View source for Bavaria Party

{{Outdated|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox political party
| country          = Bavaria
| abbreviation     = BP
| name             = Bavaria Party
| native_name      = Bayernpartei
| logo             = Bayernpartei Logo.svg
| flag             = Flag of Bavaria (lozengy).svg
| logo_size        = 150
| colorcode        = {{Political party data|color}}
| leader           = [[Florian Weber (politician)|Florian Weber]]
| youth_wing       = Young Bavarian Federation
| predecessor      = [[Bavarian People's Party]]<br />(not legal predecessor)
| foundation       = 28 October 1946
| ideology         = [[Bavarian nationalism]]<br>[[Separatism|Bavarian independence]]<br>[[Regionalism (politics)|Regionalism]]<br>[[Conservatism]]<ref name="Cambridge University Press">{{cite journal |title= The Semantics of Political Integration: Public Debates about the Term 'Expellees' in Post-War Western Germany |last1= Nachum |first1= Iris |last2= Schaefer |first2= Sagi |date= 14 December 2017 |journal= Contemporary European History |volume= 27 |pages= 42–58 |doi= 10.1017/S096077731700042X |doi-access= free }}</ref><br>[[Christian democracy]]
| membership       = 6,000 (2021)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpb.de/politik/wahlen/wer-steht-zur-wahl/bundestagswahl-2021/338944/bp|title=Bayernpartei (BP) - bpb|first=Bundeszentrale für politische|last=Bildung|date=2 September 2021 |publisher=bpb.de}}</ref>
| position         = [[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]]
| international    = 
| european         = [[European Free Alliance]]
| europarl         = 
| colours          = [[White]], [[Blue]]
| headquarters     = [[Munich]], [[Bavaria]]
| website          = {{Political party data|website}}
<!-- Values obtained from Wikidata; to edit, see https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q255857 -->
| seats1_title     = [[Bundestag]]
| seats1           = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ms-lower-house}}
| seats2_title     = [[German Bundesrat|Bundesrat]]
| seats2           = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ms-upper-house}}
| seats3_title     = [[2024 European Parliament election in Germany|European Parliament]]
| seats3           = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|EP}}
| seats4_title     = [[Landtag of Bavaria]]
| seats4           = {{Composition bar|0|203|hex=#386ABC}}
| seats5_title     = [[Regierungsbezirk|Bezirktags (Bavaria)]]
| seats5           = {{Composition bar|4|238|hex=#386ABC}}
}}

The '''Bavaria Party''' ({{langx|de|Bayernpartei}}, '''BP''') is an [[autonomism (political doctrine)|autonomist]],<ref name="Sorens2012">{{cite book|author=Jason Sorens|title=Secessionism: Identity, Interest, and Strategy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VvMr-x3xcFcC&pg=PA180|year=2012|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP|isbn=978-0-7735-3896-2|page=180}}</ref> [[regionalism (politics)|regionalist]]<ref name="Caramani2004">{{cite book|author=Daniele Caramani|title=The Nationalization of Politics: The Formation of National Electorates and Party Systems in Western Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ow95xksr_nMC&pg=PA303|year=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-53520-5|page=303}}</ref> and [[conservatism|conservative]]<ref name="Cambridge University Press"/> [[political party]] in the state of [[Bavaria]], Germany. The party was founded in 1946, describes itself as patriotic Bavarian and advocates for greater Bavarian autonomy or independence from Germany, while potentially remaining within the [[European Union]]. Together with the [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Christian Social Union]] (CSU), it can be seen as an heir to the [[Bavarian People's Party]] (BVP) which existed prior to the [[Nazi takeover]]. The party is a member of the [[European Free Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-f-a.org/whos-who/member-parties/|title=Member Parties|publisher=e-f-a.org}}</ref>

== History ==
The party had some successes at the [[election|polls]] in the late 1940s and 1950s: 20.9% of the votes in Bavaria in 1949 and 17 seats in the German [[Bundestag]] and, in 1950, 17.9% and 39 seats in the [[Bavaria|Bavarian]] state parliament where in 1954 it formed a coalition with the Bavarian branches of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD) and the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP). This forced the [[Christian Social Union in Bavaria|Christian Social Union]] (CSU) out of power for three years. 

Later, mainly caused by the [[1958_Bavarian_state_election#Casino_Affair |casino affair]], which was influenced by the CSU and its general secretary [[Friedrich Zimmermann]], the Bavaria Party rapidly lost voters. It still exists but was last elected to the Bavarian state parliament in 1962.

In the 2008 local elections, however, the party won 50 seats (compared to 32 in 2002), mostly in [[Upper Bavaria]], including one of the 80 seats in the City Council of [[Munich]], the capital of Bavaria, after 42 years of absence there. The Bavaria Party won one seat in the District Parliament of Upper Bavaria.<ref>[http://e-f-a.org/party.php?id=41 European Free Allianz, Bavaria Party local election] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927165708/http://e-f-a.org/party.php?id=41 |date=September 27, 2013 }}</ref>

== Chairman ==

The current chairman of the party is Florian Weber from [[Bad Aibling]] in [[Upper Bavaria]].

== Elections ==
In the 2018 elections for the [[Landtag of Bavaria|Bavarian Parliament]] the BP reached 1.7% of the voters' share. In  2013 they had gained 2.1%, the best result for the Bavaria Party since 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.landtagswahl2013.bayern.de/taba2990.html |title=Landtagswahl 2013 - Bayerisches Landesamt für Statistik und Datenverarbeitung |publisher=Landtagswahl2013.bayern.de |date=2002-07-01 |access-date=2013-12-20}}</ref>

After the elections of 2018, the Bavaria Party is represented in three administrative regions of Bavaria:

*[[Upper Bavaria]]: 2 seats (2013: 3)<ref>{{cite web|author=Bezirk Oberbayern - Wahlteam |url=http://www.bezirkstagswahl-oberbayern.de/ |title=Bezirkstagswahl Oberbayern |publisher=Bezirkstagswahl-oberbayern.de |access-date=2013-12-20}}</ref>
*[[Lower Bavaria]]: 1 seat (2013: 1)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnp.de/nachrichten/bayern/978486_Zwischenergebnis-der-niederbayerischen-Bezirkstagswahl.html |title=Bezirkswahl in Niederbayern: Fotos der neuen Bezirksräte |publisher=Pnp.de |access-date=2013-12-20 |archive-date=2016-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404125419/http://www.pnp.de/nachrichten/bayern/978486_Zwischenergebnis-der-niederbayerischen-Bezirkstagswahl.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Swabia (Bavaria)]]: 1 seat (2013: 1)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://landesverband.bayernpartei.de/2013/bezirkstagswahl-bp-vervielfacht-mandate/ |title=Bezirkstagswahl: BP vervielfacht Mandate {{pipe}} Bayernpartei |publisher=Landesverband.bayernpartei.de |access-date=2013-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220070725/http://landesverband.bayernpartei.de/2013/bezirkstagswahl-bp-vervielfacht-mandate/ |archive-date=2013-12-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Election results==

===Results from 1946===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year 
!Bavarian election (Landtag)<br /> Total
!German election (Bundestag) <br /> in Bavaria
!European Parliament
|-
|2025
|&nbsp;
|0.2%
|&nbsp;
|-
|2023
|0.9%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|2021
|&nbsp;
|0.4%
|&nbsp;
|-
|2019
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|0.9%
|-
|2018
|1.7%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|2017
|&nbsp;
|0.8%
|&nbsp;
|-
|2014
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|1.3%
|-
|2013
|2.1%
|0.9%
|&nbsp;
|-
|2009
|&nbsp;
|0.7%
|1.0%
|-
|2008
|1.1%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|2005 
|&nbsp;
|0.5%
|&nbsp;
|-
|2004
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|1.0%
|-
|2003 
|0.8%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|2002 
|&nbsp;
|0.1%
|&nbsp;
|-
|1999
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|0.4%
|-
|1998
|0.7%
|0.4%
|&nbsp;
|-
|1994
|1.0%
|0.6%
|1.6%
|-
|1990
|0.8%
|0.5%
|&nbsp;
|-
|1989
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|0.8%
|-
|1987
|&nbsp;
|0.4%
|&nbsp;
|-
|1986
|0.6%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1984
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|0.6%
|-
|1982
|0.5%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1978
|0.4%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1974
|0.8%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1970
|1.3%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1969
|&nbsp;
|0.9%
|&nbsp;
|-
|1966
|3.4%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1962
|4.8%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1958
|8.1%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1954
|13.2%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1953
|&nbsp;
|9.2%
|&nbsp;
|-
|1950
|17.9%
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|-
|1949
|&nbsp;
|20.9%
|&nbsp;
|}

===Landtag of Bavaria===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! # of<br />constituency votes
! # of<br />party list votes
! % of<br />overall votes
! # of<br />overall seats won
! +/–
|-
! [[2003 Bavaria state election|2003]]
|44,572
|32,818
| 0.8
| {{Composition bar|0|180|hex=#6699FF}}
| {{steady}}
|-
! [[2008 Bavaria state election|2008]]
|60,815
|55,649
| 1.1 {{increase}}
| {{Composition bar|0|187|hex=#6699FF}}
| {{steady}}
|-
! [[2013 Bavaria state election|2013]]
|137,323
|110,177
| 2.1 {{increase}}
| {{Composition bar|0|180|hex=#6699FF}}
| {{steady}}
|-
! [[2018 Bavaria state election|2018]]
|122,417
|109,513
| 1.7 {{decrease}}
| {{Composition bar|0|180|hex=#6699FF}}
| {{steady}}
|-
! [[2023 Bavarian state election|2023]]
|72,325
|57,155
| 0.9 {{decrease}}
| {{Composition bar|0|180|hex=#6699FF}}
| {{steady}}
|}

{{Politics of Germany}}{{Politics of Bavaria}}

== See also ==
*[[List of political parties in Germany]]
*[[List of active separatist movements in Europe]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Chairmen Bavaria Party}}
{{Members of the European Free Alliance}}
{{Bavaria state elections}}
{{Parties of Germany}}
{{Authority control}}

== External links ==
*{{official|http://www.bayernpartei.de }} {{in lang|de}}

[[Category:Conservative parties in Germany]]
[[Category:Politics of Bavaria]]
[[Category:Catholic political parties]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in Germany]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1946]]
[[Category:Separatism in Germany]]
[[Category:Secessionist organizations in Europe]]
[[Category:Regional parties in Germany]]
[[Category:Eurosceptic parties in Germany]]
[[Category:European Free Alliance]]
[[Category:Bavarian nationalism]]
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