View source for Liberal Democracy of Slovenia

{{Infobox political party
| country          = Slovenia
| name             = Liberal Democracy of Slovenia
| native_name      = Liberalna demokracija Slovenije
| colorcode        = {{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}
| logo             = Liberalna_demokracija_Slovenije_Logo.svg
| leader           = [[Tone Anderlič]]
| foundation       = 12 March 1994
| split            = 
| merger           = Liberal Democratic Party<br/>[[Democratic Party (Slovenia)|Democratic Party]]<br/>[[Socialist Party of Slovenia]]<br/>Greens – Ecological Social Party
| headquarters     = [[Ljubljana]]
| ideology         = [[Liberalism]]<ref>{{cite book|author=José Magone|title=Contemporary European Politics: A Comparative Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g73UtvxJsFcC&pg=PA457|access-date=19 July 2013|date=26 August 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-203-84639-1|pages=457–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Paul G. Lewis|title=Political Parties in Post-Communist Eastern Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UjmwJWwgOfgC&pg=PA51|access-date=6 February 2013|year=2000|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-20182-7|pages=51–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.eu/slovenia.html|title=Slovenia|work=Parties and Elections in Europe|archive-date=24 December 2013|last=Nordsieck|first=Wolfram|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224123247/http://parties-and-elections.eu/slovenia.html|year=2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>[[Social liberalism]]<ref>{{Citation |first1=Vít |last1=Hloušek |first2=Lubomír |last2=Kopeček |title=Origin, Ideology and Transformation of Political Parties: East-Central and Western Europe Compared |publisher=Ashgate |year=2010 |pages=114–115}}</ref><br />[[Pro-Europeanism]]
| position         = {{nowrap|[[Centrism|Centre]]<ref>{{Citation |first1=Alan John |last1=Day |first2=Roger |last2=East |first3=Richard |last3=Thomas |title=Liberal Democracy of Slovenia |work=A political and economic dictionary of Eastern Europe |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |page=331 |isbn=9780203403747 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dt2TXexiKTgC&q=day+east+thomas+political+dictionary+eastern+europe |access-date=14 November 2011}}</ref> to [[centre-left]]<ref>{{cite book |author=J. Lodge |title=The 2004 Elections to the European Parliament |publisher=Routledge |year=2016 |page=223 |isbn=9780230523821 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w5uFCwAAQBAJ&q="desus"+centre-left&pg=PA223 |access-date=29 May 2020}}</ref>}}
| youth_wing       = [[Young Liberal Democracy]]
| international    = [[Liberal International]] (formerly)
| european         = [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|ALDE]] (formerly)
| europarl         = [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group|ALDE]] (2004–2014)
| national         = [[Liberal Democrats (Slovenia)|LIDE]]-[[Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia|DeSUS]]-LDS
| colours          = [[light blue (color)|Light blue]]
| seats1_title     = [[Slovenian National Assembly|National Assembly]]
| seats1           = {{Composition bar|0|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| seats2_title     = [[European Parliament]]
| seats2           = {{Composition bar|0|9|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| seats3_title     = Municipal council
| seats3           = {{Composition bar|4|2750|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| website          = http://www.lds.si
}}
'''Liberal Democracy of Slovenia''' ({{langx|sl|Liberalna demokracija Slovenije}}, '''LDS''') is a [[Social liberalism|social-liberal]]<ref name="Guardiancich2012">{{cite book|author=Igor Guardiancich|title=Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe: From Post-Socialist Transition to the Global Financial Crisis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=APcO_fndhx0C&pg=PA194|date=21 August 2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-22595-6|pages=194–}}</ref> [[list of political parties in Slovenia|political party in Slovenia]]. Between 1992 and 2004, it (and its main predecessor, the Liberal Democratic Party) was the largest and ruling party in the country. In the [[2011 Slovenian parliamentary election]], it failed to win entry to the Slovenian [[National Assembly (Slovenia)|National Assembly]]. The party was a member of the [[Liberal International]] and the [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe]].

The LDS dominated [[Politics of Slovenia|Slovenian politics]] during the first decade following independence. Except for a brief interruption in 2000, it held the parliamentary majority between 1994 and 2004, when it lost the election to the conservative [[Slovenian Democratic Party]]. The loss was followed by decline, infighting and political fragmentation. In the runup to the [[2008 Slovenian parliamentary election|2008 parliamentary election]] the LDS joined in an unofficial coalition with the [[Social Democrats (Slovenia)|Social Democrats]] and [[Zares]], but lost nearly 80% of its seats, dropping from 23 to just 5 and becoming the smallest parliamentary party. In the [[2011 Slovenian parliamentary election|2011 parliamentary election]] on 4 December 2011, its support collapsed even further: it won only 1.48% of the vote, not reaching the parliamentary threshold of 4%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://volitve.gov.si/dz2011/en/rezultati/rezultati_slo.html |title=Republic of Slovenia Early Elections for Deputies to the National Assembly 2011: Election results |access-date=16 December 2011 |publisher=National Electoral Commission |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109033015/http://volitve.gov.si/dz2011/en/rezultati/rezultati_slo.html |archive-date=January 9, 2012 }}</ref> It has not regained seats in parliament or a place as a major political force since, only retaining minor relevance at a local level in some municipalities.

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2012}}
In 1990, the well-known Slovenian sociologist, philosopher and cultural critic [[Slavoj Žižek]] was the candidate for the Presidency of Slovenia (an auxiliary body of the President of the Republic, abolished in 1992) for one of the LDS' predecessor parties, the Union of Socialist Youth of Slovenia – Liberal Party (later the Liberal Democratic Party).

The LDS formed a part of governing coalitions of Slovenia from 1992 to 2004, with an interruption for a few months in 2000. The first [[Prime Minister of Slovenia]] from LDS was [[Janez Drnovšek]], who later became the [[President of Slovenia]] in 2002 and was succeeded by [[Anton Rop]], former Finance Minister.

At the [[2004 European Parliament election in Slovenia|2004 European election]], LDS won 21.9% of the vote, which yielded two seats in the [[European Parliament]] out of Slovenia's allocation of seven. At the [[2004 Slovenia parliamentary elections|2004 elections]], the LDS party suffered a considerable loss of votes. The [[Slovenian Democratic Party]] became the largest party, and the LDS went into opposition. The party held 23 seats (22.8% votes) in the [[National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia|National Assembly]] until 2007, when 12 members resigned from the party.

Following the defeat of 2004, the party suffered a succession of severe internal crises and a steady exodus of prominent members. In 2005, Anton Rop resigned as president and was succeeded by [[Jelko Kacin]]. Two years later, a group led by [[Matej Lahovnik]] and the former Secretary General of the party [[Gregor Golobič]] left the LDS and founded a new [[social liberalism|social liberal]] political party called [[Zares]], while several other prominent members left for the [[Social Democrats (Slovenia)|Social Democrats]], including the former Prime Minister [[Anton Rop]]. Following these events, Jelko Kacin resigned as President and was succeeded by [[Katarina Kresal]]. Following Kresal's election as president, several other prominent members, including former Health Minister [[Dušan Keber]], decided to leave the party as well.

In 2008, the party won 5,3% of the votes and five seats, entering the centre-left coalition of [[Social Democrats (Slovenia)|Social Democrat]] [[Borut Pahor]], with two ministers in the government. In the snap elections of 2011, the party failed to enter the Parliament. Due to financial difficulties, the party did not field a slate of candidates in the 2014 (or any subsequent) parliamentary elections. It has not, however, dissolved or merged with another party. In the [[2022 Slovenian presidential election|2022 Slovenian Presidential Elections]], the LDS endorsed [[Ivo Vajgl]], a former member. As of that year, the only offices it still held were the mayoralty and four municipal council seats in the small municipality of [[Markovci]] near [[Ptuj]].

==Parliamentary representation==
<timeline>
ImageSize  = width:350 height:120
PlotArea   = width:250 height:80 left:50 bottom:20
AlignBars  = justify

DateFormat = yyyy
Period     = from:0 till:50
TimeAxis   = orientation:vertical
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:4 start:0

PlotData=
  bar:Seats color:powderblue width:30   mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S
  bar:1990 color: oceanblue from:start till:12 text:12
  bar:1992 from:start till:22 text:22 
  bar:1992 from:22 till:28 text:6 DP
  bar:1992 from:28 till:33 text:5 Greens
  bar:1996 from:start till:25 text:25
  bar:2000 from:start till:34 text:34
  bar:2004 from:start till:12 text:12
  bar:2004 from:12 till:16 text:4 SD
  bar:2004 from:16 till:23 text:7 Zares&other
  bar:2008 from:start till:5 text:5
  </timeline>

== Prominent members==
;Presidents
*[[Jožef Školč]] (1990−1992)
*[[Janez Drnovšek]] (1992−2002)
*[[Anton Rop]] (2002−2005)
*[[Jelko Kacin]] (2005−2007)
*[[Katarina Kresal]] (2007−2011)
*[[Iztok Podbregar]] (2012−2013)
*[[Tone Anderlič]] (2013−Present)

;Other prominent members
*[[Mojca Drčar Murko]]
*[[Jože Pirjevec]]

;Other prominent former members
*[[Igor Bavčar]]
*[[Alenka Bratušek]]<ref>[http://www.slovenskenovice.si/novice/slovenija/vse-stranke-premierke-bratusek-ministra-jakica Slovenskenovice.si - Vse stranke premierke Bratušek in ministra Jakiča]</ref>
*[[Jože Dežman]]
*[[Gregor Golobič]]
*[[Dimitrij Rupel]]
*[[Ivo Vajgl]]
*[[Slavko Ziherl]]
*[[Slavoj Žižek]]
*[[Robert Golob]]

==Electoral results==

===Parliament===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: right;"
|-
! Election
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! +/–
! Position
! Government
|-
! [[1990 Slovenian parliamentary election|1990]]
| 156,843
| 14.5
| {{Composition bar|12|80|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| +12
| 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
! [[1992 Slovenian parliamentary election|1992]]
| 278,851
| 23.5
| {{Composition bar|22|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| +10
|  1st
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[1996 Slovenian parliamentary election|1996]]
| 278,883
| 27.0
| {{Composition bar|25|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| +3
| 1st
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
! [[2000 Slovenian parliamentary election|2000]]
| 390,306
| 36.3
| {{Composition bar|34|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| +9
| 1st
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
![[2004 Slovenian parliamentary election|2004]]
|220,848
|22.8
| {{Composition bar|23|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| -11
| 2nd
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
![[2008 Slovenian parliamentary election|2008]]
|54,771
|5.2
| {{Composition bar|5|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| -18
| 7th
| {{yes2|Coalition}}
|-
![[2011 Slovenian parliamentary election|2011]]
|16,268
|1.5
| {{Composition bar|0|90|{{party color|Liberal Democracy of Slovenia}}}}
| -5
| 9th
| {{no|Extraparliamentary}}
|}

==See also==
*[[List of liberal parties]]
*[[Liberalism in Slovenia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.lds.si/ Liberal Democracy of Slovenia] Official site
{{Slovenian political parties}}
{{ELDR member parties}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberal Democracy Of Slovenia}}
[[Category:1994 establishments in Slovenia]]
[[Category:Liberal parties in Slovenia]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Ljubljana]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1994]]
[[Category:Pro-European political parties in Slovenia]]