Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union

The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (Lithuanian: Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga, LVŽS)[nb 1] is a green-conservative[1] and agrarian[5] political party in Lithuania led by Ramūnas Karbauskis. The party is considered one of the main representatives of the left wing of Lithuanian politics.[8] Lithuanian journalist Virgis Valentinavicius described the party as "the mixture of the extreme left in economic matters and the extreme right in some social issues, all spiced up with an anti-establishment rhetoric of radical change".[4]

Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union
Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga
AbbreviationLVŽS
ChairmanRamūnas Karbauskis
First Vice ChairmanAurelijus Veryga
Vice ChairpeopleLigita Girskienė
Kristina Kirslienė
Arvydas Nekrošius
Aušrinė Norkienė
Bronis Ropė
Giedrius Surplys
FounderKazimiera Prunskienė
Founded2001 (Union of Peasants and New Democratic Parties)
Merger ofLithuanian Peasants Party
New Democracy Party
HeadquartersGedimino pr. 28, Vilnius
Membership3741 (2023)
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left[8][9]
Fiscal: Left-wing[8][10]
Cultural: Centre-right[11]
European Parliament groupUnion for Europe of the Nations (2004–2009)
Greens/EFA (since 2014)
Colours  Green
Seimas
19 / 141
European Parliament (Lithuanian seats)
2 / 11
Municipal councils
185 / 1,498
Mayors
8 / 60
Website
www.lvzs.lt

Following the 2020 parliamentary election, the LVŽS has been in opposition to the Šimonytė Cabinet. The party's two MEPs sit in the Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament. Founded in 2001 as the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union, (Lithuanian: Lietuvos valstiečių liaudininkų sąjunga, LVLS), the party's symbol since 2012 has been the white stork.

History

Foundation and participation in the Social Democratic Party-led governments (2001–2008)

In December 2001, electoral alliance between the Lithuanian Peasants Party (Lietuvos valstiečių partija) and the New Democratic Party (Naujosios demokratijos partija) known as the "Valstiečių ir Naujosios demokratijos partijų sąjunga" (or VNDS), which translates to the Peasants and New Democratic Party Union or Union of Peasants and New Democratic Parties was formed.[12] In 2002–03 Lithuanian presidential election party's chairman Kazimira Prunskienė came with 5.04 per cent of the votes in the first round and saved its deposit. In the second round, she endorsed Rolandas Paksas of the Liberal Democratic Party, who won the election.[13]

In 2004 presidential election (after Rolandas Packsas impeachement), Kazimira Prunskienė narrowly came to the second position (21.25 per cent), but she was defeated in the second round (although, after endorsement of Rolandas Paksas).[14] In 2004 European Parliament election, the party got 7.41 per cent of the votes and won one seat by Gintaras Didžiokas. He joined the Union for Europe of the Nations. In Seimas election later tahat same year, the party got 6.6 per cent of the votes. The Labour Party joined forces with Peasants and New Democratic Party Union and invited the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania to join.[15] Brazauskas initially ruled out a coalition with Labour,[16] but eventually Social Democrats and New Union (Social Liberals) joined forces with the Labour Party and the Peasants, with Brazauskas as the Prime Minister.[17]

In February 2006, the Peasants and New Democratic Party Union led by Lithuanian politician Kazimiera Prunskienė chose to rename itself Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union (after the pre-war Lithuanian Popular Peasants' Union). The party itself was main force in the Social Democratic Party-led governments.

In 2008 parliamentary election the party felt below 5 per cent threshold and was left with three members, who were elected in single-member constituencies.

Opposition and leading force in the government (2009–2020)

In 2009 Kazimira Prunskienė left the party and founded the party of her own (Lithuanian People's Party).[18] Although the party was minor one, it gained some influence in 2010, when it supported the Homeland Union-led government. The Lithuanian Peasants Popular Union changed its name to the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union in January 2012.

The party emerged as a dark horse in the electoral race in the spring of 2016. The rise of support was attributed to the popularity of Karbauskis, who had been active in campaigning against alcohol, and their lack of involvement in political scandals.[19] LVŽS was further boosted by the announcement that Saulius Skvernelis, a Minister of Interior in Butkevičius Cabinet and one of the most popular politicians in Lithuania, would head the party's electoral list in the elections, without joining the party.[20][21]

After successful performance in the 2016 parliamentary elections, a clarification about its English name format was issued, changing it to Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union.[22] Also, after these election the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union became one of the main three political parties in Lithuania (along with the Homeland Union and the Social Democratic Party) at the time.[23]

After these elections, various pundits claimed that the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union could form a coalition with the Homeland Union,[24] but Ramūnas Karbauskis proposed wide coalition between the aforementioned parties and the Social Democratic Party. The Homeland Union's leader Gabrielius Landsbergis himself proposed a coalition between the Homeland Union, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Liberal Movement, although both Ramūnas Karbauskis and the Liberal Movement's leader Eugenijus Gentvilas turned down this offer.[25] Eventually, a coalition was formed between the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union and the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, which lasted until the autumn of 2017.

The party's support gradually declined by 2018 (e. g. in 2019 European Parliament election the party got 11.92 per cent of the votes), although due to the rally 'round the flag effect (caused by the COVID-19 pandemic), its support rebounded. In the 2020 parliamentary election the party won 18.07 per cent of the vote and 32 parliamentary seats.[26] The party has been in opposition since 2020.[27]

Again in opposition (from 2020)

After the elections, Ramūnas Karbauskis resigned from his parliamentary seat. After the electoral loss the party started to support (along with the Labour Party) various radical movements on the political fringes (e. g. Families' Defense March). This position caused disagreements within party and its parliamentary group.

Disagreements had forced a split in the parliamentary group in late summer and early autumn of 2021 with former Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis joining the newly established Democrats' parliamentary group "For Lithuania" (although this split was speculated by the pundits as early as March 2021).[28] Due to this and the Social Democratic Party's position not to support the opposition coalition, the party lost the opposition leader's position. By the end of 2021, the party started losing members in municipalities' districts (e. g. Lazdijai district municipality mayor Ausma Miškinienė left it along with the almost all LVŽS members in the area).[29]

Electoral results

Seimas

Election Votes[lower-alpha 1]  % Seats +/– Government
2004 78,902[lower-alpha 2] 6.6 (#6)
10 / 141
Increase 4 Coalition
2008 46,162 3.7 (#9)
3 / 141
Decrease 7 Opposition
2012 53,141 3.9 (#8)
1 / 141
Decrease 2 Opposition
2016 274,108 22.4 (#1)
54 / 141
Increase 53 Coalition
2020 204,780 18.1 (#2)
32 / 141
Decrease 22 Opposition
  1. Proportional representation votes.
  2. Participated coalition along with New Democracy Party.

European Parliament

Election Votes  % Seats +/–
2004 89,338 7.4 (#5)
1 / 13
2009 10,285 1.8 (#11)
0 / 12
Decrease 1
2014 75,643 6.2 (#7)
1 / 11
Increase 1
2019 157,604 11.9 (#3)
2 / 11
Increase 1

Current Members of the Seimas

ParliamentarianFromConstituency
Vida Ačienė 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Valius Ąžuolas 2016 Akmenė-Mažeikiai
Kęstutis Bacvinka 2016 Garliava
Vytautas Bakas 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Rima Baškienė 2004 Kuršėnai-Dainai
Guoda Burokienė 2016 Aukštaitija
Justas Džiugelis 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Aurimas Gaidžiūnas 2016 Radviliškis
Dainius Gaižauskas 2016 Marijampolė
Arūnas Gumuliauskas 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Stasys Jakeliūnas 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Jonas Jarutis 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Eugenijus Jovaiša 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Dalius Kaminskas 2016 Kėdainiai
Ramūnas Karbauskis 2016

(1996–2004)

Šilainiai
Dainius Kepenis 2016 Marių
Gintautas Kindurys 2016 Nalšia
Algimantas Kirkutis 2016 Baltijos
Asta Kubilienė 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Bronius Markauskas 2016

(2004–2008)

Gargždai
Raimundas Martinėlis 2016 Sėla
Laimutė Matkevičienė 2016 Kaišiadorys-Elektrėnai
Kęstutis Mažeika 2016 Sūduva
Rūta Miliūtė 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Alfredas Stasys Nausėda 2016 Šilutė
Arvydas Nekrošius 2016 Raseiniai-Kėdainiai
Petras Nevulis 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Aušrinė Norkienė 2016 Tauragė
Aušra Papirtienė 2016 Kalniečiai
Virgilijus Poderys 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Viktoras Pranckietis 2016 Raudondvaris
Mindaugas Puidokas 2016 Aleksotas-Vilijampolė
Vytautas Rastenis 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Juozas Rimkus 2016 Kelmė-Šiauliai
Viktoras Rinkevičius 2016

(2000–2008)

Multi-member Constituency
Valerijus Simulik 2000 Saulės
Virginijus Sinkevičius 2016 Šeškinė
Saulius Skvernelis 2016 Karoliniškės
Kęstutis Smirnovas 2016 Vilkaviškis
Lauras Stacevičius 2016 Dainava
Andriejus Stančikas 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Levutė Staniuvienė 2016 Kuršas
Zenonas Streikus 2016 Lazdijai-Druskininkai
Dovilė Šakalienė 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Robertas Šarknickas 2016 Alytus
Audrys Šimas 2016 Biržai-Kupiškis
Agnė Širinskienė 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Tomas Tomilinas 2016 Multi-member Constituency
Stasys Tumėnas 2016 Aušros
Povilas Urbšys 2012 Vakarinė
Petras Valiūnas 2016 Dzūkija
Egidijus Vareikis 2000 Multi-member Constituency
Juozas Varžgalys 2016 Ukmergė
Gediminas Vasiliauskas 2016 Petrašiūnai
Aurelijus Veryga 2016 Panemunė
Virginija Vingrienė 2016 Multi-member Constituency

Name

  • 2001 – Dec 2005: Peasants and New Democratic Party Union or Union of Peasants and New Democratic Parties (Valstiečių ir Naujosios demokratijos partijų sąjunga/VNDS)
  • Dec 2005 – Jan 2012: Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union (Lietuvos valstiečių liaudininkų sąjunga/LVLS)
  • Jan 2012 – Feb 2017: Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union (Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga/LVŽS)
  • Feb 2017 – present: Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga/LVŽS)

See also

References

  1. Raunio, Tapio; Sedelius, Thomas (13 July 2019). Semi-Presidential Policy-Making in Europe: Executive Coordination and Political Leadership. Palgrave Studies in Presidential Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 63. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-16431-7. ISBN 978-3-030-16431-7. S2CID 198743002.
  2. "Karbauskis rėžė – už Partnerystės įstatymą balsuojantiems "valstiečiams" nėra vietos frakcijoje". 17 July 2021.
  3. "LVŽS steigia Krikščioniškosios demokratijos ir tradicinių vertybių analitinį centrą". 24 April 2023.
  4. Virgis Valentinavicius [in Lithuanian] (2017). "Lithuanian Election 2016: the Mainstream Left and Right Rejected by Voters Angry with the Establishment". Political Preferences. 14 (1): 19–34. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.5216161.
  5. Bakke, Elisabeth (2010). "Central and East European party systems since 1989". Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989. Cambridge University Press. p. 81.
  6. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Lithuania". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  7. Lowe, Josh (25 October 2016). "The Farmers' Party That Stormed the Lithuanian Election: What You Need to Know". Newsweek. Newsweek. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  8. "Nations in Transit 2021 - Lithuania". freedomhouse.org. 2021. As a result, LVŽS appeared to establish itself as the main left-wing actor on the political spectrum, pushing out LSDP.
  9. Mindaugas Kluonis (30 October 2020). "Lithuania turns right: urban-rural cleavage, generational change, and left-wing perspectives". progressivepost.eu. Since 2016, the main party that was considered to be "'left"' was the LVŽS.
  10. Mindaugas Kluonis (30 October 2020). "Lithuania turns right: urban-rural cleavage, generational change, and left-wing perspectives". progressivepost.eu. This lack of firm position did not work, and in rural areas, the LSDP lost to the more populist and conservative left-wing LVŽS as well as to the Labour Party (DP), while in urban areas progressive voters voted for the liberals, mostly for the Freedom Party, but also for the Liberal Movement.
  11. Oleg Gorbaniuk; Michał Wilczewski; Ana Ivanova; Halyna Bevz; Julia Gorbaniuk (2021). "The measurement, structure, and cross-cultural equivalence of political party perception. Evidence from Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine". Przegląd Wschodnioeuropejski. 21 (1): 214. doi:10.31648/pw.6471.
  12. "K.Prunskienė ruošiasi jungtuvėms ir rinkimams". DELFI.
  13. "K.Prunskienė antrame ture parems R.Paksą". DELFI.
  14. "R.Paksas pareiškė remiąs K.Prunskienę". DELFI.
  15. "V. Uspaskichas kviečia kitas partijas kartu formuoti valdančiąją daugumą". ELTA. 25 October 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  16. "A. Brazauskas: prognozuoju, kad koalicijos su Darbo partija nebus". ELTA. 24 October 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  17. "Seimas 2004-2008 m.: valdantieji rūbą keitė kelis kartus" [2004-2008 Seimas: the governing coalition changed its clothes several times] (in Lithuanian). Verslo Žinios. 13 September 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  18. "K.Prunskienė gimdys Liaudies partiją". Kauno diena.
  19. "Partijų reitinguose išnyra juodasis arkliukas" [A dark horse emerges in the party ratings]. delfi.lt (in Lithuanian). 21 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  20. Želnienė, Liepa (23 March 2016). "Saulius Skvernelis rinkimuose dalyvaus su žaliaisiais, bet į partiją nestos" [Saulius Skvernelis will participate in the elections with the Greens, but will not join the party] (in Lithuanian). 15min.lt. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  21. "Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjungą į Seimą ves Saulius Skvernelis" [Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union will be led in the elections by Saulius Skvernelis] (in Lithuanian). Vakarų Ekspresas. ELTA. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  22. "Verčiant į anglų žodžio "valstiečiai" neliks". Lietuvos Žinios (in Lithuanian). 17 February 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017. LVŽS šiandien pranešė, kad nuo šiol partijos pavadinimas angliškai skambės Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union.
  23. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Lithuanian election brings major shake-up | DW | 24.10.2016". DW.COM. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  24. "Seimo rinkimų apžvalga: Šokiruojanti, bet dėsninga LVŽS pergalė". 26 October 2016.
  25. "R. Karbauskis: koaliciją galime suformuoti ir be konservatorių ar socialdemokratų".
  26. "Centre-right opposition wins Lithuania's parliamentary election". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  27. ERR, ERR News | (26 October 2020). "Lithuania to get new conservative-liberal coalition prime minister". ERR. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  28. "Matas Baltrukevičius: Kodėl Skvernelio ir Karbauskio sąjunga gali žlugti?".
  29. "Prie Skvernelio politinės jėgos nusprendė jungtis ir Lazdijų rajono "valstiečiai" kartu su mere Miškiniene". 2 December 2021.
  1. The party is also known as Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union.
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