This is a list of social democratic and democratic socialist parties which have governed countries, whether as the ruling party or as a member of a governing coalition. Most of these parties were members of the Socialist International.
The following is a list of democratic socialist or partially democratic socialist parties which are currently being represented in the legislature of their country. It does not include democratic socialist parties that are mainly social democratic and are considered to their right within the centre-left.
Sinn Féin is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, also called the Swiss Socialist Party, is a political party in Switzerland. The SP has had two representatives on the Federal Council since 1960 and received the second-highest number of votes in the 2023 Swiss federal election.
The Workers' Party is an Irish republican, Marxist–Leninist communist party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia is a social democratic political party, and the main centre-left party in North Macedonia. The party is pro-European.
The Party of the European Left (PEL), or European Left (EL), is a European political party that operates as an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of running in the 2004 European Parliament elections. The PEL was founded on 8–9 May 2004 in Rome. The elected MEPs from member parties of the PEL sit in The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament, though not all PEL members are also members of GUE/NGL.
Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited government and an overall more laissez-faire style of governance. While both are committed to personal freedoms, social liberalism places greater emphasis on the role of government in addressing social inequalities and ensuring public welfare.
Liberalism in Europe is a political movement that supports a broad tradition of individual liberties and constitutionally-limited and democratically accountable government. These European derivatives of classical liberalism are found in centrist movements and parties, as well as some parties on the centre-left and the centre-right.
Left-wing populism, also called social populism, is a political ideology that combines left-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric often includes elements of anti-elitism, opposition to the Establishment, and speaking for the "common people". Recurring themes for left-wing populists include economic democracy, social justice, and skepticism of globalization. Socialist theory plays a lesser role than in traditional left-wing ideologies.
Democratic socialism is a left-wing economic and political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within a market socialist, decentralised planned, or democratic centrally planned socialist economy. Democratic socialists argue that capitalism is inherently incompatible with the values of freedom, equality, and solidarity and that these ideals can only be achieved through the realisation of a socialist society. Although most democratic socialists seek a gradual transition to socialism, democratic socialism can support revolutionary or reformist politics to establish socialism. Democratic socialism was popularised by socialists who opposed the backsliding towards a one-party state in the Soviet Union and other countries during the 20th century.
Ertuğrul Kürkçü is a Turkish politician, socialist activist and the current Honorary President of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) as of 22 June 2014 and Honorary Associate of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as of 8 October 2018.
People Before Profit–Solidarity is a left-wing electoral alliance in Ireland. It was formed by members of two socialist political parties, People Before Profit (PBP) and Solidarity. Solidarity was known as the Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) until 2017. Since September 2019, the alliance also included the RISE party, founded by Paul Murphy. In early 2021, RISE became fully integrated into PBP. The alliance was formed in 2015 and replaced AAA and PBP in Ireland's official register of political parties; however, each entity retains its separate organisation and identity, and the PBP also retains its own registration in Northern Ireland. The alliance was created with the intent to obtain more speaking rights for its constituent members in Dáil Éireann after the 2016 Irish general election.
Democratic socialism represents the modernist development of socialism and its outspoken support for democracy. The origins of democratic socialism can be traced back to 19th-century utopian socialist thinkers and the Chartist movement in Great Britain, which somewhat differed in their goals but shared a common demand of democratic decision making and public ownership of the means of production, and viewed these as fundamental characteristics of the society they advocated for. Democratic socialism was also heavily influenced by the gradualist form of socialism promoted by the British Fabian Society and Eduard Bernstein's evolutionary socialism.
Sinn Féin is a 32-County party striving for an end to partition on the island of Ireland and the establishment of a democratic socialist republic.
The pro-Kurdish democratic socialist Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) [...].
Die Linke describe themselves as the party of democratic socialism [...].
New Democratic Party (NDP), French Nouveau Parti Démocratique, Canadian democratic socialist political party favouring a mixed public-private economy, broadened social benefits, and an internationalist foreign policy.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation in its world outlook and traditions is essentially a socialist, democratic, and revolutionary party.