Abstract
The Danish political party Alternativet is an example of a party based on deliberative values, which quickly gained electoral success after its formation in 2013. It has been represented in the national parliament since 2015 and subsequently in local councils. One of the party’s stated goals is to promote a “new political culture”, which is embedded in six debate principles that stress the importance of listening sincerely to arguments and always providing justifications for ideas. This article analyses how the party has juggled with upholding these ideals whilst also maintaining electoral competitiveness and pursuing influence in legislative assemblies.
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Notes
After MP Pernille Schnoor left the Social Democratic Party in favour of Alternativet on 24 April 2016, Alternativet had 10 representatives in parliament until the 2019 election.
See video from official launch of the party at (Poulsen 2013).
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Acknowledgements
This work was conducted whilst the first author was a PhD student at Newcastle University, UK, and the work was funded by the EPSRC (EP/L016176/1).
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Gad, N. A “new political culture”: the challenges of deliberation in Alternativet. Eur Polit Sci 19, 190–199 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-019-00235-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41304-019-00235-z