Latvian Green Party

Latvian Green Party Latvijas Zaļā partija
Abbreviation	LZP
Chairman	Edgars Tavars
Founder	Oļegs Batarevskis
Founded	13 January 1990; 34 years ago (1990-01-13)
Headquarters	Skolas iela 3 (4 stāvs), 401 kab. LV-1010, Riga
Membership (2017)	790[1]
Ideology	Green politics Social conservatism
Political position	Centre to centre-right
National affiliation	Union of Greens and Farmers (2002–2022) United Latvian List (2022–)
European affiliation	European Greens (2003–2019)
Colours	Green
Saeima	4 / 100 [2]
European Parliament	0 / 8
Mayors	3 / 43
Party flag
Website
zp.lv
Politics of Latvia Political parties Elections

The Latvian Green Party (Latvian: Latvijas Zaļā partija, LZP) is a green political party in Latvia.^[3]

It was founded in 1990. It was a member of the European Green Party from 2003 until its expulsion in 2019.^[4] It is positioned in the centre^[3] and leans towards the centre-right on the political spectrum,^[5][6][7] and it supports socially conservative views.^[3][8] The party held the world's first prime minister affiliated to a green party with Indulis Emsis who briefly served as Prime Minister of Latvia in 2004; further, the world's first head of state as party member Raimonds Vējonis served as President of Latvia between 2015 and 2019.^[7]

History

The Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia elected in 1990 contained seven Green delegates. After the Constitution of Latvia was restored, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the election of the 5th Saeima (1993-1995) returned one Green deputy, Anna Seile, on the list of the Latvian National Independence Movement (LNNK). In the 6th Saeima (1995-1998), there were four members: Indulis Emsis, Guntis Eniņš, Jānis Kalviņš and Jānis Rāzna.

From 1993 until 1998, the Greens were part of the governing coalition with Indulis Emsis as Minister of State for Environmental Protection.^[7] The LZP contested 1995 general election in an electoral list with the LNNK, but lost its parliamentary representation in the 1998 general election, which it contested in alliance with the Labour Party and Christian Democratic Union.^[9]

For the 2002 parliamentary election, the party formed the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) with the Latvian Farmers' Union.^[9][7] Three members of the Green party were elected: Indulis Emsis, Arvīds Ulme and Leopolds Ozoliņš. The ZZS joined a four-party center-right coalition government and was represented with three ministers, one of them from the Green party, Minister for the Environment Raimonds Vējonis.

In February 2004, after the breakdown of the four-party government, Indulis Emsis was appointed to form a new government and became the first head of government of a country anywhere in the world from a Green party.^[7][10] His minority government was forced to resign in December of the same year.^[7] A new coalition government led by the People’s Party took office, in which the party was again represented as part of the ZZS.

For the 2006 parliamentary election, the party won four seats as part of the ZZS.^[9] The party remained part of the centre-right coalition government along with the People’s Party, Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way, and For Fatherland and Freedom. Party chairman and former prime minister Indulis Emsis became Speaker of the Saeima from November 2006 until September 2007.^[4]

Leading politicians of the party have often supported nationalist and socially conservative views,^[8][11] leading to its expulsion from the European Green Party on 10 November 2019.^[4]

By 2022, however, ZZS was emroiled in internal turmoil, with the Green Party announcing that it sees no way of further cooperation in the framework of ZZS with For Latvia and Ventspils, still led by oligarch Aivars Lembergs. Ultimately, it voted to leave the alliance on 11 June 2022; they were later joined by the Liepāja Party.^[12] In May 2022, LZS formed a united list for the 2022 Saeima elections together with the Latvian Association of Regions, the Liepāja Party and an upcoming political NGO led by Liepāja construction contractor Uldis Pīlēns, the United List.^[13][14]

Election results

Legislative elections

Election	Party leader	Performance					Rank	Government
		Votes	%	± pp	Seats	+/–
1993	Oļegs Batarevskis	149,347	13.35 (LNNK[a])	New	1 / 100	New	2nd	Coalition
1995		60,352	6.35 (NKP-ZP[b])	7.00	4 / 100	3	7th	Coalition
1998	Valdis Felsbergs	22,018	2.30 (DP-LKDS-ZP[c])	4.05	0 / 100	4	8th	Extra-parliamentary
2002	Viesturs Sileniekss	93,759	9.47 (ZZS[d])	7.17	5 / 100	5	5th	Coalition
2006	Raimonds Vējonis	151,595	16.81 (ZZS[e])	7.34	4 / 100	1	2nd	Coalition
2010		190,025	20.11 (ZZS[f])	3.30	4 / 100	0	3rd	Coalition
2011		111,957	12.33 (ZZS[g])	7.78	4 / 100	0	5th	Opposition
2014	Edgars Tavars	178,210	19.66 (ZZS[h])	7.33	4 / 100	0	3rd	Coalition
2018		83,675	9.97 (ZZS[i])	9.69	1 / 100	3	6th	Opposition
2022		100,631	11.14 (AS[j])	1.17	4 / 100	3	3rd	Coalition (2022-2023)
								Opposition (2023-)

1. LNNK list won 15 seats - 1 went to LZP
2. NKP-ZP list won 8 seats - 4 to NKP - 4 to ZP
3. DP-LKDS-ZP list won 0 seats
4. ZZS list won 12 seats - 7 to LZS - 5 to LZP
5. ZZS list won 18 seats - 12 to LZS - 4 to LZP - 2 to LuV
6. ZZS list won 22 seats - 13 to LZS - 4 to LZP - 3 to LuV - 2 to LP
7. ZZS list won 13 seats - 5 to LZS - 4 to LZP - 2 to LuV - 1 to LP
8. ZZS list won 21 seats - 11 to LZS - 4 to LZP - 3 to LuV - 3 to LP
9. ZZS list won 11 seats - 5 to LZS - 1 to LZP - 2 to LuV - 3 to LP
10. AS list won 15 seats - 7 to LRA - 4 to LZP - 1 to LP - 3 independents

European Parliament elections

Election	List leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	EP Group
2014[a]	Andris Bērziņš	36,637	8.32 (#4)	0 / 8	New	–
2019[b]	Dana Reizniece-Ozola	25,252	5.37 (#6)	0 / 8	0
2024[c]	Reinis Pozņaks	42,551	8.27 (#4)	0 / 9	0

1. The ZZS list won 1 seat, that went to LZS
2. The ZZS list didn't win any seat
3. The AS list won 1 seat, that went to an independent

Chairpersons

Three co-chairpersons share the leadership position at any one time. Former chairpersons of the Latvian Green Party include:

• Oļegs Batarevskis (1990–1997)
• Valts Vilnītis (1990–1991)
• Juris Zvirgzds (1990–1995)
• Gunārs Lākutis (1991–1993)
• Pēteris Jansons (1993–1994)
• Jānis Kalviņš (1994–1995)
• Indulis Emsis (from 1995)
• Rūta Bendere (1995–1996)
• Askolds Kļaviņš (1996–2001)
• Valdis Felsbergs (1997–2003)
• Viesturs Silenieks (from 2001)
• Raimonds Vējonis (from 2003)

As of 2011^[update], chairpersons are Viesturs Silenieks and Raimonds Vējonis.

See also

• Green party
• Green politics
• List of environmental organizations
• Politics of Latvia

References

1. "Latvijā partijās daudzkārt mazāk biedru nekā Lietuvā un Igaunijā. Kāpēc tā?" (in Latvian). LSM.lv. 2 January 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
2. https://jauns.lv/raksts/zinas/421333-reiznieces-ozolas-vieta-darbu-saeima-saks-edgars-tavars Reiznieces-Ozolas vietā darbu Saeimā sāks Edgars Tavars
3. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2018). "Latvia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018.
4. "Latvian Green Party expelled from European Green Party". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
5. FIBS Report: Central Eurasia, 1993, p. 107.
6. Marja Nissinen: Latvia's Transition to a Market Economy: Political Determinants of Economic Reform Policy, London: Palgrave Macmillan 1998, p. 119.
7. Miranda Schreurs; Elim Papadakis, eds. (2019). Historical Dictionary of the Green Movement. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-5381-1960-0.
8. Auers, Daunis (May 2012). "The curious case of the Latvian Greens". Environmental Politics. 21 (3): 522–527. doi:10.1080/09644016.2012.671579. ISSN 0964-4016. S2CID 144438163.
9. David J. Galbreath; Daunis Auers (2010). "Green, Black and Brown: Uncovering Latvia's Environmental Politics". In David J. Galbreath (ed.). Contemporary Environmentalism in the Baltic States: From Phosphate Springs to 'Nordstream'. Routledge. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-317-96590-9.
10. Emilie van Haute: Green Parties in Europe, London: Routledge 2016, p. 118.
11. Emilie van Haute: Green Parties in Europe, London: Routledge 2016, p. 119.
12. "Latvian Green Party leaves Union of Greens and Parties". Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
13. "Task of LRA, LZP and Liepāja Party is to change Latvia's status as weakest link of Baltic chain - Pīlēns". LETA. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
14. "Piektdien dibinās Pīlēna iniciēto biedrību "Apvienotais Latvijas saraksts"". liepajniekiem.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-06-29.

External links

• Official website (in Latvian)
• Info of Latvian Green Party on European Green Party website^{(page not found)}