Only the Greens can win more members in 2020

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Mainz (dpa / lrs) - Of the five parties in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament, only the Greens were able to increase their membership last year.

As a survey by the German Press Agency showed, all other parties had to accept a shrinking base in the Corona year 2020.

Most of the members in Rhineland-Palatinate still have the CDU.

Their number had fallen by 2.7 percent to 37,222 by the end of November.

In the two previous years, too, the trend was down.

According to a spokesman, the party registered 568 entries and 976 withdrawals and 582 deaths by the end of November.

At the turn of the year 32,258 people in Rhineland-Palatinate had an SPD party book.

That was 4.1 percent less than at the end of 2019. The party recorded 605 entries and 1,885 exits over the course of the year - including more exits than deaths.

Traditionally, membership development is strongly influenced by the situation of the federal party, explained a spokesman.

The SPD Rhineland-Palatinate has strengthened its youth work in recent years.

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The Greens increased membership by 5.4 percent to 4,759. The party recorded 498 entries and 254 withdrawals or relocations to other state associations and 16 deaths.

The FDP Rhineland-Palatinate follows in fourth place with 4306 people in its ranks.

That was 2.8 percent less than at the end of 2019. The liberal party welcomed 265 members.

At the same time, 327 people left the FDP, 67 members died.

The decline was mainly due to the election of the prime minister in Thuringia, said a spokesman.

There, the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich was elected Prime Minister by the state parliament on February 5, 2020 with the help of AfD votes.

Kemmerich accepted the election, a few days later he resigned under massive public pressure.

In the summer, the membership development of the FDP Rhineland-Palatinate stabilized again, with an increasing trend in the last quarter of 2020.

The AfD had members at the turn of the year 1997.

That was 10.1 percent less than at the end of 2019. With 168 entries, there were 392 withdrawals or cancellations of membership, according to a spokesman.

These are predominantly members who have not paid their fees even after reminders and whose membership has therefore been dissolved, said the spokesman.

The left not represented in the state parliament saw its base decrease by 3.7 percent to 1,757 members.

With 189 entries, there were 240 withdrawals, 8 members died.

A spokesman attributed the development to the Corona situation: "Short-time work, unemployment, but also less time from home office have bothered us and are reflected in the membership development."