List of political parties in Lithuania
Encyclopedia
This article lists political parties in Lithuania.
Lithuania
has a multi-party system
with numerous political parties
, in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition government
s. , there are 37 political parties registered with the Ministry of Justice
.
. Of them, six are also represented in the European Parliament
.
The current government is a centre-right
one, formed between the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the Liberal and Centre Union
, and the Liberal Movement under the leadership of the Homeland Union's Andrius Kubilius
. Together, they have 71 seats: giving them a majority of one in the 141-seat Seimas.
Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
has a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
with numerous political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
s. , there are 37 political parties registered with the Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Lithuania)
The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania was established in 1918. Its departments include European Law, prisons, state-guaranteed legal aid services in several major Lithuania cities, a patent bureau, consumer rights protection, the Law Institute, the Metrology Inspectorate, state...
.
Current parties in the parliament
There are currently nine parties represented in the SeimasSeimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
. Of them, six are also represented in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
The current government is a centre-right
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
one, formed between the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats, the Liberal and Centre Union
Liberal and Centre Union
The Liberal and Centre Union , abbreviated to LiCS, is a centre-right, liberal and conservative liberal political party in Lithuania. The party has thirteen seats in the Seimas, making it the fourth-largest party in the legislature....
, and the Liberal Movement under the leadership of the Homeland Union's Andrius Kubilius
Andrius Kubilius
Andrius Kubilius is a Lithuanian politician who has been Prime Minister of Lithuania since 2008. He previously served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000. He is the leader of the conservative political party Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats.- Biography :Kubilius was born at Vilnius...
. Together, they have 71 seats: giving them a majority of one in the 141-seat Seimas.
| Name | Leader | Ideology | Seimas Seimas The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation... |
MEPs Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,... |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats Tėvynės sąjunga - Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai |
TS-LKD | Andrius Kubilius Andrius Kubilius Andrius Kubilius is a Lithuanian politician who has been Prime Minister of Lithuania since 2008. He previously served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000. He is the leader of the conservative political party Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats.- Biography :Kubilius was born at Vilnius... |
Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
46 | 4 | |
| Social Democratic Party of Lithuania Social Democratic Party of Lithuania The Social Democratic Party of Lithuania is a centre-left and social democratic political party in Lithuania. It is the oldest party in Lithuania, founded in 1896. The party's president since 2009 is Algirdas Butkevičius. The party led a minority government in the unicameral Seimas, Lithuania's... Lietuvos Socialdemokratų Partija |
LSDP | Algirdas Butkevičius Algirdas Butkevičius Algirdas Butkevičius is a Lithuanian politician. He was the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania's candidate at the Lithuanian presidential election, 2009, coming in the second place with 11.83% of the votes. In 1996 and 2000, he was elected to the Seimas... |
Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... |
24 | 3 | |
| Order and Justice Tvarka ir teisingumas |
TT | Rolandas Paksas Rolandas Paksas Rolandas Paksas is a Lithuanian politician who was President of Lithuania from 2003 to 2004. He was previously Prime Minister of Lithuania in 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001, and he also served as Mayor of Vilnius from 1997 to 1999 and again from 2000 to 2001... |
National liberalism National liberalism National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining nationalism with some liberal policies, especially regarding economic liberalism. The roots of it are to be found in the 19th century, when conservative liberalism was the ideology of the political classes in most European countries, then... |
14 | 2 | |
| Liberal and Centre Union Liberal and Centre Union The Liberal and Centre Union , abbreviated to LiCS, is a centre-right, liberal and conservative liberal political party in Lithuania. The party has thirteen seats in the Seimas, making it the fourth-largest party in the legislature.... Liberalų ir Centro Sąjunga |
LiCS | Gintautas Babravičius | Conservative liberalism Conservative liberalism Conservative liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or, more simply, representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.... |
13 | 0 | |
| Liberal Movement Liberalų Sąjūdis |
LS | Eligijus Masiulis | Conservative liberalism Conservative liberalism Conservative liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or, more simply, representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.... |
12 | 1 | |
| Labour Party Labour Party (Lithuania) The Labour Party , or DP, is a centrist political party in Lithuania. It was founded in 2003 by the Russian-born millionaire Viktor Uspaskich.... Darbo Partija |
DP | Viktor Uspaskich Viktor Uspaskich Viktor Uspaskich is a Russian born Lithuanian entrepreneur, professional welder and politician.-Early life:He arrived in Lithuanian SSR in 1985 and worked as a welder in the gas industry... |
Centrism Centrism In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between... |
11 | 1 | |
| Christian Party Christian Party (Lithuania) The Christian Party is a centre-right political party in Lithuania. The Christian Party was founded on 23 January 2010 as a merger of the Christian Conservative Social Union and the Christian Democratic Party .The party has ten members in the Seimas... Krikščionių Partija |
KP | Gediminas Vagnorius Gediminas Vagnorius Gediminas Vagnorius is a Lithuanian politician and signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. He served as the Prime Minister of Lithuania between 1991 and 1992, and again from 1996 until 1999.... |
Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
8 | 0 | |
| Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania Lietuvos Lenkų Rinkimų Akcija |
AWPL | Waldemar Tomaszewski | Polish minority, Conservatism Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
3 | 1 | |
| Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union Lietuvos Valstiečių Liaudininkų Sąjunga |
LVLS | Ramūnas Karbaukis | Agrarianism Agrarianism Agrarianism has two common meanings. The first meaning refers to a social philosophy or political philosophy which values rural society as superior to urban society, the independent farmer as superior to the paid worker, and sees farming as a way of life that can shape the ideal social values... |
3 | 0 |
Minor parties
- Civic Democratic PartyCivic Democratic Party (Lithuania)The Civic Democratic Party is a liberal conservative political party in Lithuania.- External links :*...
(Pilietinės demokratijos partija) - Lithuanian Centre PartyLithuanian Centre PartyLithuanian Centre Party is a political party in Lithuania. It is not represented in the parliament, but has had representatives at the municipal level. The leader of the party is Romualdas Ozolas....
(Lietuvos centro partija) - Lithuanian National Union (Lietuvių tautininkų sąjunga)
- Lithuanian Union of Russians (Lietuvos rusų sąjunga)
- Russian Alliance (Rusų aljansas)
- Socialist People's FrontSocialist People's FrontThe Socialist People's Front is a political party in Lithuania formed out of the December 19, 2009, merger of the Front Party and Lithuanian Socialist Party. Held at Vilnius University, the party's foundation featured 102 delegates. The merger was approved by an affirmative vote of 96 delegates,...
(Socialistinis liaudies frontas)
Former parties
- Centre Union of LithuaniaCentre Union of LithuaniaCentre Union of Lithuania was a social liberal political party in Lithuania that existed between 1993 and 2003. It was established by the centre-fraction in Sąjūdis...
(Lietuvos centro sąjunga) - Christian Conservative Social UnionChristian Conservative Social UnionThe Christian Conservative Social Union was a centre-right, Christian-conservative, political party in Lithuania.At the legislative elections on 10 October 2004, the party won 2.0% of the popular vote and no seats....
(Krikščionių konservatorių socialinė sąjunga) - Democratic Labour Party of LithuaniaDemocratic Labour Party of LithuaniaDemocratic Labour Party of Lithuania was a social democratic political party in Lithuania, that emerged out of the Lithuanian section of the CPSU in December 1989 LDDP was led by Algirdas Brazauskas, the first president of independent Lithuania. Because Brazauskas was elected as the first...
(Lietuvos demokratine darbo partija) - Front (Frontas)
- Christian Democratic Union (Krikščionių demokratų sąjunga)
- Liberal Union of LithuaniaLiberal Union of LithuaniaThe Liberal Union of Lithuania was a political party in Lithuania. It had 33 of 141 members of the Seimas.In 2003 it merged with two smaller parties to form the Liberal and Centre Union.-See also:*Liberalism*Contributions to liberal theory...
(Lietuvos liberalų sąjunga) - Lithuanian Christian DemocratsLithuanian Christian DemocratsThe Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD was a Christian-democratic political party in Lithuania. Originally established in 1905, it was closely associated with the Roman Catholic Church...
(Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai) - Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and the Exiled (Lietuvos politinių kalinių ir tremtinių sąjunga)
- Lithuanian Peasants Party (Lietuvos valstiečių partija)
- Modern Christian-Democratic UnionModern Christian-Democratic UnionModern Christian-Democratic Union, and the Centre Union of Lithuania to form the Liberal and Centre Union ....
(Moderniųjų krikščionių demokratų sąjunga) - National Resurrection PartyNational Resurrection PartyNational Resurrection Party was a centre-right political party in Lithuania. Founded in 2008, the party merged into the Liberal and Centre Union in 2011...
( Tautos prisikėlimo partija) - New Democracy Party (Naujosios demokratijos partija)
- New Union (Social Liberals) (Naujoji Sąjunga (Socialliberalai)
- Socialist Party of LithuaniaSocialist Party of LithuaniaSocialist Party of Lithuania was a Marxist political party in Lithuania. It was formed on March 26, 1994, The principal creators of the LSP were J.Sakalauskas, Albinas Visockas, who was to be elected leader of the newly formed party at the LSP 1st party congress, and Michailas Bugakovas...
( Lietuvos socialistų partija )
Historical parties
- Lithuanian Democratic PartyLithuanian Democratic PartyLithuanian Democratic Party or LDP , established on October 17, 1902, was the second-oldest political party in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. It published newspapers Lietuvos ūkininkas and Lietuvos žinios . During World War I, the democratic party split into several other parties and...
- Lithuanian Popular Socialist Democratic PartyLithuanian Popular Socialist Democratic PartyLithuanian Popular Socialist Democratic Party or LSLDP was a political party in interwar Lithuania. It was established in 1917 and in 1922 it was merged with another party...
- Lithuanian Peasants' Union
- Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party
- Democratic National Freedom League
- Farmers Party
See also
- Politics of LithuaniaPolitics of LithuaniaPolitics of Lithuania takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Lithuania is the head of government, and of a multi-party system....
- List of political parties by country
- Liberalism in LithuaniaLiberalism in LithuaniaThis article gives an overview of liberalism in Lithuania. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...