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 ...

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

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)

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