Homeland Union

The Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (Lithuanian: Tėvynės sąjunga – Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai, TS-LKD) is a centre-right[6][7][8] political party in Lithuania. It has 18,000 members and 30 of 141 seats in the Seimas.

Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats

Tėvynės sąjunga – Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai
AbbreviationTS - LKD
ChairmanGabrielius Landsbergis
First Vice ChairwomanIrena Degutienė
Vice ChairpeopleAdomas Bužinskas
Dainius Kreivys
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė
Monika Navickienė
Executive SecretaryAistė Gedvilienė
FoundedMay 1993 (1993-05)
Preceded bySąjūdis
HeadquartersJ.Jasinskio g. 17, Vilnius
Youth wingYoung Conservative League
Membership14,243 (2018)[1]
IdeologyConservatism[2]
Christian democracy[2]
Liberal conservatism[3]
National conservatism[4]
Economic liberalism[5]
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre-right[6][7][8]
European affiliationEuropean People's Party
International affiliationInternational Democrat Union
European Parliament groupEuropean People's Party
ColoursBlue, green
Seats in the Seimas
35 / 141
Seats in the European Parliament
3 / 11
Municipal councils
279 / 1,461
Mayors
11 / 60
Website
http://www.tsajunga.lt
  • Politics of Lithuania
  • Political parties
  • Elections

It is the main centre-right party, with a particularly liberal-conservative[3] and Christian-democratic,[2] but also nationalist oriented[4][9] and economically liberal, ideology.[5] Its current leader is Gabrielius Landsbergis who replaced Andrius Kubilius in 2014. 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 31.3% of the vote and returned 70 deputies to the Seimas. In 2000 party split and new party called Union of Moderate Conservatives was formed.[10] In 2000, Homeland Union was reduced to 8.6% and 9 deputies.[10] In 2003 and 2004, it merged with Lithuanian Right Union and Lithuanian Union of Political Prisoners and Deportees.

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 sat 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. Prior to 2008 it was known as the Homeland Union (Conservatives, Political Prisoners and the Exiled, Christian Democrats) or TS. 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.[11]

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.[13] It was credited to many unpopular decisions made during the time of government, and the unpopularity of the Andrius Kubilius.[14] At the 2016 legislative election party's support increased, but, due to failure to win more single-member seats in Seimas, number seats held fell to 31.

Election results

Seimas
Election Votes % Seats +/– Position Government
1996 409,585 (PR) 31.3
70 / 141
 70 1st Coalition
2000 126,850 (PR) 8.6
9 / 141
 61 5th Opposition
2004 176,409 (PR) 14.8
25 / 141
 16 2nd Opposition
2008 243,823 (PR) 19.7
45 / 141
 29 1st Coalition
2012 206,590 (PR) 15.0
33 / 141
 12 2nd Opposition
2016 276,275 (PR) 22.6
31 / 141
 2 2nd Opposition

European Parliament
Election year # of total votes % of overall vote # of seats
2004 151,400 12.58%
2 / 13
2009 147,756 26.16%
4 / 12
2014 199,393 17.43%
2 / 11
2019 248,736 19,74%
3 / 11

Members of the parliament
ParliamentarianSinceConstituency
Mantas Adomėnas 2008 Nationwide
Arvydas Anušauskas 2008 Nationwide
Audronius Ažubalis 1996 Nationwide
Agnė Bilotaitė 2008 Nationwide
Rimantas Jonas Dagys 1992 Nationwide
Irena Degutienė 1996 Nationwide
Sergejus Jovaiša 2012 Nationwide
Rasa Juknevičienė 1990 Nationwide
Vytautas Juozapaitis 2012 Nationwide
Laurynas Kasčiūnas 2016 Nationwide
Vytautas Kernagis 2016 Fabijoniškės
Dainius Kreivys 2012 Verkiai
Andrius Kubilius 1992 Nationwide
Gabrielius Landsbergis 2016 Centras (Kaunas) - Žaliakalnis
Tadas Langaitis 2016 Nationwide
Mykolas Majauskas 2016 Senamiestis
Kęstutis Masiulis 2000 Nationwide
Antanas Matulas 1996 Pasvalys - Pakruojis
Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė 2016 Nationwide
Andrius Navickas 2017 Nationwide
Monika Navickienė 2016 Naujoji Vilnia
Žygimantas Pavilionis 2016 Naujamiestis
Edmundas Pupinis 2004-2012; 2016 Utena
Jurgis Razma 1996 Nationwide
Paulius Saudargas 2008 Justiniškės
Gintarė Skaistė 2016 Nationwide
Kazys Starkevičius 2004 Nationwide
Algis Strelčiūnas 2012 Lazdynų
Stasys Šedbaras 2008 Nationwide
Ingrida Šimonytė 2016 Antakalnis
Emanuelis Zingeris 1990 Nationwide

References
  2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2016). "Lithuania". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  3. Bugajski, Janusz (2002), Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in the Post-Communist Era, M.E. Sharpe, p. 141
  4. Bakke, Elisabeth (2010), "Central and East European party systems since 1989", Central and Southeast European Politics Since 1989, Cambridge University Press, p. 79, retrieved 17 November 2011
  5. Ramonaitė, Ainė (2006), "The Development of the Lithuanian Party System: From Stability to Perturbation", Post-Communist EU Member States: Parties and Party Systems, Ashgate, p. 75
  6. Sužiedėlis, Saulius (2011), "Union of the Fatherland", Historical Dictionary of Lithuania, Scarecrow Press, p. 308
  7. Duvold, Kjetil; Jurkynas, Mindaugas (2004), "Lithuania", The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe, Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 163
  8. Day, Alan John; East, Roger; Thomas, Richard (2002), "Homeland Union–Lithuanian Conservatives", A Political and Economic Dictionary of Eastern Europe, Routledge, p. 253
  9. 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
  10. http://eed.nsd.uib.no/webview/index.jsp?study=http%3A%2F%2F129.177.90.166%3A80%2Fobj%2FfStudy%2FLTPA1992_SUM_Display&mode=cube&v=2&cube=http%3A%2F%2F129.177.90.166%3A80%2Fobj%2FfCube%2FLTPA1992_SUM_Display_C1&top=yes
  11. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2014_2019/documents/itre/dv/cv_andrius_kubilius_/cv_andrius_kubilius_en.pdf
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19940043
  14. https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/reitingai-pirma-dgrybauskaite-paskutinis-akubilius.d?id=44774411
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