Liberal Democratic Party (Lithuania)
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Template:Politics of Lithuania The Liberal Democratic Party (Lithuanian: Liberalų Demokratų Partija) of Lithuania is a political party in Lithuania.
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History and creeds
The Liberal Democratic party was founded by Rolandas Paksas and his supporters in 2002. A possible motive to form the party was former political experience of its founders as members of different existing parties, whose policy later was characterized by them as corrupted and ineffective. On the other hand the new party, being based on strong criticism of existing parties, leaked a clear positive program initially and its creative power was sympathy of many citizens, that felt into deep discontent with traditional parties, rather than some idealogical basis. This weak side was used by opponents of the new-founded party immediately. Leaders of traditional parties started strong opposing campaign, claiming the new party to be populist, Neo-Nazi or ultra-nationalist.
This strong opposing was quite unexpceted for Lithuanian democracy, where different political parties existed without any restictions since 1991, although any real reasons of such stress weren't ever revealed either by politicians or by experts. Almost all traditional parties, except few smaller political groups (National Progress party of Lithuania, and Liberty League of Lithuania including), more or less supported the opposing campaign, what resulted using of strong administrative resource against the new party, that especially increased, when the leader of the party Rolandas Paksas won the presidential election of 2003. Many of members of official structures declared disloyalty to the new president. Number of his main supporters were treated as offenders or as possible offenders of political correctness, that finally led to an impeachment of Rolandas Paksas.
Being in the center of these events, Liberal Democratic party gain its face as a political force, that opposes to traditional restrictions of political correctness and steady structure of ruling class, leading, according supporters of the party, to continuous corruption. Along with it Liberal Democrats maintained elements of a populist party, with motley and challenging political campaigns, although some observers consider, that controversy of the impeachment decreased its chances in political stage.
Leaders
- Rolandas Paksas – the first leader of the party, 2002 − 2003.
- Valentinas Mazūronis – 2003 − 2004 (for the period of Rolandas Paksas' presidency).
- Rolandas Paksas – 2004 till now.
Controversies
During the campaign by old parties Liberal Democrats were accused to be ultra-nationalists and Neo-Nazis, but these accusations are not well-based, being said more for propaganda purposes. The main argument against the accusations is that the Liberal Democratic party haven't ever declared traditional ultra-nationalistic or Nazi slogans nor its members have done. The next accusation, in populism, is more serious. On the other hand populism is almost unavoidable element of political life in the post-Soviet Eastern Europe, and it's very difficult to measure, which parties use it correctly and which not. The best illustration of it is the mentioned campaign, in which the old parties used a great dose of populist slogans too.
Elections
- 2003 the leader of the party Rolandas Paksas won Presidential election 54.9% of votes over 45.1% (in the 2nd round).
- 2004 European Parliament Election: 1 seat from 13 Lithuanian ones.
- 2004 Seimas (parliamentary) election: 11 mandates (in a coalition with other minor political groups under the label For the Order and Justice /Už tvarką ir teisingumą /).
Presently, Liberal Democrats have separate group of Liberal Democrats with 9 members in the Lithuanian parliament. The member of the European Parliament from the Lithuanian Liberal Democratic party is Rolandas Pavilionis, a former rector of Vilnius University. He belongs to Union for Europe of the Nations group of the European Parliament.