Liberal International

Liberal International

Liberal International logo
Abbreviation LI
Formation April 1947, constituted with the Oxford Manifesto
Type Federation
Purpose World federation of liberal political parties and organisations
Headquarters National Liberal Club
Location
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
104 (From October 2009)
President
 Juli Minoves
Main organ
 Congress of Liberal International
Website http://www.liberal-international.org

Liberal International (LI) is a political international federation for liberal political parties.

Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the strengthening of liberalism around the world. The Oxford Manifesto describes the basic political principles of the Liberal International.

Aims

The Liberal International Constitution (2005) gives its purposes as

to win general acceptance of Liberal principles which are international in their nature throughout the world, and to foster the growth of a free society based on personal liberty, personal responsibility and social justice, and to provide the means of co-operation and interchange of information between the member organisations, and between men and women of all countries who accept these principles.

The principles that unite member parties from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe are: respect for human rights, free and fair elections and multi-party democracy, social justice, tolerance, market economy, free trade, environmental sustainability and a strong sense of international solidarity.

The aims of Liberal International are also set out in a series of seven manifestos, written between 1946 and 1997 and are furthered by a variety of bodies including a near yearly conference for liberal parties and individuals from around the world.[1]

Bureau

The 13th president of Liberal International is Juli Minoves of the Liberal Party of Andorra (PLA), former Andorra's foreign minister and representative to the United Nations. Minoves succeeded to Hans van Baalen, leader of the delegation and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence for the Dutch People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the European Parliament.

Former Presidents include Lord John Alderdice, Dutch politician and former European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein, German politician Otto Graf Lambsdorff, and Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the Franco dictatorship Adolfo Suárez.

Other members of the bureau include Deputy President Helen Zille, and Vice Presidents Cecilia Wikström MEP, Dzhevdet Chakarov MP, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, Kasit Piromya, Markus Löning, and treasurers Robert Woodthorpe Browne MBE and Shih-chung Liu. The secretary general is Emil Kirjas, a former president of the International Federation of Liberal Youth.

Publications

Liberal International has two main publications:

Oxford Manifesto

The Oxford Manifesto, drawn up in April 1947 at Wadham College in Oxford by representatives from 19 liberal political parties, led by Salvador de Madariaga, is a document describing the basic political principles of the Liberal International.[3]

The Oxford Manifesto was inspired by the ideas of William Beveridge and is regarded as one of the defining political documents of the 20 century.

Fifty years on, in 1997, Liberal International returned to Oxford and issued a supplement to the original manifesto, The Liberal Agenda for the 21st century, describing Liberal policies in greater detail. The second Oxford Manifesto was adopted by the 48th Congress of Liberal International, which was held on 27–30 November 1997 in the Oxford Town Hall.[4]

Organisation

Leadership

Members

In addition to the member organizations listed below, the International has a single individual member, Martin Lee, the founding chairman of Democratic Party (Hong Kong).

Full members

Country Name Government Notes
 Andorra Liberal Party of Andorra in opposition
 Belgium Reform Movement in government coalition
 Belgium Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats junior party in government coalition
 Botswana Botswana Movement for Democracy in opposition part of Umbrella for Democratic Change
 Bulgaria Movement for Rights and Freedoms in opposition
 Bulgaria National Movement for Stability and Progress extraparliamentary opposition
 Burkina Faso Alliance for Democracy and Federation – African Democratic Rally in opposition
 Burundi Alliance démocratique pour le renouveau in opposition
 Cambodia Cambodia National Rescue Party[5] in opposition
 Canada Liberal Party of Canada[6] in government
 Chile Liberal Party of Chile in opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Alliance pour le renouveau au Congo in opposition
 Côte d'Ivoire Rally of the Republicans in government
 Croatia Croatian Social Liberal Party junior party in government coalition
 Cuba Cuban Liberal Union in exile
 Cuba Democratic Solidarity Party in exile
 Cuba National Liberal Party in exile
 Denmark Danish Social Liberal Party in opposition
 Denmark Liberal Party in government
 Egypt Free Egyptians Party N/A
 Estonia Estonian Reform Party senior party in government coalition
 Finland Centre Party senior party in government coalition
 Finland Swedish People's Party in opposition
 Georgia Republican Party of Georgia junior party in government coalition
 Germany German Group of the LI N/A
 Germany Free Democratic Party extraparliamentary opposition represented at the State Parliaments of Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westfalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Schleswig-Holstein
 Gibraltar Liberal Party junior party in government coalition
 Guatemala Patriotic Party in opposition
 Guinea Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea in opposition
 Guinea Union of Republican Forces in opposition
 Honduras Liberal Party in opposition
 Iceland Progressive Party senior party in government coalition
 Israel Israeli Liberal Group N/A
 Kosovo Independent Liberal Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Lebanon Future Movement in government coalition
 Luxembourg Democratic Party senior party in government coalition
 Macedonia Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Madagascar Movement for the Progress of Madagascar in opposition
 Mexico New Alliance Party in opposition
 Mongolia Civil Will-Green Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Morocco Constitutional Union in opposition
 Morocco Popular Movement junior party in government coalition
 Netherlands Democrats 66 in opposition
 Netherlands Dutch Group of LI N/A
 Netherlands People's Party for Freedom and Democracy[7] senior party in government coalition
 Nicaragua Independent Liberal Party in opposition
 Norway Liberal Party in opposition
 Paraguay Authentic Radical Liberal Party in opposition
 Philippines Liberal Party in opposition
 Romania National Liberal Party in opposition
 Russia Yabloko extraparliamentary opposition
 Senegal Senegalese Democratic Party in opposition
 South Africa Democratic Alliance in opposition
 Spain Democràcia i Llibertat N/A liberal foundation linked to Democratic Convergence of Catalonia[8]
 Sri Lanka Liberal Party of Sri Lanka in opposition
 Sweden Liberal People's Party in opposition
 Sweden Centre Party in opposition
 Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party in government
 Tanzania Civic United Front in opposition / in coalition in autonomous region of Zanzibar
 Thailand Democrat Party in opposition
 United Kingdom Alliance Party of Northern Ireland in opposition
 United Kingdom Liberal International British Group N/A
 United Kingdom Liberal Democrats in opposition

Observer parties

Country Name Government Notes
 Argentina Unión por la Libertad junior party in government coalition
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Brazil Brazilian Group of Liberal International N/A affiliated to Democratas, Rio Grande do Sul
 Colombia Social Party of National Unity[9] in government
 Comoros Alliance Nationale pour les Comores extraparliamentary opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Union pour la reconstruction du Congo in opposition
 Republic of the Congo Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development in oppositions
 Croatia Istrian Democratic Assembly[10] in opposition
 Cyprus United Democrats extraparliamentary opposition
 Ethiopia Ethiopian Democratic Party in opposition
 Guatemala Reform Movement in opposition
 Ireland Fianna Fáil in opposition
 Italy Italian Liberal Group N/A
 Kenya Orange Democratic Movement in opposition
 Malaysia Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia junior party in government coalition Part of the Barisan Nasional
 Malaysia People's Justice Party in opposition Part of the Pakatan Rakyat
 Mali Citizens' Party for the Renewal of Mali extraparliamentary opposition
 Moldova Liberal Reformist Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Montenegro Liberal Party of Montenegro junior party in government coalition
 Morocco National Rally of Independents junior party in government coalition
 Mozambique Party for Peace, Democracy, and Development extraparliamentary opposition
 Romania Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in opposition
 Senegal Rewmi in opposition
 Serbia Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Singapore Singapore Democratic Party extraparliamentary opposition
 Spain Libertarian Party extraparliamentary opposition The party has changed to Libertarian Party from Individual Freedom Party. Acceptance of this change and the party's status within Liberal International are pending confirmation.
  Switzerland FDP.The Liberals junior party in government coalition
 Ukraine Ukraine of the Future in opposition

Cooperating organizations

Liberal think tanks and foundations

The International is also in a loose association with the following organisations:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Constitution – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "LI News Subscribe – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "Oxford Manifesto 1947 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Oxford Manifesto 1997 – Manifesto – Politics – Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. 30 November 1997. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Full Members". Liberal-International.org. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
  6. ↑ "Liberal Party of Canada Welcomes Liberal International to 2009 Convention". Liberal Party of Canada. March 6, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  7. ↑ (Dutch) VVD is a member of LI
  8. ↑ Archived 9 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ "Partido de la U - Colombia - Observer Members - Members - Liberalism". Liberal-international.org. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  10. ↑ "Observer Members". Liberal-international.org. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
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