Homeland Union

For the Libyan political party, see Union for Homeland.
Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats
Leader Gabrielius Landsbergis
Founded May 1993
Headquarters 11 L.Stuokos-Gucevičiaus g., Vilnius
Membership 16,500 (the end of 2010)[1]
Ideology Pro-Europeanism
Conservatism[2]
Christian democracy[2]
National conservatism[3]
Liberal conservatism[4]
Economic liberalism[5]
Nationalism[6]
Political position Centre-right[7][8][9] to
Right-wing[5][10][11]
Religion Roman Catholic
International affiliation International Democrat Union
European affiliation European People's Party
European Parliament group European People's Party
Colours Blue, green
Seats in the Seimas
33 / 141
Seats in the European Parliament
2 / 11
Municipal councils
253 / 1,473
Website
http://www.tsajunga.lt
Politics of Lithuania
Political parties
Elections

The Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (Lithuanian: Tėvynės sąjunga - Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai, TS-LKD), before 2008 Homeland Union (Conservatives, Political Prisoners and the Exiled, Christian Democrats) or TS, is a centre-right political party in Lithuania. It has 18,000 members and 33 of 141 seats in the Seimas.

It is the main centre-right party, with a particularly liberal conservative[4] and Christian democratic,[2] but also nationally oriented[3][6] and economically liberal, ideology.[5] Its current leader is Andrius Kubilius. It is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and the International Democrat Union (IDU).

History

It was founded in May 1993 by the right wing of the Reform Movement of Lithuania, led by Vytautas Landsbergis, who had led Lithuania to independence. In the 1996 national elections, it secured 40% of the vote and returned 70 deputies to the Seimas, but, in 2000, it was reduced to 8.6% and 9 deputies.

After Lithuania's admission to the European Union in 2004, it won two seats in the election to the European Parliament, one of whom was Vytautas Landsbergis, who sit in the EPP-ED Group. At the 2004 election to the Seimas, the party won 14.6% of the popular vote and 25 out of 141 seats.

Until the merger with Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees and Right Union of Lithuania), it was known just as Homeland Union (Lithuanian Conservatives). The last change of the name was a result of the merger with the Lithuanian Nationalist Union on 11 March 2008, and the Lithuanian Christian Democrats on 17 May 2008, after which the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats became Lithuania's largest party with more than 18,000 members.

At the 2008 legislative election, Homeland Union won 19.69% of the national vote and 45 seats in the Seimas: 20 more than in 2004. Becoming the largest party in the Seimas, it formed a coalition government with the Liberal Movement, Liberal and Centre Union, and National Resurrection Party. Together, they held a majority of 80 out of 141 seats in the Seimas, and the Homeland Union's leader, Andrius Kubilius, became Prime Minister for a second time.

In June 2011, the Lithuanian Nationalist Union declared its withdrawal from the party.[12]

Support for the party plummeted in the 2012 election, and it was excluded from the government.

References

  1. ↑ Daugiausiai nario mokesčio surinko socdemai - 643 tūkst. Lt
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nordsieck, Wolfram, "Lithuania", Parties and Elections, retrieved 18 March 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bakke, Elisabeth (2010), "Central and East European party systems since 1989", Central and Southeast European Politics Since 1989 (Cambridge University Press): 79, retrieved 17 November 2011
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bugajski, Janusz (2002), Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-Communist Era, M.E. Sharpe, p. 141
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ramonaitė, Ainė (2006), "The Development of the Lithaunian Party System: From Stability to Perturbation", Post-Communist EU Member States: Parties and Party Systems (Ashgate): 75
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clark, Terry D. (2006), "Nationalism in Post-Soviet Lithuania: New Approaches for the Nation of "Innocent Sufferers"", After Independence: Making and Protecting the Nation in Postcolonial and Postcommunist States (University of Michigan Press)
  7. ↑ Sužiedėlis, Saulius (2011), "Union of the Fatherland", Historical Dictionary of Lithuania (Scarecrow Press): 308
  8. ↑ Duvold, Kjetil; Jurkynas, Mindaugas (2004), "Lithuania", The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe (Edward Elgar Publishing): 163
  9. ↑ Day, Alan John; East, Roger; Thomas, Richard (2002), "Homeland Union–Lithuanian Conservatives", A Political and Economic Dictionary of Eastern Europe (Routledge): 253
  10. ↑ "Lithuanian election: Right-wing Homeland Union party poised to win", The Telegraph, 13 October 2008, retrieved 18 March 2012
  11. ↑ Jeffries, Ian (2004), The Countries of the Former Soviet Union at the Turn of the Twenty-first Century: The Baltic and European states in transition, Routledge, p. 224
  12. ↑

External links