The Social Democratic Party was a political party

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 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...

 formed by a splinter group from the Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party (LSDSP) after the leader of the Social Democrats' faction in the Saeima

Saeima

Saeima is the parliament of the Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the popular vote. Elections are scheduled to be held once every four years,...

, Egils Baldzēns, lost to Juris Bojārs in the elections for party chairman on 27 October 2001. The major factor in the schism was the increasing intimacy between the LSDSP and the For Human Rights in United Latvia

For Human Rights in United Latvia

For Human Rights in United Latvia is a left-wing political party in Latvia, supported mainly by ethnic Russians and other non-Latvian minorities. Co-chairpersons of its Ruling Board are Tatjana Ždanoka, Jakovs Pliners and Miroslav Mitrofanov....

 Bloc, considered to be excessively pro-Russian by the more nationalist Social Democrats in Baldzēns' breakaway wing of the party. The newly formed SDS held its founding congress in 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,...

 on 24 March 2002. In the last legislative elections

Elections in Latvia

Elections in Latvia gives information on election and election results in Latvia.Latvia elects on national level a legislature. The Saeima has 100 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation with a 5% threshold. An unmodified Sainte-Laguë method is used to allocate seats....

, 5 October 2002, the party won 1.5% of the popular vote and no seats. The current leader of the party is Egils Rutkovskis.

In January 2009, the party joined the Harmony Centre

Harmony Centre

Harmony Centre is a political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2005 and its member parties are the Social Democratic Party "Harmony" and the Socialist Party of Latvia Harmony Centre (abbreviated SC; ) is a political alliance in Latvia. It was formed in 2005 and its member parties are the...

 coalition. It merged into Social Democratic Party "Harmony"

Social Democratic Party "Harmony"

The Social Democratic Party "Harmony" is a Latvian center-left party founded on 10 February 2010 by most of the constituent organisations of the Harmony Centre alliance: the National Harmony Party, the New Centre and the Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party "Harmony" is a Latvian...

 in 2010.

Except in its former name, the Social Democratic Party/Union is not related to the Latvian Social Democratic Union

Latvian Social Democratic Union

The Latvian Social Democratic Union was a socialist political group with roots dating to 1892 in Liepāja. Founded in exile the autumn of 1900 and led by Miķelis Valters and Ernests Rolavs. The group was an outgrowth of the New Current, but soon developed a more radical and nationalistic position...

 of 1892–1913 (from 1913 onwards known as the Latvian Revolutionary Socialist Party).