Lithuanian Christian Democrats
The Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai ( LKD, German: Christian Lithuania ) was a Christian Democrat conservative political party in Lithuania.
The party has the Tėvynės Sąjunga ( German Fatherland Union) to Tėvynės Sąjunga in May 2008 - joined Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai (TS- LKD ). Since then, there are within the Homeland Union, the Community Christian Lithuania.
Until the founding of the state (1904-1920)
The beginnings of the Christian Democrats already go back to the period before the First World War, when Lithuania was still part of Russia. As part of the optimism of the revolutionary year 1905 written three Lithuanian priest, Maironis, Adomas Dambrauskas - Jakstas and Pranciškus Bucys, in April 1904 in St. Petersburg a first christian democratic party program. For the constitution of the Union of Lithuanian Christian Democrats ( Lietuvių krikščionių demokratų sąjunga ) occurred in December 1905 on the Great Seimas of Vilnius, a first meeting of all the political forces of Lithuania in Vilnius.
The Christian Democrats saw themselves as Christian democratic alternative to the seen as too radical socialist and anti-clerical Democratic Party. The aim was to achieve social and economic progress, without to shake the prevailing social order. Sympathizers took the party among the young priests in Lithuania, who turned away more and more of Poland and Lithuanian independence stressed. To those mentioned above joined as the driving force of the priest Juozas Tumas - Vaižgantas.
After 1905, the repressive actions of the Russian Tsar, however difficult the political activity of all parties. The party founders were Catholic theologians in St. Petersburg. The Christian Democrats dodged in the social movement and contributed significantly to the education of the rural population in a Catholic, in a national sense. Was driven social labor through the Catholic education movement " Saulė " ( German "Sun", founded in 1906 ), which maintained 1910 72 groups, 40 schools and a number of libraries and rural youth movement " Pavasaris " ( German "Spring", founded in 1911 ).
In April 1917, the party founded in St. Petersburg, where many Lithuanians who fled the German occupation, again and called party of the Lithuanian Christian Democrats ( Lietuvos krikščionių demokratų partija ). The construction work made especially its first chairman, the minister Mykolas Krupavičius. The Christian Democrats were one of the defining trends in the Lithuanian State Council ( lit. Lietuvos Taryba ), who had been elected by the Vilnius Conference in September 1917 with the mission to realize the independence of Lithuania. Leading Christian Democratic members were Pranas Dovydaitis, Aleksandra Stulginskis and Justina Staugaitis. This is the first State governments emerged, he declared the independence of Lithuania (February 16, 1918) and prepared the elections to the Constituent Assembly in April 1920 before. On November 20, 1917, the first party congress was held on Lithuanian soil ( in Vilnius ), a new party program was adopted and Stulginskis was elected chairman.
First Republic (1920-1940)
With the first free elections to a Constituent Assembly, which met for the first time on May 15, 1920, the Christian Democrats were the determining political force in Lithuania: from 112 to be awarded seats they received 59 During the following years to 1926 were marked by the search for a wide basis, and the government repeatedly erupting disputes with the coalition partner of the peasant people waistband. Together, the coalition chose the Christian Aleksandra Stulginskis as the new president. After one and a half years of intensive work in the Constituent Assembly, the coalition collapsed in January 1922, before the adoption of the new Constitution. The Christian Democrats were in favor of religious education and compensation of expropriated land. On 1 August 1922, she adopted the Constitution without the votes of the peasantry Federation, including the controversial preamble, which stated, " In the name of the Almighty."
In the elections of October 1922, the Christian Democrats failed with 38 of 78 seats almost an absolute majority. Stulginskis was confirmed by Parliament as President. However, no effective government majority could be formed and so had to be scheduled for May 1923 elections. Here, the Christian Democrats were able to win two seats added, and thus came to a razor-thin majority of 40 of the 78 seats. First, they ruled, however, in a coalition with the peasant People's Union (until June 1924). This re-elected as president and Stulginskis Ernestas Galvanauskas from peasants Confederation Prime Minister. Once again this coalition among others had failed to politics because of disputes about the influence of religion, formed the Christian Democrats in the aftermath alone governments under the Prime Minister Antanas Tumėnas, Vytautas Petrulis and Leonas Bistras.
The parliamentary elections of May 1926 led to the loss of an absolute majority, the Christian Democrats remained with 30 of 85 seats but the largest party in parliament. The government formed the former opposition parties, farmers' People's League and the Social Democrats, with the support of the parties of national minorities ( Jews, Poles ). The Christian Democrats were desperate to get their opposition role. They rejected the of them are still prepared peace treaty with the Soviet Union and polemicised against the opening of Polish schools. Finally they joined the coup d'etat of the National Union under Antanas Smetona and Augustinas Voldemaras in December 1926. They gave their votes in Parliament the coup democratic paint, but failed to provide leading state offices. Only for a few hours Aleksandra Stulginskis was on December 19, 1926 as the newly elected parliament chairman head of state before Smetona was elected as the new president. After President Smetona dissolved the Parliament in April 1927, but failed to meet the demands of the Christian Democrats after elections, the latter left on 2 May 1927, the government. In the aftermath installed Smetona an autocratic system to the exclusion of Parliament. The Christian Democratic Party ceased its activity. On February 6, 1936 she was, like all other parties except the National Union prohibited. In June, the mouthpiece of the Christian Democrats, who suffered the same fate Rytas newspaper ( The Morning ).
Since 1989
With the beginning of the democratization of the Soviet Union and the independence movement gaining strength also the party of the Christian Democrats founded under the name Lietuvos krikščionių demokratų partija ( LKDP, German: Party of the Christian Democrats of Lithuania ) in February 1989 new. 16 people signed the Declaration of 10 February 1989, which stated the re- establishment zm 16 February. Among them were two politicians who were members of the Christian already before the Second World War. Two party members were elected at the subsequent elections to the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania on 24 February in Parliament ( Egidijus Klumbys and Algirdas Saugardas ).
In the first parliamentary elections in the newly independent Lithuania in 1992 the Christian Democrats have won 10 seats. After the 1996 elections, they even came to 16 seats and formed a coalition government with the Conservatives. The Christian Democrats were three ministries. The coalition broke up in June 1999 to disputes on issues of privatization of state enterprises and coping with the economic consequences of the ruble crisis.
In the following period, the party could never recover from their loss of reputation from the reign (1996-1999) and failed repeatedly at the 5 % threshold. After the 2008 elections promised no entry into parliament, in May 2008, the merger with the Homeland Union. Within the Group of the Homeland Union, the former Christian Democrats are now represented by the elections in October 2008, with seven members.
Spin-offs
In the recent history of the party there were numerous spin-offs of dissatisfied members.
Krikščionių demokratų sąjunga ( KDS )
Already in 1990, was formed under the leadership of former party chairman and well-known dissidents of the Soviet era, Viktoras Petkus, the Krikščionių demokratų sąjungą ( KDS, German: Christian Democratic Union). From 1991, it was led by a physician and USA Emigrant Kazys Bobelis. However, they failed to win a large share of the vote and was in the Lithuanian Parliament ( Seimas ) only by the direct mandate of its chairman represented. After the party had failed even in the 2000 elections almost at the 5 % threshold (4.2%), they decided in April 2001, with the LKDP reunite. Although practically a merger of two parties, was formally renamed only the LKDP in the traditional name Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai ( LKD ) and renamed the party joined the KDS then immediately at (12 May 2001). Background of this approach was the desire to prevent a continuation of the LKDS under renegades ( see below). Kazys Bobelis became the new chairman of the reunited LKD.
Moderniujų krikščionių demokratų sąjunga ( MKDS )
The Union of Modern Christian Democrats ( lit. Moderniujų krikščionių demokratų sąjunga ( MKDS ) ) split in 1998 from the Christian Democrats. In the parliamentary elections of 2000 the party joined only to direct mandates, their party leader Vytautas Bogušis candidate on the list of the liberal Center Union. The party was able to win only one direct mandate. Cooperation with the Center Union was continued at the local elections of 2002 and culminated on 31 May 2003 in the establishment of the new Liberal and Centre Union (together with the Liberal Union).
Lietuvos krikščioniškosios demokratijos partija ( LKDS )
The Party of Christian Democracy in Lithuania (Lithuanian Lietuvos krikščioniškosios demokratijos partija ( LKDS ) ) was founded from members of the old LKDP who rejected the merger with KDS for LKD. The rejection was based in particular on the fact that the disputed Kazys Bobelis, as chairman of the acceding KDS, the new chairman of the LKD should be. The attempt of the dropouts, to lead the party under the old name continues failed ( the LKDP had only changed its name but not merged with the KDS to a new party ) and so the party was re-registered on 28 January 2003 under a slightly changed name. You did not occur after fierce intra-party disputes in the parliamentary elections of 2004 (and 2008) and could otherwise not succeed in elections.