Latvian Development

Last updated

For Latvia's Development

Latvijas attīstībai
Leader Juris Pūce
Founded15 December 2013
HeadquartersBlaumaņa iela 5a Riga LV-1011
Ideology Classical liberalism [1]
Pro-Europeanism
Cultural liberalism
Political position Centre to centre-right
European affiliation Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
ColoursRed, white
Saeima
4 / 100
European Parliament
0 / 8
Website
attistibai.lv

For Latvia's Development (Latvian : Latvijas attīstībai) (LA) is a classical liberal political party in Latvia. The party is one of the members of the Development/For! alliance. The party was founded in 2013 by Einars Repše who was Prime Minister of Latvia between 2002 and 2004 and Minister of Finance between 2009 and 2010. Internationally the party is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, a grouping of centrist and liberal parties from across Europe. [2]

Latvian language Baltic language, official in Latvia and the European Union

Latvian is a Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region. It is the language of Latvians and the official language of Latvia as well as one of the official languages of the European Union. It is sometimes known in English as Lettish, and cognates of the word remain the most commonly used name for the Latvian language in Germanic languages other than English and Norwegian. There are about 1.3 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and 100,000 abroad. Altogether, 2 million, or 80% of the population of Latvia, speak Latvian. Of those, 1.16 million or 56% use it as their primary language at home. The use of the Latvian language in various areas of social life in Latvia is increasing.

Classical liberalism is a political ideology and a branch of liberalism which advocates civil liberties under the rule of law with an emphasis on economic freedom. Closely related to economic liberalism, it developed in the early 19th century, building on ideas from the previous century as a response to urbanisation and to the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the United States. Notable individuals whose ideas contributed to classical liberalism include John Locke, Jean-Baptiste Say, Thomas Robert Malthus and David Ricardo. It drew on the classical economic ideas espoused by Adam Smith in Book One of The Wealth of Nations and on a belief in natural law, utilitarianism and progress. The term classical liberalism has often been applied in retrospect to distinguish earlier 19th-century liberalism from social liberalism.

Development/For! political party in Latvia

Development/For! is a liberal, pro-European political alliance in Latvia, made of 3 political parties: Movement For!, Latvian Development and Growth. The alliance was founded on 20 April 2018, and after 2018 Latvian parliamentary election it is the 4th largest party in Latvia. Development/For! positions itself as the only major liberal party in Latvia and states "modern and just Latvia within a unified Europe" as its main goal.

Contents

On 29 November 2014 Juris Pūce was elected as the new chairperson and a new political manifesto was adopted. [3]

Juris Pūce Latvian politician and economist

Juris Pūce is a Latvian economist, lawyer, and politician. Currently, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia in the government of Krisjanis Karins and Chairman of the Board of the "Latvian Development" party. Pūce was elected deputy of 13th Saeima from the "Development / For!". He is former the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics (2010–2013), a member of the Council of LMT (2009–2012), a member of the Board of the Riga Graduate School of Law (2006–2010), as well as a member of the Riga City Council (2017–2018).

With the adoption of the new manifesto the party defined itself as a liberal party that "appreciates and values" individual freedom and equal treatment before the law regardless of nationality, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or physical and mental abilities.

Party leader Pūce holds a Master’s degree from the University of Latvia Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economics and Management. From 2010 to 2013, he was State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. He previously also taught at the University of Latvia.

University of Latvia university located in Riga, Latvia

The University of Latvia (LU) is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 1919.

Election results

Parliament (Saeima)

Election year# of
overall votes		% of
overall vote		# of
overall seats won		+/–
2014 8,1560.89
0 / 100
New
2018 ¹101,68512,04
13 / 100
Increase2.svg 13

¹ Within Development/For! alliance.

European Parliament

Election year# of
overall votes		% of
overall vote		# of
overall seats won		+/–
2014 9,4212.12 (#8)
0 / 8
New

Riga City Council

Election year# of
overall votes		% of
overall vote		# of
overall seats won		+/–Government
2017234,17613.66 (#2)
9 / 60
Newin opposition

2 In an electoral alliance with Latvian Association of Regions.

Latvian Association of Regions

The Latvian Association of Regions is a centrist political alliance in Latvia. It was founded on 13 March 2014 and is headed by Nellija Kleinberga. It won 8 seats in the Saeima at the 2014 parliamentary election. The LRA contested the elections as a political alliance of several smaller regionalist parties, including the Regional Alliance, the LSDSP, the Christian Democratic Union and the Vidzeme Party. The first leader of the alliance was Mārtiņš Bondars until stepping down and leaving the alliance in 2017. In the lead up to the 2018 elections, the LSDSP and the Christian Democrats left the alliance.

Cohabitation Law initiative

On 23 March 2015 party leader Juris Pūce launched a signature collection campaign on ManaBalss.lv for the adoption of a Cohabitation Law in Latvia. [4]

Latvia does not recognize same-sex unions, either in the form of partnership or marriage. The Latvian Constitution prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriages.

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Victory Memorial to Soviet Army

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Movement For! is a liberal political party in Latvia. The party was founded on 26 August 2017 at the House of Culture Rītausma in Riga with 298 party members. The party is one of the members of the Development/For! alliance.

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.attistibai.lv/en/about-us About Us – Latvijas attīstībai
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-30.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ http://www.aldeparty.eu/en/news/juris-puce-new-chairperson-latvijas-attistibai
  4. ↑ "Coalition sceptical about approving Cohabitation Law". Baltic News Network. LETA. March 24, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
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