Blessed Be the AnimalsGlobal Animal Right's Political Parties
In the Netherlands, the Party for the Animals was founded in October 2002 by among others Marianne Thieme. In the Dutch general election of 2003 it gained 50,000 votes (0.5%), but not a seat in the House of Representatives. In the 2004 European Parliament election the party gained 153,000 votes (3.2%), three times as much as in the 2002 Dutch general election. Still the number of votes was not enough to obtain a seat in the European Parliament. During the 2006 parliamentary elections it gained 179,988 votes (1.8%), enough for two seats in Dutch parliament. In the run-up to these elections the party was supported by several Dutch celebrities, such as writers Maarten 't Hart and Jan Wolkers.
In its first municipal council elections the party in 2010 gained one seat in every of the five places, where it participated. In its third parliamentary elections, on June 9 in 2010, the PvdD retained its two seats in the House of Representatives with 122,317 votes (1.3%). In the 2012 general elections the party got 182,162 votes, an increase of 45%, but with just under 2% of the popular vote this did not secure a third seat in the house of representatives.
The "PvdD" is the first political party in the world to gain parliamentary seats with an agenda focused primarily on animal rights. One of the results that the PvdD claims to have reached during her first four year parliamentary period is the fact that the government has declared that reduction of national meat consumption further on is one of its priorities.The Party for Animals welcomed its 10,000th member in late 2009.
From, Party For The Animals website:
The Party for the Animals is the fastest growing political party in the Netherlands. We act as a "pacemaker" in the parliament; in other words, we encourage the other political parties to move faster when it comes to animal welfare.
Ever since the establishment of the Party for the Animals, there has been a great deal of interest in the party abroad. That is why we have created this international website, which provides a lot of useful information. Each week Marianne Thieme, the leader of the Party for the Animals, will write a new worldlog about her experiences in politics. This worldlog will not only be available in English, but also in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and Russian.
The Party for the Animals believes that animals should be given the rights that they deserve. Animal interests should no longer continually be subordinated to economic interests. Not just in the Netherlands, but also beyond. We would therefore like to join forces with kindred spirits in other countries. The more animal welfare parties that are set up across the globe, the better.
Please visit their facinating website, http://www.partyfortheanimals.nl/ which has information how you can establish a political party for the animals, and the website is available in nine different languages. Their informative website has extensive information and videos as well.
They also list other countries with animal rights parties for you to research. United Kingdom; http://www.animalscount.org, Spain; Partido Antitaurino Contra el Maltrato Animal http://www.pacma.es, Portugal; Partido Pelos Animais E Natureza-PAN, http://www.pan.com.pt/, Italy; Partito Animalista Italiano, http;//www.partitoanimalista.it/, Germany; Tierschutzpartei Mench-Umwelt-Tierschutz, http://www. tierschutzpartei.de/, Austria; Tierschutzvereinigung-Barenstark fur Tierrechte, http://www.tierrechtspartei.at/, Switzerland; Tierpartei Schweitz {TPS} or Parti suisse por les animaux {PspA}, htpp://www.tierpartei.ch/, Denmark; Miljopartiet Fokus, http://www.partietfokus.dk/, Australia; Australian Animal Justice Party, http://www.animaljusticeparty.org, United States of America; Humane Party, http://www.humaneparty.net/portal.htm, Canada; Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada; http://www.environmentvoters.org/
In recent years, several political parties were founded world-wide that have as their main goal the improvement of animal welfare and the recognition of animal rights:
- The Human Environment Animal Welfare Party (in German: Partei Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz, in short: Tierschutzpartei) was founded in Germany, in 1993.
- The Party for the Animals (in Dutch: Partij voor de Dieren) was founded in the Netherlands in 2002. It is represented in parliament with two seats by Marianne Thieme and Esther Ouwehand.
- The Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada was formed by the Animal Alliance of Canada and its Environment Voters subsidiary in 2005.
- The Party Against Bullfighting, Cruelty and Mistreatment to Animals (in Spanish: PACMA, Partido Antitaurino Contra el Maltrato Animal).
- The Animals Count party was launched in the UK in 2006.
- The Animal Protection Party was founded in England in 2008.
- The Partito Animalista Europeo was founded in Italy in 2006.
- The Partito Animalista Italiano was founded in Italy in 2008.
- The Partido pelos Animais e pela Natureza was founded in Portugal in 2009.
- The Animal Justice Party was founded in Australia in 2010.
- Fokus was founded in Denmark in 2010, originally as a splinter group from the Danish People's Party.
- Political party for the animals just formed in Turkey and is the first one in the country
- The Animal Rights Party USA was founded in the United States in 2011. It is modeled after the Dutch Party for the Animals (PvdD). Like the PvdD, it is a political animal welfare organization that focuses on improving animal welfare and animal rights, and solving related environmental problems.
