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Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga | |
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Abbreviation | LVŽS |
Chairperson | Ramūnas Karbauskis |
First Vice Chairman | Aurelijus Veryga |
Vice Chairpeople | Ligita Girskienė Kristina Kirslienė Arvydas Nekrošius Aušrinė Norkienė Bronis Ropė Giedrius Surplys |
Founder | Kazimiera Prunskienė |
Founded | 2001 (Union of Peasants and New Democratic Parties) |
Merger of | Lithuanian Peasants Party New Democracy Party |
Headquarters | Gedimino pr. 28, Vilnius |
Membership | 3,741 (2023) |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre-left[8][9][10] to left-wing[11][12][13] |
European Parliament group | Union for Europe of the Nations (2004–2009) Greens/EFA (2014–2024) European Conservatives and Reformists (since 2024)[14] |
Colours | Green |
Seimas | 19 / 141 |
European Parliament (Lithuanian seats) | 1 / 11 |
Municipal councils | 185 / 1,498 |
Mayors | 8 / 60 |
Website | |
www | |
Part of a series on |
Green politics |
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The Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (Lithuanian: Lietuvos valstiečių ir žaliųjų sąjunga, LVŽS)[nb 1] is a green-conservative[1] and agrarian[6] political party in Lithuania led by Ramūnas Karbauskis. The party is considered one of the main representatives of the left wing of Lithuanian politics.[11] Lithuanian journalist Virgis Valentinavičius described the party as "the mixture of the extreme left in economic matters and the extreme right in some social issues, all spiced up with an anti-establishment rhetoric of radical change".[4]
Following the 2020 parliamentary election, the LVŽS has been in opposition to the Šimonytė Cabinet. The party's two MEPs sit in the Greens–European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament. Founded in 2001 as the Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union, (Lithuanian: Lietuvos valstiečių liaudininkų sąjunga, LVLS), the party's symbol since 2012 has been the white stork.
Formerly participating in the European Parliament group of the Greens–European Free Alliance, it announced its intention to join the European Conservatives and Reformists in 2024.[14]
While groups like LVŽS advocate for environmentalism, conservation, and other ecological considerations, this is done in the backdrop of anti-Russian sentiment in addition to criticism of Lithuania's predominant political forces.
The major governing party, the centre-left Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS) endorsed the candidacy of their prime minister Saulius Skvernelis, another non-partisan (officially).
However, after the last elections in 2016, a large majority of Parliament seats went to a new centre-left Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union party.
LVŽS
2012
Left-of-center, agrarian, environmentalism
As a result, LVŽS appeared to establish itself as the main left-wing actor on the political spectrum, pushing out LSDP.
This lack of firm position did not work, and in rural areas, the LSDP lost to the more populist and conservative left-wing LVŽS as well as to the Labour Party (DP), while in urban areas progressive voters voted for the liberals, mostly for the Freedom Party, but also for the Liberal Movement.
Since 2016, the main party that was considered to be "left" was the LVŽS.
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