Liberal International

Liberal International

Liberal International logo
Abbreviation LI
Formation April 1947, constituted with the Oxford Manifesto
Type Federation
Purpose World federation of liberal political parties and organisations
Headquarters National Liberal Club
Location
  • London
Region served
 Worldwide
Membership
 104 (From October 2009)
President
 Juli Minoves
Main organ
 Congress of Liberal International
Website http://www.liberal-international.org

Liberal International (LI) is a political international federation for liberal political parties.

Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the strengthening of liberalism around the world. The Oxford Manifesto describes the basic political principles of the Liberal International.

Aims

The Liberal International Constitution (2005) gives its purposes as

to win general acceptance of Liberal principles which are international in their nature throughout the world, and to foster the growth of a free society based on personal liberty, personal responsibility and social justice, and to provide the means of co-operation and interchange of information between the member organisations, and between men and women of all countries who accept these principles.

The principles that unite member parties from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe are: respect for human rights, free and fair elections and multi-party democracy, social justice, tolerance, free market economy, free trade, environmental sustainability and a strong sense of international solidarity.

The aims of Liberal International are also set out in a series of seven manifestos, written between 1946 and 1997 and are furthered by a variety of bodies including a near yearly conference for liberal parties and individuals from around the world.[1]

Bureau

The 13th president of Liberal International is Juli Minoves of the Liberal Party of Andorra (PLA), former Andorra's foreign minister and representative to the United Nations. Minoves succeeded to Hans van Baalen, leader of the delegation and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence for the Dutch People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the European Parliament.

Former Presidents include Lord John Alderdice, Dutch politician and former European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein, German politician Otto Graf Lambsdorff, and Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the Franco dictatorship Adolfo Suárez.

Other members of the bureau include Deputy President Helen Zille, and Vice Presidents Cecilia Wikström MEP, Dzhevdet Chakarov MP, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, Kasit Piromya, Markus Löning, and treasurers Robert Woodthorpe Browne MBE and Mr Shih-chung Liu. The secretary general is Emil Kirjas, a former president of the International Federation of Liberal Youth.

Publications

Liberal International has two main publications:

Oxford Manifesto

The Oxford Manifesto, drawn up in April 1947 at Wadham College in Oxford by representatives from nineteen liberal political parties, led by Salvador de Madariaga, is a document describing the basic political principles of the Liberal International.[3]

The Oxford Manifesto was inspired by the ideas of Lord William Beveridge and is regarded as one of the defining political documents of the twentieth century.

Fifty years on, in 1997, Liberal International returned to Oxford and issued a supplement to the original manifesto, The Liberal Agenda for the 21st century, describing Liberal policies in greater detail. The second Oxford Manifesto was adopted by the 48th Congress of Liberal International, which was held on 27–30 November 1997 in the Oxford Town Hall.[4]

Members

Full members

Country Name Government Notes
 Andorra Liberal Party of Andorra senior party in government coalition
 Belgium Reform Movement in government coalition
 Belgium Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats junior party in government coalition
 Botswana Botswana Movement for Democracy extraparliamentary opposition
 Bulgaria Movement for Rights and Freedoms in opposition
 Bulgaria National Movement for Stability and Progress extraparliamentary opposition
 Burkina Faso Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally in opposition
 Burundi Alliance Démocratique pour le Renouveau in opposition
 Cambodia Cambodia National Rescue Party[5] in coalition government
 Canada Liberal Party of Canada[6] in opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Alliance pour le Renouveau du Congo junior party in government coalition
 Côte d'Ivoire Rally of the Republicans in government
 Croatia Croatian Social Liberal Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Cuba Cuban Liberal Union in exile
 Cuba Democratic Solidarity Party in exile
 Cuba National Liberal Party in exile
 Denmark Danish Social Liberal Party junior party in government coalition
 Denmark Liberal Party in opposition
 Egypt Free Egyptians Party N/A
 Estonia Estonian Reform Party senior party in government coalition
 Finland Centre Party in opposition
 Finland Swedish People's Party junior party in government coalition
 Georgia Republican Party of Georgia in government
 Germany German Group of the LI N/A
 Germany Free Democratic Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Gibraltar Liberal Party junior party in government coalition
 Guatemala Patriotic Party senior party in government coalition
 Guinea Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea in opposition
 Guinea Union of Republican Forces in opposition
 Honduras Liberal Party in opposition
 Iceland Progressive Party in government coalition
 Israel Israeli Liberal Group N/A
 Kosovo Independent Liberal Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Lebanon Future Movement junior party in government coalition
 Luxembourg Democratic Party in government coalition
 Macedonia Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Madagascar Movement for the Progress of Madagascar in opposition
 Mexico New Alliance Party in opposition
 Mongolia Civil Will-Green Party junior party in government coalition
 Morocco Constitutional Union in opposition
 Morocco Popular Movement junior party in government coalition
 Netherlands Democrats 66 in opposition
 Netherlands Dutch Group of LI N/A
 Netherlands People's Party for Freedom and Democracy[7] senior party in government coalition
 Nicaragua Independent Liberal Party in opposition
 Norway Liberal Party in opposition
 Paraguay Authentic Radical Liberal Party in opposition
 Philippines Liberal Party in government
 Romania National Liberal Party in opposition
 Russia Yabloko extraparliamentary opposition
 Senegal Senegalese Democratic Party in opposition
 South Africa Democratic Alliance in opposition
 Spain Llibertat i Democràcia Liberal foundation linked to Democratic Convergence of Catalonia[8]
 Sri Lanka Liberal Party of Sri Lanka in opposition
 Sweden Liberal People's Party in oppostion
 Sweden Centre Party in opposition
 Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party in opposition
 Tanzania Civic United Front in opposition / in coalition in autonomous region of Zanzibar
 Thailand Democrat Party in opposition
 United Kingdom Alliance Party of Northern Ireland in opposition in the House of Commons / in power-sharing government in the Northern Ireland Assembly
 United Kingdom Liberal International British Group N/A
 United Kingdom Liberal Democrats junior party in government coalition

Observer parties

Country Name Government Notes
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Brazil Brazilian Group of Liberal International N/A affiliated to Democratas, Rio Grande do Sul
 Burma National League for Democracy in opposition
 Chile Liberal Party of Chile[9] opposition
 Colombia Social Party of National Unity[10] in government
 Comoros Alliance Nationale pour les Comores extraparliamentary opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Union pour la Réconstruction du Congo in opposition
 Croatia Istrian Democratic Assembly[11] junior partner in government coalition
 Cyprus United Democrats extraparliamentary opposition
 Ethiopia Ethiopian Democratic Party in opposition
 Guatemala Reform Movement in opposition
 Indonesia Democratic Party in opposition
 Ireland Fianna Fáil in opposition
 Isle of Man Liberal Vannin Party in opposition
 Italy Italian Liberal Group N/A
 Malaysia Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia junior party in government coalition Part of the Barisan Nasional
 Malaysia People's Justice Party in opposition Part of the Pakatan Rakyat
 Mali Citizens' Party for the Renewal of Mali extraparliamentary opposition
 Moldova Liberal Reformist Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Montenegro Liberal Party of Montenegro in opposition
 Morocco National Rally of Independents junior party in government coalition
 Mozambique Party for Peace, Democracy, and Development extraparliamentary opposition
 Serbia Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Singapore Singapore Democratic Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Spain Individual Freedom Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Ukraine Ukraine of the Future in opposition

Cooperating organisations

Liberal think tanks and foundations

The International is also in a loose association with the following organisations:

Individual members

The International has currently only individual member and founding chairman of Democratic Party (Hong Kong):

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Constitution – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "LI News Subscribe – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "Oxford Manifesto 1947 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Oxford Manifesto 1997 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. 30 November 1997. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Full Members". Liberal-International.org. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
  6. ↑ "Liberal Party of Canada Welcomes Liberal International to 2009 Convention". Liberal Party of Canada. March 6, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  7. ↑ (Dutch) VVD is a member of LI
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Partido Liberal de Chile ingresa a la Internacional Liberal durante reunión in Guatemala" (in Spanish). Partido Liberal de Chile. October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Partido de la U - Colombia - Observer Members - Members - Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  11. ↑ "Observer Members". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 2014-06-22.

External links