Christian Electoral Community
Encyclopedia
Christian Electoral Community (German language
: Christliche Wählergemeinschaft, CWG) is a Christian
ultra-conservative
political grouping in Austria
. The CWG was formed on December 8, 1989 in Mariazell
, by voters who thought the conservative ÖVP
was too leftist. The CWG defines itself as a party of the Christian centre.
As of 2006, the party is led by Karl Angerer
.
The CWG promotes military neutrality
and sees environmental protection
as the protection of God
's creation. The group is pro-life
and strongly opposes abortion
. Other tenets include opposition to the EU and its expansion, pornography
, genetic engineering
, nuclear energy
, heavy freight transportation (Transitverkehr) and euthanasia
.
. It got 2009 votes (1.02% of the votes in Vorarlberg, 0.04% of the national vote). In the municipal elections of Vienna
in 2005 the CWG did not participate, but recommended users to vote for the far-right FPÖ
under Heinz-Christian Strache
.
There has been some speculation that the CWG might fuse itself with the FPÖ. Contacts to the ÖVP also exist: for example, in the Viennese elections of 2005, anti-abortionist Gudrun Kugler-Lang was allowed to run on the ÖVP list.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Christliche Wählergemeinschaft, CWG) is a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
ultra-conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
political grouping in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The CWG was formed on December 8, 1989 in Mariazell
Mariazell
Mariazell is a small city in Austria, in Styria, well known for winter sports, 143 km N. of Graz. It is picturesquely situated in the valley of the Salza, amid the north Styrian Alps....
, by voters who thought the conservative ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
was too leftist. The CWG defines itself as a party of the Christian centre.
As of 2006, the party is led by Karl Angerer
Karl Angerer
Karl Angerer is a German bobsledder who has competed since 1999. He won a gold medal in the mixed bobsleigh-skeleton team event at the 2007 FIBT World Championships in St. Moritz....
.
The CWG promotes military neutrality
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
and sees environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
as the protection of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's creation. The group is pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and strongly opposes abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. Other tenets include opposition to the EU and its expansion, pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
, nuclear energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, heavy freight transportation (Transitverkehr) and euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
.
Elections
In the 2002 parliamentary elections CWG had candidates only in VorarlbergVorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
. It got 2009 votes (1.02% of the votes in Vorarlberg, 0.04% of the national vote). In the municipal elections of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 2005 the CWG did not participate, but recommended users to vote for the far-right FPÖ
FPO
FPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
under Heinz-Christian Strache
Heinz-Christian Strache
Heinz-Christian Strache is an Austrian politician, member of parliament, former member of the Vienna city council and political leader of the Freedom Party of Austria . He is a right-wing politician and an efficient populist...
.
There has been some speculation that the CWG might fuse itself with the FPÖ. Contacts to the ÖVP also exist: for example, in the Viennese elections of 2005, anti-abortionist Gudrun Kugler-Lang was allowed to run on the ÖVP list.