President Andris Piebalgs General Secretary Artis Kampars | Chairperson Jānis Rozenbergs | |
Founded 2010 (2010) (electoral alliance)
6 August 2011 (2011-08-06) (party) Merger of New Era Party,
Civic Union,
Society for Other Politics Headquarters Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics Boulevard 12-3 Riga LV-1050 | ||
Unity (Latvian: Vienotība) registered as Latvian: Partija "VIENOTĪBA" Party "UNITY" is a liberal-conservative political party in Latvia. It is currently the largest party of the centre-right in Latvian politics and was the leading party in the Dombrovskis and Straujuma cabinets from its inception in 2010 until February 2016. Unity is a member of the European People's Party (EPP). It remains the largest parliamentary party in the Kučinskis cabinet.
The party was founded as an electoral alliance of the New Era Party, Civic Union, and the Society for Political Change on 6 March 2010. It was reportedly founded in a bid to form a counterweight to the left-wing Harmony Centre alliance, which had been strengthening in polls and elections, while the other right-wing parties (People's Party, For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK and LPP/LC) were below the electoral threshold of 5%.
On 6 August 2011 the alliance was transformed into a single political party.
Its president is Andris Piebalgs, former European Commissioner. The current Prime Minister is from the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), but Unity and ZZS each hold 5 ministerial portfolios in the 2016-2018 government. For the 2014 general election, Unity announced an electoral pact with the Reform Party, which was followed by a full absorption in March 2015.