display
Potsdam (dpa / bb) - In the past year, most of the parties represented in the Potsdam state parliament lost the bottom line.
The big exception are the Greens: They again gained significantly more members, as a survey by the German Press Agency showed.
"Since the end of 2017 we have recorded a noticeable increase in the number of members in Brandenburg, compared to the steady but slow growth in the years before," said the spokesman for the Brandenburg Greens, Michael Mangold.
In the state election year 2019, this trend intensified significantly.
At that time there was an increase of over 43 percent over the year.
At the beginning of 2021, the Greens now had 2,144 members, 171 more than at the beginning of 2020.
The situation is different with other parties: the left recorded the most significant decline in membership.
At the beginning of 2021, 5229 people had a left party book - 298 fewer than at the beginning of 2020. As left-wing spokesman Stefan Wollenberg explained, the number results from a good 400 losses due to deaths and resignations, 130 new entrants as well as immigration and emigration.
“The decline in membership is at a similar level to last year,” he said.
The number of new entrants fell from 180 in the previous year to 130, mainly due to the corona.
display
With currently 6,079 members, the Brandenburg SPD is still the party with the largest number of members in the country.
However, that is 144 members less than in the previous year.
The development of the numbers varies from region to region.
«We recognize a connection between population development and density and membership development.
In places where cities are growing and places have a lot of influx, we also have a stronger increase in membership, ”said SPD spokesman Arnulf Triller.
There are 70 fewer members in the Brandenburger CDU compared to the previous year.
With 5727 members at the beginning of 2021, however, it remains the party with the second largest number of members.
"We observed last year that the number of people leaving is the average of previous years, but that we have won fewer new members," said CDU General Secretary Gordon Hoffmann.
In his opinion, there is a connection to Corona: As a result, the activities of the associations are less visible in public space than in other times.
"I am sure that the upcoming federal election campaign can also be used to inspire more people to get involved in the CDU for our country," said Hoffmann.
The Brandenburg AfD lost 46 members last year.
The party currently has 1604 members.
Party spokesman Detlev Frye attributes the decline primarily to the thorough examination of the membership registers.
Inactive and above all non-paying members fell through the grid.
As with the CDU, the lack of public presence caused by the corona is also causing problems for the AfD.
"For the current Bundestag election year we are hoping for a boost in membership," said Frye.
display
The Free Voters in Brandenburg have gained something.
Currently they have 839 members, 38 more than at the beginning of 2020. "Last year we succeeded in gaining five new groups of voters," said the state chairman of Free Voters, Péter Vida.
Since the entry into the state parliament in 2019, it has become clear that you can make a difference as a mouthpiece for voter groups and citizens' initiatives.
"In addition, many municipal alliances appreciate the factual work in the state parliament, in which our parliamentary group clearly has the strongest municipal focus of all," emphasized Vida.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210123-99-138544 / 2