For Fatherland and Freedom
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For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK) is a nationalistic political party in Latvia.
The roots of the party are in the Latvian independence movement of late 1980s, namely, the more radical part of the movement, which insisted on full independence for Latvia and the legal continuity with the Republic of Latvia which existed until 1940 when it was occupied by Soviet Union. Both of those ideas were later adopted by mainstream independence movement.
The present party was established in 1993 under the name Tēvzemei un Brīvībai. In 1997, it merged with LNNK (Latvijas Nacionālās Neatkarības Kustība, Latvian National Independence Movement) party and adopted Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK as its official name.
In 1990s, Tēvzemei un Brīvībai fought for strict language and citizenship laws. It was the leading force behind two referendum propositions (in 1994 and 1998) to make Latvian citizenship laws stricter. In 1994, the proposition did not gather the necessary number of voter signatures. In 1998, the proposition was defeated in a referendum, by a relatively small margin (45% voters supporting the change and 52% rejecting it). In the end of 1990s and early 2000s, the party shifted its focus to economic issues, as the language and citizenship issues were largely resolved.
Tēvzemei un Brīvībai has been represented in the Latvian parliament since 1993. It has had
- 15 seats for LNNK and 6 seats for Tēvzemei un Brīvībai in 1993 election.
- 14 seats for Tēvzemei un Brīvībai and 7 seats for LNNK in 1995 election.
- 17 seats in 1998 election.
- 7 seats in 2002 election.
- 8 seats in 2006 election.
At the legislative elections, 5 october 2002, the party won 5.4 % of the popular vote and 7 out of 100 seats.
Tēvzemei un Brīvībai was a part of coalition governments from December 1995 to February 2004. From 1997 to 1998, its representative, Guntars Krasts, was the prime minister. From February 2004 until November 2006, the party was in the opposition. Though it only gained 8 seats in the 2006 elections, the party was invited to become part of the ruling coalition, and it agreed to join. [1]
Tēvzemei un Brīvībai is a part of the Union for a Europe of Nations in the European Parliament. It campaigned as a strong supporter of Latvia's national interests and opponent of federal Europe. Tēvzemei un Brīvībai won 29% of vote and 4 of Latvia's 9 seats in 2004 European Parliament elections.
