View source for Association of Free Democrats

{{Short description|Liberal political alliance}}
{{Infobox political party
| native_name = Bund Freier Demokraten
| logo= Bund Freier Demokraten.svg
| leader = [[Jürgen Schmieder]]
| leader2_title = Parliamentary leader 
| leader2_name = [[Rainer Ortleb]] {{small|(The Liberal group)}}
| colorcode = {{party color|Association of Free Democrats}}
| foundation = 12 February 1990 {{small|(as electoral coalition)}}<br />27 March 1990 {{small|(as party)}}
| dissolution = 27 March 1990 {{small|(as electoral coalition)}}<br />12 August 1990 {{small|(as party)}}
| affiliation1_title = Member parties
| position = [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]]
| ideology = [[Liberalism]]
| affiliation1 = [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Liberal Democratic Party]]<br />[[Free Democratic Party (East Germany)]]<br />[[German Forum Party]]<br />[[National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany)|National-Democratic Party]] {{small|(after 27 March 1990)}}
| merged = [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]]
| slogan = "Freedom needs Work."<br />{{small|({{langx|de|"Freiheit braucht Leistung."}})}}<br>"You've had the left. You don't want the right. Vote for the strong center."<br />{{small|({{langx|de|"Links hatten Sie. Rechts wollen Sie nicht. Wählen Sie die starke Mitte."}})}}
| country = East Germany
}}
The '''Association of Free Democrats''' ({{langx|de|Bund Freier Demokraten}}) was a liberal electoral coalition, later party, formed in [[East Germany]] on 12 February 1990. It originally consisted of the [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Liberal Democratic Party]], the [[Free Democratic Party (East Germany)]] and the [[German Forum Party]]. In the [[Volkskammer]] [[1990 East German general election|election of the 18 March 1990]] the Association of Free Democrats, heavily supported by the West German [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]], polled 5.28% of the votes and gained 21 seats, all parties running on the same lists. Most of the seats went to [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Liberal Democratic Party]] members, whose leader [[Rainer Ortleb]] became their parliamentary leader. It then participated in the last GDR government led by [[Lothar de Maizière]].

On 27 March 1990, the [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Liberal Democratic Party]] and the [[National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany)|National Democratic Party of Germany]], previously excluded from the coalition, merged into the party ''Association of Free Democrats'', leaving their old identity as bloc parties behind. Ortleb was elected chairman, former NDPD leader [[Wolfgang Rauls]] became his deputy. Finally, on 11 August 1990 the Association of Free Democrats party, the [[Free Democratic Party (East Germany)]] and the [[German Forum Party]] merged with the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]].

==See also==
*[[Liberalism]]
*[[Contributions to liberal theory]]
*[[Liberalism worldwide]]
*[[List of liberal parties]]
*[[Liberal democracy]]
*[[Liberalism in Germany]]

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040103151117/http://www.chronikderwende.de/english/term.jsp?key=E_BFD Association of Free Democrats from ''chronik der wende'']
{{GDR political parties}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1990 establishments in East Germany]]
[[Category:1990 disestablishments in East Germany]]
[[Category:Defunct liberal political parties|Germany 1990]]
[[Category:Defunct political party alliances in Germany]]
[[Category:Free Democratic Party (Germany)]]
[[Category:Organizations of the Revolutions of 1989]]
[[Category:Peaceful Revolution]]
[[Category:Political opposition alliances]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1990]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1990]]
[[Category:Political parties in East Germany]]
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