Homeland Union

For the Libyan political party, see Union for Homeland.

The Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (Lithuanian: Tėvynės sąjunga - Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai, TS-LKD) is a centre-right political party in Lithuania. It has 18,000 members and 33 of 141 seats in the Seimas.

It is the main centre-right party, with a particularly liberal conservative and Christian democratic, but also nationally oriented and economically liberal, ideology. Its current leader is MEP 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 40% of the vote and returned 70 deputies to the Seimas, but, in 2000, it was reduced to 8.6% and 9 deputies.

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 sit 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.

In June 2011, the Lithuanian Nationalist Union declared its withdrawal from the party.

Support for the party plummeted in the 2012 election, and it was excluded from the government.

Members of the parliament

Parliamentarian	Since
Mantas Adomėnas	2008
Vilija Aleknaitė Abramikienė	1992
Arvydas Anušauskas	2008
Audronius Ažubalis	1996
Agnė Bilotaitė	2008
Vida Marija Čigriejienė	2004
Rimantas Jonas Dagys	1992
Irena Degutienė	1996
Arimantas Dumčius	2004
Donatas Jankauskas	2004
Sergejus Jovaiša	2012
Rasa Juknevičienė	1990
Vytautas Juozapaitis	2012
Donatas Jankauskas	2009
Liutauras Kazlavickas	2012
Dainius Kreivys	2012
Andrius Kubilius	1992
Rytas Kupčinskas	1996-2000; since 2004
Kazimieras Kuzminskas	1992-2000; since 2008
Vincė Vaidevutė Margevičienė	2004
Kęstutis Masiulis	2000
Antanas Matulas	1996
Jurgis Razma	1996
Paulius Saudargas	2008
Kazys Starkevičius	2004
Algis Strelčiūnas	2012
Valentinas Stundys	2008
Stasys Šedbaras	2008
Egidijus Vareikis	2000
Arvydas Vidžiūnas	1996
Emanuelis Zingeris	1990
Pranas Žeimys	2008
Rokas Žilinskas	2008

External links

• Official website