Liberal and Centre Union
The Liberalų ir centro sąjunga ( LiCS, German: Liberal and Centre Union) is a liberal political party in Lithuania.
The party was founded in 2003 by the merger of the parties Lietuvos liberalų sąjunga (LLS ), Lietuvos centro sąjunga (LCS ) and the Moderniujų krikščionių demokratų sąjunga ( MKDS ) formed. The party is headed by the former Mayor of Vilnius Artūras Zuokas.
In the elections to the European Parliament in June 2004, the party won 11.2 % of the vote and placed so that two MPs in the European Parliament. In the parliamentary elections in October 2004, scored the Liberalų ir centro sąjunga 9.1 % of the vote and won 18 of the 141 seats ( including 11 direct mandates ). An independent Member of Parliament joined the group. A year later, in October 2005, left 9 Seimas members from impatience with the loaded corruption charges chairman Zuokas the group and founded the Liberal movement and on 25 February 2006, the Liberal Party movement of the Lithuanian Republic ( LRLS ).
Despite this weakening the LiCS was able to achieve a good result in the municipal elections in February 2007. She came across the country to 11.1 % of the vote and proportionately as many seats (182). Thus it provides, inter alia, the mayor of Klaipėda (22% of the votes), Šiauliai and Tauragė. In the capital, Vilnius, although the party reached 16 % of the votes and 9 of the 51 seats, their party chairman Artūras Zuokas was not re-elected as mayor.
As part of the negotiations after the loss of the majority government in May 2006, the LiCS agreed to participate in a center-left minority government. She introduced July 4, 2006, two cabinet ministers Kirkilas: Interior Minister Raimondas Šukys (from December 17, 2007 Regimantas Čiupaila ) and the Minister of Culture, Juca Jonas.
In the parliamentary elections in Lithuania 2008 LiCS came within a whisker over the 5 % threshold (5.3%) and received 8 seats (including 3 direct mandates ) in the Seimas. An Independent joined the LiCS Group. The Centre Union was once again in the government, this time a center-right coalition led by the conservative Fatherland League. She placed in the cabinet of the Minister Andrius Kubilius of Health, Algis Caplikas, and of the Interior, Raimundas Palaitis. Four years later, the LiCS win only 2.1 % of the votes and was eliminated from the parliament from.
The Liberal and Centre Union is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Party.