Abbreviation DP First Vice Chairman Valentinas Bukauskas Founded 2003 | Chairman Živilė Pinskuvienė Executive Secretary Ingrida Karpuškaitė | |
Vice Chairpeople Ingrida Baltušytė-Četrauskienė
Šarūnas Birutis
Petras Kuizinas
Gitana Markovičienė
Žaneta Simanavičienė | ||
The Labour Party (Lithuanian: Darbo Partija, DP) is a centre-left populist political party in Lithuania. The party was founded in 2003 by the Russian-born millionaire businessman Viktor Uspaskich.
In its first electoral test, the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections, it was by far the most successful party gaining 30.2% of the vote and returning 5 MEPs. It joined the European Democratic Party and thus the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group. At the 2004 legislative elections, the party won 28.4% of the popular vote and 39 out of 141 seats, making it the largest single party in the Parliament of Lithuania. After the election Labour formed a coalition government with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and New Union.
At the legislative elections of 2008 the party lost heavily, retaining only 10 seats in the Seimas from its previous 39 and obtaining 9% of the national vote. As its other coalition partner, New Union (Social Liberals) also lost heavily, the coalition they were forming with the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania collapsed. The party was left in opposition after a new centre-right coalition, led by Andrius Kubilius who became prime minister for a second time, and formed of Homeland Union, National Resurrection Party and Liberals' Movement of the Republic of Lithuania took over, gaining a combined governmental majority of 72 out of 141 seats.
In 2011, the New Union (Social Liberals) merged with the party. In May 2012, the Labour Party joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) party.
At the 2012 parliamentary election the party had a considerable success, obtaining 19.82% of the votes (+11.83% compared with the 2008 election) in the proportional representation quota and a total tally of 29 seats. Following the results, the Labour Party joined the coalition cabinet led by Algirdas Butkevičius, with 4 portfolio ministers out of 15.