Parties are associations of citizens who have common interests and common political ideas.
In elections, parties want to gain political power in parliaments and governments in order to achieve their political goals. Any person of legal age such as those working in landscaping company Sydney can join any political party they want.
According to the Political Parties Act, a party is an association of citizens who over a longer period of time exert influence on the formation of political will and want to participate in the representation of the people in the German Bundestag or a state parliament.
Definition according to the law
According to the Basic Law, parties are a necessary component of the free democratic basic order and fulfill the important task of forming political will. In order to be admitted to a federal or state election, parties must make it clear that their organization is stable, has many members and is present in public.
In addition, they have to register with the federal electoral officer. Members of a party can only be natural persons, i.e. people in the sense of the legal system. An association loses its party status if it has not participated in any federal or state elections for six years. The board of directors assumes the leadership of a party.
Abandonment of parties
To make it clear which goals they want to achieve, parties set up a program. In addition to the basic program, there are electoral and government programs.
In order to carry out their tasks, the parties need a lot of money, not only for election campaigns but also for full-time employees and widely ramified party organizations. Parties are being financed through donations, membership fees, and government grants.
In addition to the task of shaping the political will, parties have other social obligations:
- They stimulate political education
- Promote active participation in public life
- Educate citizens so that they can take on public duties
- Put up candidates for elections
- And influence political developments in parliaments – whether in the opposition or in government
Ban on party
Parties can also be banned if their goals are not compatible with the Basic Law or if they want to abolish it.