Latvian Way
Encyclopedia
Latvian Way was a centre-right
liberal party in Latvia
. It merged with Latvia's First Party to form the Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way (LPP/LC) in 2007.
It described itself as "a liberal party defending people's freedom to shape their own lives". Latvian Way was a member of Liberal International
and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
.
Latvian Way was founded on 25 September 1993, by a group of former activists of Popular Front of Latvia
and Latvian exiles who had returned to Latvia after it regained independence. In its first election in 1993, Latvian Way won 32.4% of popular vote and became the leading party in a coalition government. Later, its popularity declined, with 14.6% of votes in 1995 election and 18.0% in 1998. Despite that, Latvian Way remained a powerful force in Latvian politics and was part of every coalition government in Latvia from July 1993 to November 2002. Four Latvian Way members were Prime Ministers
: Valdis Birkavs
(from 1993 to 1994), Māris Gailis
(from 1994 to 1995), Vilis Krištopans
(from 1998 to 1999) and Andris Bērziņš (from 2000 to 2002). A fifth former Prime Minister, Ivars Godmanis, joined the Latvian Way party after his term as Prime Minister ended.
In the 2002 general election, it got 4.9% of the vote, just under the 5% needed to secure representation in parliament. After this loss, several politicians left Latvian Way for other parties. Latvian Way regained some ground in the European Parliament Election
in June 2004 with 6.5% of vote but it is still facing an uncertain future and the difficult task of regaining voters' trust. For the 2006 election, Latvian Way formed an electoral coalition with the Latvia's First Party. They won 10 seats in the election, allowing Latvian Way to join the coalition government. Party chairman Ivars Godmanis
became Minister of the Interior in November 2006, and then Prime Minister in December 2007. He resigned after protests paralysed the Latvian capital, Riga
, due to the global economic crisis. On 20 February 2009, Godmanis resigned as Prime Minister along with the rest of his government amid concerns about handling the economic crisis.
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...
liberal party in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. It merged with Latvia's First Party to form the Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way (LPP/LC) in 2007.
It described itself as "a liberal party defending people's freedom to shape their own lives". Latvian Way was a member of Liberal International
Liberal International
Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal 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...
and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party is a European political party mainly active in the European Union, composed of 56 national-level liberal and liberal-democratic parties from across Europe...
.
Latvian Way was founded on 25 September 1993, by a group of former activists of Popular Front of Latvia
Popular Front of Latvia
The Popular Front of Latvia was a political organization in Latvia in late 1980s and early 1990s which led Latvia to its independence from the Soviet Union. It was similar to the Popular Front of Estonia and the Sąjūdis movement in Lithuania....
and Latvian exiles who had returned to Latvia after it regained independence. In its first election in 1993, Latvian Way won 32.4% of popular vote and became the leading party in a coalition government. Later, its popularity declined, with 14.6% of votes in 1995 election and 18.0% in 1998. Despite that, Latvian Way remained a powerful force in Latvian politics and was part of every coalition government in Latvia from July 1993 to November 2002. Four Latvian Way members were Prime Ministers
Prime Minister of Latvia
The Prime Minister of Latvia is the most powerful member of the Government of the Republic of Latvia, and presides over the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers...
: Valdis Birkavs
Valdis Birkavs
Valdis Birkavs is a Latvian politician. He was born in Riga. He was first elected to the Latvian parliament in 1990 and helped to found the Latvian Way party. After Latvian Way won the 1993 parliamentary elections, Birkavs became the prime minister, leading a coalition government of Latvian Way...
(from 1993 to 1994), Māris Gailis
Maris Gailis
Māris Gailis is a Latvian political figure. He served as Prime Minister of Latvia between September 15, 1994 and December 21, 1995.-References:...
(from 1994 to 1995), Vilis Krištopans
Vilis Krištopans
Vilis Krištopans is a Latvian politician. He served as Prime Minister of Latvia from November 26, 1998 to July 15, 1999.As a prime minister he was a member of the Latvian Way political party...
(from 1998 to 1999) and Andris Bērziņš (from 2000 to 2002). A fifth former Prime Minister, Ivars Godmanis, joined the Latvian Way party after his term as Prime Minister ended.
In the 2002 general election, it got 4.9% of the vote, just under the 5% needed to secure representation in parliament. After this loss, several politicians left Latvian Way for other parties. Latvian Way regained some ground in the European Parliament Election
European Parliament election, 2004 (Latvia)
The European Parliament election of 2004 in Latvia was the election of MEP representing Latvia constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 2004 European election. The vote took place on June 12....
in June 2004 with 6.5% of vote but it is still facing an uncertain future and the difficult task of regaining voters' trust. For the 2006 election, Latvian Way formed an electoral coalition with the Latvia's First Party. They won 10 seats in the election, allowing Latvian Way to join the coalition government. Party chairman Ivars Godmanis
Ivars Godmanis
Ivars Godmanis is a Latvian politician and currently 1 of the 8 Latvian MEPs in the European parliament. He was the first Prime Minister of Latvia after the country became independent from the Soviet Union, and he became a Prime Minister for the second time in December 2007.Godmanis served as...
became Minister of the Interior in November 2006, and then Prime Minister in December 2007. He resigned after protests paralysed the Latvian capital, Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, due to the global economic crisis. On 20 February 2009, Godmanis resigned as Prime Minister along with the rest of his government amid concerns about handling the economic crisis.
See also
- LiberalismLiberalismLiberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
- Contributions to liberal theoryContributions to liberal theoryIndividual contributors to classical liberalism and political liberalism are associated with philosophers of the Enlightenment. Liberalism as a specifically named ideology begins in the late 18th century as a movement towards self-government and away from aristocracy...
- Liberalism worldwideLiberalism worldwideThis article gives information on liberalism in diverse countries around the world. It is an overview of parties that adhere more or less to the ideas of political liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world....
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracyLiberal democracyLiberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
- Liberalism in LatviaLiberalism in LatviaThis article gives an overview of liberalism in Latvia. 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...