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Union of Democrats "For Lithuania"

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The Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" (Lithuanian: Demokratų sąjunga „Vardan Lietuvos“; DSVL) is a centre-left and green[2][8] Lithuanian political party founded on 29 January 2022 by Saulius Skvernelis, former Prime Minister of Lithuania.[9] The party is moderately socially conservative.[2]

Union of Democrats "For Lithuania"
Demokratų sąjunga „Vardan Lietuvos“
AbbreviationDSVL
ChairpersonSaulius Skvernelis
Vice ChairpeopleLinas Kukuraitis
Rima Baškienė
Ausma Miškinienė
Darius Jasaitis
Lukas Savickas
Tomas Tomilinas
Vytautas Bakas
Domas Griškevičius
Founded29 January 2022 (2022-01-29)
Split fromLithuanian Farmers and Greens Union
MembershipDecrease 3,368 (2022)
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left[7]
European affiliationEuropean Green Party
Colours  Blue
Seimas
14 / 141
European Parliament
1 / 11
Municipal councils
124 / 1,498
Mayors
5 / 60
Website
www.demokratai.lt

Most of the party's members are former members of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union. The party's name "For Lithuania" (Lithuanian: Vardan Lietuvos, literally In Lithuania's Name) is a reference to the final line of the national anthem of Lithuania, Tautiška giesmė. The Union of Democrats became a member of the European Green Party and ran in the 2024 European Parliament election in Lithuania, winning one seat to the European Parliament.[10] The party campaigns on environmental issues as well as redistributive socioeconomic policies.[11]

History

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Foundation

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Saulius Skvernelis was appointed Prime Minister of Lithuania on 22 November 2016, supported by the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, and formed the Skvernelis Cabinet. Though elected to the Seimas in the 2016 election on the Farmer-Green list, he was an independent, and his conflict with the party's chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis led to speculation that he intended to form his own political party. In 2019, the Centre of Registers [lt] registered the name "Political Party "For the Fatherland"" (Lithuanian: Politinė partija „Tėvynės labui“), which was Skvernelis' election slogan during the 2019 presidential election, further fueling speculation.[12]

The Farmer-Greens lost the 2020 parliamentary election. Skvernelis and Karbauskis disagreed over the party's role as leader of the opposition, as well as the composition of their shadow cabinet, which Karbauskis sought to staff with party members loyal to him, leading to renewed speculation of an impending party split.[13] On 7 September 2021, Skvernelis and ten other members left the Farmer-Green parliamentary group and proclaimed the formation of the Democrats – For Lithuania parliamentary group (Lithuanian: Demokratai – vardan Lietuvos). They cited their opposition to the party's aggressive opposition stance and stated their interest to work as a constructive opposition.[14] Independent, previously Social Democratic parliamentarians Algirdas Butkevičius and Domas Griškevičius also joined the group.

The group announced its intention to reorganize into a political party, which caused numerous branches of the Farmer-Greens, as well as the mayors of Lazdijai, Šilutė and Neringa to leave the party and declare their intention to join.[15] It was also joined by former Minister of Environment Kęstutis Mažeika and European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius.[9] The party was founded on 29 January 2022, in a founding conference in Palanga.[16]

The party participated in the 2024 European Parliament election in Lithuania, earning 5.95% of the popular vote and winning a single seat in the European Parliament (out of 11 Lithuanian ones). This was considered a success for the party, given how the party was only two years old at the time of the 2024 European Parliament election.[10]

Activity

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Immediately after foundation, DSVL became one of the leading parties in popularity polls, while the Farmer-Greens and the Labour Party both declined.[17] Over time, its support plateaued and slightly shrank due to competition with the Social Democrats.

It is one of three leading opposition parties in the Thirteenth Seimas of Lithuania.

In the 2023 municipal elections, the party won 6.68 percent of the vote, somewhat underperforming in comparison to the polls and ending up below the Farmers-Greens and the Social Democrats. Its strongest showings were in municipalities whose mayors and branches had defected to the party in 2021 and 2022.[18] It fielded a candidate in a by-election in the Raseniai-Kėdainiai constituency on 3 September 2023, but finished the worst of all the candidates, at 2.48 percent of the vote.[19]

On 17 June 2023, it announced its decision to seek to join the European Green Party.[20] It joined officially in February 2024.

Ideology

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The party describes itself as being centre-left on economic policy and socially conservative on socio-cultural issues. It supports guaranteed minimum income, strengthening the traditional family, achieving climate neutrality by 2045 and decentralization.[2] In its program, it defines itself as centre-left, but maintains its focus on family values.[21] It is a member of the European Green Party and focuses on environmentalism and green politics, as well as centre-left socioeconomic issues.[11]

The Union of Democrats is considered to be ideologically heterodox, and its founding members include former members of almost every previously existing Lithuanian political party. Many of its vice-chairpeople, including Ausma Miškinienė, Lukas Savickas, and Vytautas Bakas were close allies of Skvernelis in the Skvernelis Cabinet.[22] This has led to claims that the party was founded out of political opportunism and does not have an ideology beyond being elected to parliament.[23]

Election results

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Seimas

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Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Government
2024 Saulius Skvernelis 114,792 9.40 (#4)
14 / 141
   14 TBA

2023 by-election

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Constituency Candidate Votes % Result[19]
Raseiniai-Kėdainiai Edvinas Demidavičius 230 2.48 (#8) Defeated

European Parliament

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Election List leader Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
2024 Virginijus Sinkevičius 40,351 5.95 (#5)
1 / 11
 New Greens/EFA

Municipal

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Election Votes[a] % Council seats Mayors +/–
2023 78,052 6.68 (#5)
124 / 1,498
5 / 60
  1. ^ Municipal council election votes.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Lithuania". Europe Elects. 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  2. ^ a b c d e Tracevičiūtė, Roberta. "Be intrigos – vedliu nauja partija pasirinko S.Skvernelį". 15min.lt.
  3. ^ "Paaiškėjo įsteigtos Demokratų sąjungos "Vardan Lietuvos" valdymo organų nariai". www.lrytas.lt.
  4. ^ [2][3]
  5. ^ Greblikas, Laurynas (14 June 2024). "European Elections in Lithuania: Post-election Analysis". The Lithuanian Green Party and the Union of Democrats "For Lithuania" both position themselves as centre-left parties with a focus on environmental issues.
  6. ^ Seputyte, Milda (19 August 2024). "Lithuanian Leader's Power Play Roils Politics Ahead of Election". Bloomberg L.P. The turmoil comes at a sensitive political moment, with Homeland Union trailing — with less than 10% — both the Social Democrats, who have 18% support, and the center-left Union of Democrats "For Lithuania," with 11%, according to a Baltijos Tyrimai poll published last month.
  7. ^ [1][5][6]
  8. ^ Pankūnas, Gytis (2021-10-19). "Left-wing, yet nationalist. Former PM's new party may stir up Lithuanian politics". lrt.lt. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  9. ^ a b Viluckas, BNS, Paulius. "Steigiama Demokratų sąjunga "Vardan Lietuvos", pirmininku išrinktas ekspremjeras S. Skvernelis". vz.lt.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b Vabuolaitė, Laurita Emilija-Jekaterina (11 June 2024). "Three takeaways from Lithuania's EP election". LRT.lt.
  11. ^ a b Greblikas, Laurynas (14 June 2024). "European Elections in Lithuania: Post-election Analysis".
  12. ^ Pankūnas, Gytis (2019-08-27). "Įrašas apie partiją "Tėvynės labui" užminė mįslę: naujos jėgos gimimas ar gudri strategija?". LRT (in Lithuanian).
  13. ^ Baltrukevičius, Matas (2021-03-04). "Kodėl Skvernelio ir Karbauskio sąjunga gali žlugti?" (in Lithuanian).
  14. ^ Gaučaite-Znutienė, Modesta (2021-09-07). "Meilė baigėsi – Skvernelis palieka "valstiečius" ir kuria savo frakciją". LRT (in Lithuanian).
  15. ^ Jakubauskas, Ramūnas (2021-12-02). "Prie Skvernelio politinės jėgos nusprendė jungtis ir Lazdijų rajono "valstiečiai" kartu su mere Miškiniene". LRT (in Lithuanian).
  16. ^ Plikūnė, Daiva (2022-02-09). "Skvernelis su bendražygiais steigia naują partiją: Palanga pasirinkta neatsitiktinai". Delfi (in Lithuanian).
  17. ^ Brunalas, Benas (2022-03-16). "Karas Ukrainoje neatpažįstamai keičia partijų reitingus". Delfi (in Lithuanian).
  18. ^ "2023 m. kovo 5 d. savivaldybių tarybų ir merų rinkimai (I turas)". Supreme Electoral Commission of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Balsavimo rezultatai vienmandatėje apygardoje". Supreme Electoral Commission of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). 2023.
  20. ^ "Demokratų sąjunga "Vardan Lietuvos" nusprendė siekti prisijungti prie Europos žaliųjų partijos". LRT televizija (in Lithuanian). 2023-06-17.
  21. ^ "APIE MUS". Demokratai "Vardan Lietuvos".
  22. ^ Salynė, Roberta (2022-01-28). "S.Skvernelio kariaunoje – įvairių politinių spalvų žmonės: kiek sėkminga bus tokia sąjunga?". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
  23. ^ Jastramskis, Mažvydas (2022-02-03). "Kokia nauda iš Skvernelio partijos?". Delfi (in Lithuanian).
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