Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica
Encyclopedia
Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonia
n Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union
and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections
, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu
(the Estonian parliament) and one of Estonia's six seats in the European Parliament
. The party is a member of the European People's Party
(EPP). It has about 8,500 members. The merged party consisted of two separate boards and two party leaders, which was replaced by a unified board and leader in May 2007. The party's prime minister candidate was Mart Laar
, who became a chairman of the party.
was forced to step down, and Pro Patria had also been relatively marginalized after the fall of their own governing coalition. There was also concern among conservatives about splitting the vote between two parties with largely similar ideologies and being unable to oppose the much more cohesive left wing electorate, which was mostly rallied behind the Centre Party. On 4 April, 2006, representatives from the Pro Patria Union
and Res Publica decided to merge the two parties, which took place officially on 4 June, 2006. Although originally the name For Estonia (Eesti Eest) was considered for the newly formed party, it was rejected and the provisional name has been used to date.
On 15 November 2006 the parties were officially joined as Party Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Erakond Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit).
were not good for the party. The united party received 98,209 votes (17.9% of the total), a drop of 14.0%. As a result, it won 19 seats in the Riigikogu, a loss of 16, but still the third largest block in Parliament.
In the 2011 parliamentary elections
the party remained in third largest block but with an increased number of seats (+4), and share of the vote (+2.6%).
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union
Pro Patria Union
The Pro Patria Union was a conservative political party in Estonia. The party was founded on 2 December 1995 by merging the Estonian National Independence Party and the National Coalition Party Pro Patria .On April 4, 2006, representatives of the Pro Patria Union and the representatives of Res...
and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections
Estonian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections took place in Estonia on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list proportional representation system with a 5% election threshold...
, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...
(the Estonian parliament) and one of Estonia's six seats 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 party is a member of the European People's Party
European People's Party
The European People's Party is a pro-European centre-right European political party. The EPP was founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, but later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right perspectives.The EPP is the most influential of...
(EPP). It has about 8,500 members. The merged party consisted of two separate boards and two party leaders, which was replaced by a unified board and leader in May 2007. The party's prime minister candidate was Mart Laar
Mart Laar
Mart Laar is an Estonian statesman, historian and a founding member of the Foundation for the Investigation of Communist Crimes. He was the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1992 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2002, and is the leader of the conservative party Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica...
, who became a chairman of the party.
Pre-foundation
Prior to the merger, there was an extreme drop in public support for Res Publica after the government led by Juhan PartsJuhan Parts
Juhan Parts is an Estonian politician who was Prime Minister of Estonia from 2003 to 2005. He was chairman of the Res Publica Party for a time. Since 5 April 2007 he is the Minister of Economy and Communication in Andrus Ansip's second government...
was forced to step down, and Pro Patria had also been relatively marginalized after the fall of their own governing coalition. There was also concern among conservatives about splitting the vote between two parties with largely similar ideologies and being unable to oppose the much more cohesive left wing electorate, which was mostly rallied behind the Centre Party. On 4 April, 2006, representatives from the Pro Patria Union
Pro Patria Union
The Pro Patria Union was a conservative political party in Estonia. The party was founded on 2 December 1995 by merging the Estonian National Independence Party and the National Coalition Party Pro Patria .On April 4, 2006, representatives of the Pro Patria Union and the representatives of Res...
and Res Publica decided to merge the two parties, which took place officially on 4 June, 2006. Although originally the name For Estonia (Eesti Eest) was considered for the newly formed party, it was rejected and the provisional name has been used to date.
On 15 November 2006 the parties were officially joined as Party Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Erakond Isamaa ja Res Publica Liit).
Electoral History
The results of the 2007 parliamentary electionsEstonian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections took place in Estonia on Sunday, March 4, 2007 to elect members of the Riigikogu. The electoral system was a two-tier semi-open list proportional representation system with a 5% election threshold...
were not good for the party. The united party received 98,209 votes (17.9% of the total), a drop of 14.0%. As a result, it won 19 seats in the Riigikogu, a loss of 16, but still the third largest block in Parliament.
In the 2011 parliamentary elections
Estonian parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election was held in Estonia on 6 March 2011, with e-voting between 24 February and 2 March 2011.The 101 members of the Riigikogu were elected using a form of proportional representation for a four-year term. The seats were allocated using a modified D'Hondt method. The country is...
the party remained in third largest block but with an increased number of seats (+4), and share of the vote (+2.6%).