Labour Party (Lithuania)
| Labour Party Darbo Partija | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Vytautas Gapšys |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Ankštoji g. 3, Vilnius |
| Membership | 15,500 (July 2011)[1] |
| Ideology |
Centrism, Social liberalism,[2] Populism[3] |
| Political position | Centre |
| International affiliation | Alliance of Democrats |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| European Parliament group | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| Colours | Blue, White |
| Seats in the Seimas |
29 / 141 |
| Seats in the European Parliament |
1 / 12 |
| Website | |
| www.darbopartija.lt | |
|
Politics of Lithuania Political parties Elections | |
The Labour Party (Lithuanian: Darbo Partija, DP) is a centrist and populist[3] political party in Lithuania. It was founded in 2003 by the Russian-born millionaire Viktor Uspaskich.
In its first electoral test, the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections, it was by far the most successful party gaining 30.2% of the vote and returning 5 MEPs. It joined the European Democratic Party and thus the group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. At the 2004 legislative elections, the party won 28.4% of the popular vote and 39 out of 141 seats, making it the largest single party in the Parliament of Lithuania. After the election Labour formed a coalition government with the Social Democrats and New Union.
At the legislative elections of 2008 the party that had entered into a coalition with the Youth party lost heavily, retaining only 10 seats in the Seimas from its previous 39 and obtaining 9% of the national vote. As its other coalition partner, New Union (Social Liberals) also lost heavily, the coalition they were forming with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania collapsed. The party was left in opposition after a new centre-right coalition, led by Andrius Kubilius who became prime minister for a second time, and formed of Homeland Union, National Resurrection Party and Liberals' Movement of the Republic of Lithuania took over, gaining a combined governmental majority of 72 out of 141 seats.
In 2011, the New Union (Social Liberals) merged with the party.[4] In May 2012, the Labour Party joined the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party.[5]
Footnotes
- ↑
- ↑ Nordsieck, Wolfram, "Lithuania", Parties and Elections in Europe, retrieved 10 September 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ramonaitė, Ainė (2006), "The Development of the Lithuanian Party System: From Stability to Perturbation", Post-Communist EU Member States: Parties And Party Systems (Ashgate): 76
- ↑ (Lithuanian) "Naujoji sąjunga prisijungė prie Darbo partijos". atn.lt. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ↑ (Lithuanian) "Darbo partija tapo Europos liberalų demokratų ir reformų partijos nare". Delfi. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
External links
| |||||||||||
