Liberal Democracy of Slovenia

Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (Slovene: Liberalna demokracija Slovenije, LDS) is a social-liberal[7] political party in Slovenia. Between 1992 and 2004, it was the largest (and ruling) party in the country. In the 2011 Slovenian parliamentary election, it failed to win entry to the Slovenian National Assembly. The party was a member of the Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Liberal Democracy of Slovenia
Liberalna demokracija Slovenije
LeaderTone Anderlič
Founded1994
Preceded byDemocratic Party
HeadquartersLjubljana
Youth wingYoung Liberal Democracy
IdeologyLiberalism[1][2][3]
Social liberalism[4]
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre[5] to centre-left[6]
National affiliationLIDE-DeSUS-LDS
European affiliationALDE (formerly)
International affiliationLiberal International (formerly)
European Parliament groupALDE (2004–2014)
ColoursLight blue
National Assembly
0 / 90
European Parliament
0 / 8
Municipal council
4 / 2,750
Website
http://www.lds.si

The LDS dominated Slovenian politics during the first decade following independence. Except for a brief interruption in 2000, it held the parliamentary majority between 1994 and 2004, when it lost the election to the conservative Slovenian Democratic Party. The loss was followed by decline, infighting and political fragmentation. In the runup to the 2008 parliamentary election the LDS joined in an unofficial coalition with the Social Democrats and Zares, but lost nearly 80% of its seats, dropping from 23 to just 5 and becoming the smallest parliamentary party. In the 2011 parliamentary election on 4 December 2011, its support collapsed even further: it won only 1.48% of the vote, not reaching the parliamentary threshold of 4%.[8]

History

In 1990, the well-known Slovenian sociologist, philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek was the LDS' candidate for the Presidency of Slovenia (an auxiliary body of the President of the Republic, abolished in 1992).

The LDS formed coalitions ruling the governments of Slovenia from 1992 to 2004, with an interruption for a few months in 2000. The first Prime Minister of Slovenia from LDS was Janez Drnovšek, who later became the President of Slovenia in 2002 and was succeeded by Anton Rop, former Finance Minister.

At the 2004 European election, LDS won 21.9% of the vote, which yielded two seats in the European Parliament out of Slovenia's allocation of seven. At the 2004 elections, the LDS party suffered a considerable loss of votes. The Slovenian Democratic Party became the largest party, and the LDS went into opposition. The party held 23 seats (22.8% votes) in the National Assembly until 2007, when 12 members resigned from the party.

Following the defeat of 2004, the party suffered a severe internal crisis. In 2005, Anton Rop resigned as president and was succeeded by Jelko Kacin. Two years later, a group led by Matej Lahovnik and the former Secretary General of the party Gregor Golobič left the LDS and founded a new social liberal political party called Zares, while several other prominent members left for the Social Democrats, including the former Prime Minister Anton Rop. Following these events, Jelko Kacin resigned as President and was succeeded by Katarina Kresal. Following Kresal's election as president, several other prominent members, including former Health Minister Dušan Keber, decided to leave the party as well.

In 2008, the party won 5,3% of the votes and entered the centre-left coalition led by the Social Democrat Borut Pahor, with two ministers in the government. In the early elections of 2011, the party failed to enter the Parliament.

In the 2022 Slovenian Presidential Elections, the party endorsed Ivo Vajgl, their former member.

Parliamentary representation

Prominent members
Presidents
Other prominent members
Other prominent former members

Electoral results

Parliament
Election Votes  % Seats +/– Position Government
1990 156,843 14.5
12 / 80
 +12 2nd Opposition
1992 278,851 23.5
22 / 90
 +10 1st Coalition
1996 278,883 27.0
25 / 90
 +3 1st Coalition
2000 390,306 36.3
34 / 90
 +9 1st Coalition
2004 220,848 22.8
23 / 90
 -11 2nd Opposition
2008 54,771 5.2
5 / 90
 -18 7th Coalition
2011 16,268 1.5
0 / 90
 -5 9th Extraparliamentary

See also

References
  1. José Magone (26 August 2010). Contemporary European Politics: A Comparative Introduction. Routledge. pp. 457–. ISBN 978-0-203-84639-1. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  2. Paul G. Lewis (2000). Political Parties in Post-Communist Eastern Europe. Routledge. pp. 51–. ISBN 978-0-415-20182-7. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  3. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2011). "Slovenia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013.
  4. Hloušek, Vít; Kopeček, Lubomír (2010), Origin, Ideology and Transformation of Political Parties: East-Central and Western Europe Compared, Ashgate, pp. 114–115
  5. Day, Alan John; East, Roger; Thomas, Richard (2002), "Liberal Democracy of Slovenia", A political and economic dictionary of Eastern Europe, Routledge, p. 331, ISBN 9780203403747, retrieved 14 November 2011
  6. J. Lodge (2016). "desus"+centre-left&pg=PA223 The 2004 Elections to the European Parliament. Routledge. p. 223. ISBN 9780230523821. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  7. Igor Guardiancich (21 August 2012). Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: From Post-Socialist Transition to the Global Financial Crisis. Routledge. pp. 194–. ISBN 978-1-136-22595-6.
  8. "Republic of Slovenia Early Elections for Deputies to the National Assembly 2011: Election results". National Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  9. Slovenskenovice.si - Vse stranke premierke Bratušek in ministra Jakiča
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