Another democratic victory for the Danish minority in Germany
Sunday evening marked the end of the German election campaign. And once again, the Danish minority party SSW was hoping to win a seat in the German parliament.
After running again in the parliamentary elections, the former regionally and municipally based Danish minority party has managed to win a seat in the German Bundestag in Berlin for the second time in a row.
Stefan Seidler, the head of the Danish minority party SSW (South Schleswig Voters' Association), had won his first seat in September 2021 after a surprisingly successful election campaign. On 23 February, the minority party won another mandate in Berlin.
This is, according to a local political expert, very good news for national minorities in Germany.
Important role for all minorities
When the Danish minority party (SSW) secured a seat in the Bundestag in 2021, many questions were raised as to whether its sole representative, Stefan Seidler, would have any influence in the German parliament with over 700 members.
Stefan has focused primarily on minority politics, regional issues - and infrastructure in northern Germany. The other members of the parliament have seen him as a reliable representative for these issues.
Wilhelm Knelangen
“Stefan has focused primarily on minority politics, regional issues and infrastructure in northern Germany. The other members of the parliament have seen him as a reliable representative for these issues. And other parties have actively worked to avoid criticising the SSW on minority issues,” says Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Knelangen, professor of politics at Kiel University.
Wilhelm Knelangen reports that Stefan Seidler has succeeded in improving the rights of national minorities in Germany. Not only for the Danish minority, but for national minorities in general.
“He has had a relatively large influence. Seidler is aware that he does not have much direct political power. But he has relied on convincing others in parliament to help him achieve political goals for national minorities. And he has done this very skilfully,” says Wilhelm Knelangen.
The party had a party
Sunday evening marked a new historic date for the Danish minority party SSW. First, it secured a mandate in parliament. The party also received its highest number of votes ever in a Bundestag election campaign. It surpassed its previous record of 75,388 votes.
“When it comes to social and climate-related issues, our policy is primarily socially oriented. However, so far I have had good cooperation with all parties in the Bundestag – with the exception of the extreme right – and I will continue to do so. Especially when it comes to infrastructure and development issues here in the North, I have had very good cooperation with the Christian Democratic Union, and of course I would like to build on these contacts," says Stefan Seidler about his immediate plans in parliament.
On Sunday evening, the SSW party had gathered its members, the press and its political team for a big election party in the historic building called Flensborghus, which houses several of the Danish minority organisations in the heart of Flensborg/Flensburg, near the Danish-German border.
No room for the AfD
The SSW representative emphasises that AfD members will continue to have no place in his political networks in parliament.
"It is now important that all democratic parties work closely together to solve the country's major problems. This is the only way to regain people's trust in politics," explains Stefan Seidler.
Afterwards, the newly elected SSW member headed to the party's executive meeting to interpret the election results and develop a strategy. Stefan Seidler ran his campaign alongside the much younger Maylis Roßberg, who despite her young age shows great political talent. The party did not succeed in achieving a second mandate.
Note: This article gives the views of the author and does not represent the position of the European Association of Daily Newspapers in Minority and Regional Languages (MIDAS) or Eurac Research.
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