Hanoverian Union Party
Hanoverian Union Party Hannoveraner Unionspartei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | HUP |
| Leader | Markus Thierse |
| Deputy Leader | Julian Eichhorn |
| President | Christian Brockhaus |
| Westminster Leader | Karoline Braune |
| Chief Executive | Monica Strauch |
| Founded | 5 December 1924 |
| Headquarters | Hanover, Hanover |
| Student wing | Students for HUP |
| Youth wing | HUP Youth |
| Women's wing | Women for HUP |
| Membership (2021) | 215,000 |
| Ideology | British unionism Regionalism Pro-Europeanism Classical liberalism Classical liberalism Economic liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| European affiliation | European People's Party Group |
| International affiliation | International Democrat Union |
| Colors | Yellow Red |
| Slogan | A Stronger Union |
| House of Commons (Hanoverian seats) | 27 / 32
|
| House of Lords | 101 / 780
|
| Hanoverian Parliament | 101 / 137
|
| Local government in Hanover | 341 / 520
|
The Hanoverian Union Party (German: Hannoveraner Unionspartei)) is a unionist and centre-right political party in Hanover. The HUP supports and campaigns for a continuation of the union with the United Kingdom, the country's membership of the European Union, aswell as for local governance to some extent. It is the largest and the traditionally dominant party in Hanover, with a consistently large amount of seats in the Hanoverian Parliament, along with 27 out of 32 of the Hanoverian seats in the House of Commons. The HUP is otherwise the second largest party in the United Kingdom behind the Labour Party, followed by the Conservative Party, and the Scottish National Party.
Founded in 1924 in response to the passing of the Kingdom of Hanover Act 1924, it has since maintained an unbroken parliamentary representation in the House of Commons, while also consistently being the largest and dominant party in the Hanoverian Parliament. Since gaining power at the 1927 Hanoverian Parliament election, the party has since remained on the government side in the subsequent elections and has otherwise never served as the opposition since its inception. Nevertheless, at the 1991 election, the party fell to its lowest share of seats in history with only 94 out of 137 seats, while its largest share of seats in history is at the 1927 election, where the party gained a total amount of 115 out of 127 seats contested.
In general, the HUP is the largest party in Hanover, in terms of both seats in the Westminster and Hanover parliaments, aswell as membership, with a total amount of 215,000 members as of May 2021. In addition to that, it currently has 27 Members of Parliament (MPs), 101 members of the House of Lords, 101 Members of the Hanoverian Parliament (MHPs), and approximately 341 local councillors. It is also a member of both the International Democrat Union and the European People's Party Group.