The Liberal Party of Gibraltar (Libs or LPG) is a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
. It was founded in 1991
as the Gibraltar National Party
and is led by Dr.
Joseph Garcia. The LPG forms the
GSLP–Liberal Alliance
The GSLP–Liberal Alliance is a centre-left political alliance active in Gibraltar consisting of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) and Liberal Party of Gibraltar (LPG).
History
The first election contested by the Alliance was the 20 ...
in partnership with the
Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party
The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP) is a social-democratic political party in Gibraltar. The GSLP is the oldest surviving active political party in Gibraltar. Its roots are based in the trade union movement, as its founder and former lea ...
.
Policy
In line with most
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
parties, the party describes their political philosophy as being based on notions of people deciding their own future, and are committed to
Gibraltarian
The Gibraltarians (Spanish: ''gibraltareños'', colloquially: '' llanitos'') are an ethnic group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterran ...
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
regarding
constitutional
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princip ...
arrangements.
The party believes in "freedom, responsibility, tolerance, social justice and equality of opportunity: these are the central values of liberalism, and they remain the principles on which an open society must be built. These principles require a careful balance of strong civil societies, democratic government, free markets, and international cooperation".
The party makes its stance on economic policy very clear, stating that "open societies need open markets. A liberal, open and tolerant society requires a market economy. Political freedom and
economic freedom
Economic freedom, or economic liberty, is the ability of people of a society to take economic actions. This is a term used in economic and policy debates as well as in the philosophy of economics. One approach to economic freedom comes from the l ...
belong together".
Elections
In the
1992 election to the Gibraltar House of Assembly, the party (as the GNP) won 4.7%% of the popular vote and no seats.
In the
1996 election the GNP won 4.68% of the popular vote and no seats.
In the
1999 by-election, following the death of GSLP Opposition MP
Robert Mor
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
, Liberal Party leader Dr. Joseph Garcia won 51.46% of the popular vote and the seat. He was the first joint GSLP/Liberal candidate to contest an election.
In the
2000 election the party won (in alliance with the
GSLP) 14.95% of the popular vote and 2 seats.
In the
2003 election the party won (in alliance with the GSLP) 14.61% of the popular vote and 2 seats.
In the
2007 election to the newly named (and re-organized)
Gibraltar Parliament
The Gibraltar Parliament is the legislature of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Between 1969 and 2006, it was called the Gibraltar House of Assembly.
Functions
The House of Assembly, set up under the 1969 constitution, was a uni ...
, the party won (in alliance with the GSLP) 13.65% of the popular vote and 3 seats.
In the
2011 election, the party won (in alliance with the GSLP) 14.64% of the popular vote and 3 seats forming the new
Government of Gibraltar
His Majesty's Government of Gibraltar is the democratically elected government of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. The head of state is King Charles III who is represented by the Governor. Elections in Gibraltar are held every four ...
.
In the
2013 by-election
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14
* One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013
Music
* 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band
Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ...
, following the death of Housing Minister
Charles Bruzon (GSLP), the Liberal Party backed the GSLP candidate
Albert Isola
The Hon. Albert J. Isola TEP is a Gibraltarian barrister and politician, member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP). He was a member of the Gibraltar House of Assembly as part of the Opposition between 1996 and 2000. He later became ...
, who has won 49.84% of the popular vote to fill in the vacant seat.
In the
2015 election, the party won (in alliance with the GSLP) 20.61% of the popular vote and 3 seats.
Election results
Parliament of Gibraltar
By-elections
European Parliament
Gibraltar was part of the
South West England constituency in the European parliament and its major parties formed joint ticket alliances with the major UK parties. From 2004 until Brexit, the Liberal Party of Gibraltar was in an alliance with the
Liberal Democrats.
Affiliations
The Liberal Party of Gibraltar is a member of the
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism around ...
and the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
, having joined the latter in November 2014. It is also a 'Sister Party' of the United Kingdom
Liberal Democrats and contested the
South-West England constituency at European Parliamentary elections on a
joint ticket
{{voting
A ticket refers to a single election choice which fills more than one political office or seat. For example, in Guyana, the candidates for President and Parliament run on the same "ticket", because they are elected together on a single ...
with them taking place six on the
party list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
.
Current LPG MPs
*
Joseph Garcia (since 1999)
*
Steven Linares
The Hon. Steven Ernest Linares is a Gibraltarian teacher, trade unionist, barrister and politician affiliated to the Liberal Party of Gibraltar (LPG). He is an MP at the Gibraltar Parliament and as of December 2011 formed part of the Governm ...
(since 2000)
* Vijay Daryanani (since 2019)
See also
*
List of liberal parties
This article gives information on liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world.
Introduction
The definition of liberal party is highly deba ...
References
External links
Official websiteFormer official website
{{Interlib
1991 establishments in Gibraltar
Liberal parties in Gibraltar
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party member parties
Political parties established in 1991
Gibraltarian nationalism
Liberal International
Liberal parties in British Overseas Territories
Pro-European political parties in the United Kingdom