Liberal International

Liberal International

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

Liberal International is a political international for liberal parties. Its headquarters are 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.

Contents

Aims

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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 multiparty-democracy, social justice, tolerance, free 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

President of the
Liberal International
Incumbent
Hans van Baalen
since October, 2009
Residence London
Term length 18 months, renewable twice
Inaugural holder Salvador de Madariaga
1948
Formation Oxford Manifesto
April, 1947
Website http://www.hansvanbaalen.nl

The president of Liberal International is Hans van Baalen, leader of the delegation and spokesperson on foreign affairs and Defense for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the European Parliament. Immediate past President is Lord Alderdice, a British Liberal Democrat peer who was leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. Other members of the bureau include Deputy President Juli Minoves Triquell, Vice Presidents Jelko Kacin, Dzhevdet Chakarov, Wolfgang Gerhardt, Cristian David, Hsiao Bi-khim, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, and treasurers Josep Soler and Silver Meikar. The secretary general is Emil Kirjas, a former president of the International Federation of Liberal Youth. Former Presidents of Liberal International include Dutch politician and former European Commissioner Frits Bolkestein and German politician Otto Graf Lambsdorff.

Publications

Liberal International has two main publications. The first, LI-news[2] is a weekly dossier of news items that are relevant to the organization's member parties or cooperating organizations. The second, Liberal Matters, is a magazine published several times a year highlighting a particular liberal theme.

The Oxford Manifesto

The Oxford Manifesto, drawn up in April 1947 by representatives from nineteen Liberal political parties at Wadham College in Oxford, led by Salvador de Madariaga, is a document which describes the basic political principles of the Liberal International.[3] The Oxford Manifesto was inspired by the ideas of Lord William Beveridge. It is regarded as one of the defining political documents of the twentieth century.

Fifty years on, in 1997, the Liberal International returned to Oxford, and issued a supplement to the original manifesto, called 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]

Members

Countries and dependencies governed by a Liberal International member or observer party (as of April 2010).

Full members

Country Name Government Notes
 Andorra Partit Liberal d'Andorra in opposition
 Angola Partido Liberal Democrático in opposition
 Austria Liberales Forum in opposition
 Belgium Mouvement Réformateur junior party in government coalition
 Belgium Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten junior party in government coalition
 Bulgaria Dvizhenie za prava i svobodi in opposition
 Bulgaria Natsionalno dvizhenie za stabilnost i vazhod in opposition
 Burkina Faso Alliance for Democracy and Federation-African Democratic Rally in opposition
 Canada Liberal Party of Canada / Parti libéral du Canada in opposition
 Costa Rica Partido Movimiento Libertario in opposition
 Côte d'Ivoire Rassemblement des Republicains in opposition
 Croatia Hrvatska Socijalno Liberalna Stranka junior party in government coalition
 Cuba Partido Liberal de Cuba in opposition
 Cuba Partido Solidaridad Democrática in opposition
 Cuba Unión Liberal Cubana in opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Alliance Nationale des Démocrates pour la Reconstruction in opposition
 Denmark Det Radikale Venstre in opposition
 Denmark Venstre senior party in government coalition
 Egypt Democratic Front Party in opposition
 Equatorial Guinea Unión Democrática Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial in opposition
 Estonia Eesti Reformierakond senior party in government coalition
 Finland Keskusta senior party in government coalition
 Finland Svenska Folkpartiet junior party in government coalition
 Germany Deutsche Gruppe der LI N/A
 Germany Freie Demokratische Partei junior party in government coalition
 Gibraltar Liberal Party in opposition
 Honduras Partido Liberal in opposition
 Hungary Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége in opposition
 Iceland Framsóknarflokkurinn in opposition
 Israel Israeli Liberal Group in opposition
 Italy Radicali Italiani in opposition
 Kosovo Partia Liberale e Kosoves in opposition
 Latvia Latvijas Pirmā Partija/Latvijas Ceļš in opposition
 Lithuania Liberal and Centre Union in opposition
 Luxembourg Demokratesch Partei in opposition
 Macedonia Liberalnо Demokratska Partija in opposition
 Madagascar Movement for the Progress of Madagascar in opposition
 Morocco Constitutional Union in opposition
 Morocco Popular Movement in opposition
 Netherlands Democraten 66 in opposition
 Netherlands Nederlandse Groep in opposition
 Netherlands Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie in opposition
 Norway Venstre in opposition
 Peru Partido Justicia Nacional in opposition
 Philippines Partido Liberal ng Pilipinas (Liberal Party) minority party
 Romania Partidul Naţional Liberal in opposition
 Russia Yabloko in opposition
 Senegal Parti Démocratique Sénégalais in government coalition
 Slovenia Liberalna Demokracija Slovenije junior party in government coalition
 South Africa Democratic Alliance in opposition
 Spain Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya in opposition
 Spain Unió Mallorquina in opposition
 Sri Lanka Liberal Party in opposition
 Sweden Folkpartiet liberalerna junior party in government coalition
 Sweden Centerpartiet junior party in government coalition
 Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party in opposition
 Tanzania Civic United Front in opposition
 Thailand Democrat Party senior party in government coalition
 Tunisia Social-Liberal Party in opposition
 United Kingdom Alliance Party of Northern Ireland in opposition
 United Kingdom Liberal International British Group N/A
 United Kingdom Liberal Democrats junior party in government

Observer parties

Country Name Government Notes
 Argentina Recrear para el Crecimiento (Recrear) in opposition
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Liberal Democratic Party in opposition
 Brazil Brazilian Group of Liberal International in opposition
 Burma National League for Democracy, Liberated Areas in opposition
 Burundi Alliance Démocratique pour le Renouveau in opposition
 Cambodia Sam Rainsy Party in opposition
 Croatia Hrvatska narodna stranka – Liberalni Demokrati in opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Alliance pour le Renouveau du Congo in opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Union pour la Réconstruction du Congo in opposition
 Egypt El Ghat in opposition
 Georgia Republican Party of Georgia in opposition
 Guatemala Movimiento Reformador in opposition
 Guinea Union des Forces Républicaines in opposition
 Isle of Man Liberal Vannin Party in opposition
 Italy Gruppo italiano dell'Internazionale Liberale in opposition
 Italy Federazione dei Liberali Italiani in opposition
 Kenya Liberal Democratic Party of Kenya in opposition
 Kosovo Samostalna Liberalna Stranka in opposition
 Lithuania Naujoji sąjunga (socialliberalai) in opposition
 Mali Citizens Party for the Renewal of Mali in opposition
 Malaysia Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia in government coalition
 Mexico Nueva Alianza in opposition
 Moldova Partidul Alianţă Moldova Noastră in opposition
 Mongolia Civil Will Party in opposition
 Serbia Liberalno-demokratska partija in opposition
 Singapore Singapore Democratic Party in opposition
 Slovenia Zares junior party in government coalition

Cooperating organisations

Liberal think tanks and foundations

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=532
  2. ↑ http://www.liberal-international.org/liNewsSubscribe.asp?ia_id=1114
  3. ↑ http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=535
  4. ↑ http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=537

External links