Latvian Green Party


The Latvian Green Party is a green political party in Latvia. The party was founded on 13 January 1990, and in 2002 joined with the Latvian Farmers' Union to form the Union of Greens and Farmers alliance. Unusually for a green party in Europe, the LZP is generally considered a centre-right party. In November 2019 the party was expelled from the European Green Party for its diverging ideological stances with European green parties. The party held the world's first prime minister affiliated to a Green Party, Indulis Emsis, and first head of state, Raimonds Vējonis.

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 returned one Green deputy, Anna Seile, on the list of the Latvian National Independence Movement. In the 6th Saeima, 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. 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.
For the 2002 parliamentary election, the party formed the Union of Greens and Farmers with the Latvian Farmers' Union. 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. His minority government was forced to resign in December of the same year. 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, won four seats as part of the ZZS. 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.
Leading politicians of the party have often supported reactionary, nationalist, and anti-LGBT positions, leading to its expulsion from the European Green Party on 10 November 2019.

Election results

Parliament (''Saeima'')

Chairpersons

Three co-chairpersons share the leadership position at any one time. Former chairpersons of the Latvian Green Party include:
, chairpersons are Viesturs Silenieks and Raimonds Vējonis.