 23, 2009
| quote = <small>Mit rund 7.000 Mitgliedern verzeichnete die NPD im Vergleich zum Vorjahr (7.200) einen leichten Rückgang, bleibt jedoch mitgliederstärkste Partei im rechtsextremistischen Spektrum.</small>
}}</ref>

====The 2001-2003 banning attempt====
In 2001, the federal government, the ], and the ] jointly attempted to ban the NPD in a trial before the ], the ''Bundesverfassungsgericht'', the highest court in Germany with the exclusive power to ban parties if they are found to be "anti-constitutional". However, the case was thrown out in 2003 after it was discovered that a number of the NPD's inner circle were in fact undercover agents or informants of the German secret services, like the federal ]. They include a former deputy chairman of the party and author of an anti-Semitic tract that formed a central part of the government's case. Since the government assemblies were unwilling to fully disclose their agents' identities and activities, the court found it impossible to decide which moves by the party were based on genuine party decisions and which were controlled by the secret services in an attempt to further the ban. "The party was, in part, responding to the government's dictates," the court said. "The presence of the state at the leadership level makes influence on its aims and activities unavoidable," it concluded. <ref></ref>

] (NPD), a former member of the ] terrorist organisation ], defended the NPD before the court. In May 2009, several state politicians published an extensive document<ref></ref> which they claim proves the NPD's opposition to the constitution without relying on information supplied by undercover agents. This move is intended to lead up to a second attempt to have the NPD banned.

===World War II and Holocaust memory controversies===
]
On ] ], during a silence in the Saxon state assembly in ] to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi ], twelve members of the NPD walked out in protest. The NPD was upset that a moment of silence was being held for those who died in the Auschwitz camp and that none was being given for those who died during the ], with the anniversary of both events falling relatively close to each other. ], leader of the NPD in ] and deputy leader of the party nationwide, made a speech in the ] in which he called the ] of the ] and ] "mass murderers" because of their role in the bombing. His colleague, ] went on to describe the bombing itself as a "holocaust of bombs".

Voigt voiced his support and reiterated the statement, which some controversially claimed was a violation of the German law which forbids ]. However, after judicial review, it was decided that Udo Voigt's description of the 1945 RAF bombing of Dresden as a holocaust was an exercise of free speech and "defamation of the dead" was not the purpose of his statement.<ref>Hannah Cleaver, , Telegraph.co.uk, April 12, 2005.</ref>

In 2009, the NPD joined the ] in a march of mourning on the anniversary of the ]. Over 8000 people took part in the event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/neonazis-hijack-dresden-ceremony-in-the-biggest-farright-demonstration-since-hitler-483337.html|title=Neo-Nazis hijack Dresden ceremony in the biggest far-right demonstration since Hitler}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGstsMp983DI&refer=worldwide|title=Skinheads, Neo-Nazis Draw Fury at Dresden 1945 ‘Mourning March’ |accessdate=2009 02 14|author=Patrick Donahue}}</ref>

===Activism and controversy===
]

The NPD's strategy has been to create "national free-zones" and circumvent its marginal electoral status by concentrating on regions where support is strongest. In March 2006, musician ] tried to set up an in-school ] concert in ], ] two weeks before the state elections. The NPD argued that because of politics, the date and the venue, the concert "was an unacceptable form of political campaigning." <ref>Deutsche Welle article </ref> In protest, the NPD vowed to buy the tickets and turn up en masse at Wecker's show, which led local authorities to cancel the event. The ] and the ] were outraged by the decision, which the Central Council for Jews called "politically bankrupt".

The NPD was going to sponsor a march through ] on ] ], as the ] was going on. The party wanted to show its support for the ], which was playing in Leipzig, and ] ]. However, the NPD decided against the demonstration; only a counter-demonstration took place that day, in support of ]. <ref>BBC News article </ref> However, during the World Cup, the party's web site complained that due to the prevalence of people of non-German descent on the ], the team "was not really German". That same year, the party designed leaflets which said ''"White - not just the color of a jersey! For a true National team!"''<ref name="nonwhite">
{{cite web
| title = NPD leader charged for racist campaign against black player in national football team
| url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,543287,00.html
| publisher =
| date = 25 Mar 08
| accessdate = July 21, 2009}}</ref> This design was never mass produced for public distribution, but copies were confiscated during a raid on the NPD's headquarters. Authorities had been hoping to find material linking the party to Nazism. When news of the poster spread, it was discovered by ], who noted that the image depicted a footballer wearing a white jersey with his name on it. Owomoyela, who played for the German national team in the years before the World Cup, proceeded to file a lawsuit against the party. Owomoyela is a German citizen of ]n descent. The party was able to delay the procedures but in April 2009 three party officials (], ] and ]) were sentenced for ] (Voigt and Bieler to 7 months on probation, Schwerdt to 10 months on probation)<ref>, sueddeutsche.de, 25. April 2009</ref>.

The NPD also took part in a "holocaust vigil" for Gaza against Israel during ] in support of the Palestinians.<ref>http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1232292928927</ref> Charlotte Knobloch, the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, warned ""Joint hatred of everything Jewish is unifying neo-Nazis and Islamists... German-Palestinians protestors unashamedly admitted that they would vote for the NPD during the next election." <ref>http://www.eurojewcong.org/ejc/news.php?id_article=3517</ref>

==Party leaders of NPD==
*] 1964-1967
*] 1967-1971
*] 1971-1990
*] 1991-1996
*] 1996-present

==See also==
*]
*]
*]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{de icon}}
* {{de icon}}
* {{en icon}}
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* {{de icon}} {{en icon}}
* {{en icon}}

{{Parties of Germany}}

{{German far right}}

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