Social Democratic Party "Harmony"
Saskaņa (harmony) and SDP " Saskaņa " (Russian Социал - демократическая партия " Согласие " social demokratitscheskaja partija " Soglasije ") is a social democratic political party in Latvia. It was formed in 2010 from the union of the predecessor party Tautas Saskaņas partija with the parties ' Jaunais centrs "and" socialdemokratiska partija - SDP ". In January 2011, Daugavpils Pilsetas partija joined closed. The party Saskaņa is part and sustaining power of the electoral alliance Saskaņas Centrs.
Tautas Saskaņas partija - TSP (1994-2010)
The roots of Tautas Saskaņas partija are in the moderate wing of the Latvian People's Front ( Fronte Tautas ), the Independence Movement of Latvia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their leader, Jānis Jurkāns, was from 1990 to 1992, the first foreign minister of the newly independent Latvia, had his office but due to moderate positions in relations with Russia give up. Together with other exponents of the movement he founded the Alliance Saskaņa Latvijai - Atdzimšana Tautsaimniecībai, which won the parliamentary elections in 1993 13 out of 100 seats. In 1994, the Alliance divided into two parts, one of which was the Tautas Saskaņas partija.
From the outset, the party of the people harmony with the ethnic Russian voters because of their moderate views on issues of citizenship and language was popular. Unlike the other popular with men Russian parties, they had to bridge a certain proportion of ethnic Latvians in their leadership and tried the gap between the two communities.
In May 1998, the party merged with the Socialist Party of Latvia and the party for equality to group For Human Rights in United Latvia together and went so well in the Latvian parliamentary elections on 5 October 2002. Coalition reached 18.9 % of the vote and 25 of 100 seats in the Saeima. 2003 left the Tautas Saskaņas partija the Alliance and in 2005 was the initiator of the alliance Saskaņas Centrs ( center of the harmony). Therefore, the long-time party leader Jānis Jurkāns announced his resignation. Successor was Jānis Urbanovičs. In the European elections in 2004 no mandate could be won in the 2005 local elections the party lost their representation in Riga City Council. In the elections to the 9th Saeima in 2006, however, the Alliance got 17 seats in parliament, of which 11 were occupied by the TSP.
The Tautas Saskaņas partija describes itself as a social democratic party. It advocates a further liberalization of citizenship law and wants all who have lived in Latvia for at least ten years, transfer the automatic citizenship. ( The present law makes it dependent on a process of naturalization ). It also stands for a greater spread of Russian and other languages in the classroom.
2010 Tautas Saskaņas partija, " Jaunais centrs " and " socialdemokratiska partija - SDP " united to form new party Saskaņa.
Saskaņa (from 2010)
In the elections to the 10th Saeima 2010, the electoral alliance Saskaņas centrs reached 26.04 % of the vote. Of the 29 seats 24 were occupied by the party Saskaņa. ( Latvijas Sociālistiskā partija 4 seats and Daugavpils Pilsetas partija 1 seat). In January 2011, Daugavpils Pilsetas partija was completely incorporated ..
The goals of the party Saskaņa are largely identical to those of the former Tautas Saskaņas partija. The most prominent members are Nils Ušakovs and Jānis Urbanovičs.