Lithuanian People's Party Lietuvos liaudies partija | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Tauras Jakelaitis |
| Founder | Kazimira Prunskienė |
| Founded | 27 March 2010 (2010-03-27) |
| Split from | Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union |
| Headquarters | A. Stulginskio g. 4/7,Vilnius |
| Membership | 2500 |
| Ideology | Russophilia[1] Antimilitarism[2] Hard Euroscepticism[2] Anti-Americanism[2] Populism[3] |
| Political position | Left-wing[4] |
| Seimas | 0 / 141 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 12 |
| Municipal councils | 0 / 1,461 |
| Mayors | 0 / 60 |
TheLithuanian People's Party (Lithuanian:Lietuvos liaudies partija) is a minor pro-Russian political party in Lithuania.[4] It describes itself asleft-of-centre.[5] It was founded in 2010 as a split from theLithuanian Peasant Popular Union, and was led by the party's former chairman and the first prime minister of independent Lithuania,Kazimira Prunskienė. It has no representatives on the European, national or municipal level.
After having left the party to run in the2009 presidential election,Kazimira Prunskienė announced her intention to create a new political party in 2009. Its initiative group was made up of former members of the Peasant Popular Union. Prunskienė cited her conflict withRamūnas Karbauskis, the party's new chairman, and its narrow focus onfarmers as her reasons to establish a new party.[6]
The party was founded as theLithuanian People's Movement (Lithuanian:Lietuvos liaudies sąjūdis) on 5 December 2009. The party's founding conference was attended byKonstantin Kosachev, member of theState Duma of the Russian Federation and theUnited Russia party, who described the new party as United Russia's first partner in Lithuania.[7] As the name was already reserved, however, the party held a second founding conference on 27 March 2010 where it renamed itself to its current name.[8]
It won seven seats in the 2011 Lithuanian municipal elections, its most successful election result.[9]
On 26 September 2011, the party signed a cooperation agreement with United Russia, which Prunskienė described as a pragmatic defense of national interests.[10]
In 2014,Andrius Šedžius [lt], businessman and former member of theSocial Democratic Party of Lithuania, was elected as the party's new chairman, after Prunskienė was hospitalized because of aheart attack.[11] It was also joined by the National Party "Lithuanian Path" (Lithuanian:Tautinė partija „Lietuvos kelias“), led by Lilijana Astra, known for its criticism towards thePolish community and their demand for allowing non-Lithuanian letters in state documents.[11] The party attempted to run in the2014 European Parliament election and its list was led by Milda Bartašiūnaitė-Rudalevičienė, a former member of theLiberal Movement and a self-described "sex expert" known for asexting scandal with Minister of EducationGintaras Steponavičius, but did not collect the required number of signatures.[11]
The party's committee voted to expel Šedžius in March 2015, violating the party's statute.[12] A party conference was supposed to be held, but Šedžius instead joinedOrder and Justice and attempted to dissolve the party.[13] The party remained andfar-right,eurosceptic and anti-NATO politicianRolandas Paulauskas, signatory of the 1990Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, was temporarily elected chairman instead.[11]
Tauras Jakelaitis temporarily held the position of chairman during the2020 parliamentary election, while the party's list was led by Nendrė Černiauskienė, former advisor to Minister of HealthAurelijus Veryga.[14] She gained media attention for bringing a crooked woodenkriwe stick (krivūlė [lt]) to election debates.[15] In the nationwide proportional election, the party finished last of parties that contested the election.[3]
In July 2024, former candidate for president of the Republic of LithuaniaEduardas Vaitkus announced that he will lead the party to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania in2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election.
The People's Party openly describes itself as aRussophilic party which seeks a cooperative relationship with Lithuania's eastern neighbours. It is considered a left-wing party.[4] According to Prunskienė, the People's Party seeks compromise between business interests and social policy; it aims to "achieve balance and compromises, to combine favorable conditions for business, economic growth with the social responsibility of the state, the development of the capital with the development of the regions, the interests of the countryside and cities, the participation of women and men in politics, the cultural expression of Lithuanian culture and all ethnic groups living in the country."[16]
During the electoral campaign for the 2020 parliamentary election, it was the only party which supported the withdrawal of Lithuania from theEuropean Union. It also vowed to establishprogressive taxation, ban propaganda against thetraditional family, adopt afirst-past-the-post electoral system and legalizerepresentative recall.[14]
It proposed normalizing relations withBelarus and ending the boycott on theAstravets Nuclear Power Plant.[17]
| Election | Leader | Votes[a] | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Rolandas Paulauskas | 12,851 | 1.05 (#12) | 0 / 141 | New | Extra-parliamentary |
| 2020 | Vaidotas Prunskus | 2,946 | 0.26 (#17) | 0 / 141 |  0 | Extra-parliamentary |
| 2024 | Tauras Jakelaitis[b] | 32,813 | 2.69 (#10) | 0 / 141 | 0 | Extra-parliamentary |
| Election | Votes[a] | % | Council seats | Mayors | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11,872 | 0.46 (#12) | 7 / 1,466 | 0 / 60 | |
| 2015 | 4,961 | 0.49 (#11) | 5 / 1,473 | 0 / 60 |  2 |
| 2019 | Did not compete | Did not compete | 0 / 1,442 | 0 / 60 | 5 |
| 2023 | Did not compete | Did not compete | 0 / 1,498 | 0 / 60 | 0 |
Lithuanian People's Party had no seats in Lithuanian parliament or European Parliament. Their ideological stance can be described as radical left and pro-Russian.
