For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (, abbreviated to TB/LNNK) was a

free-market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...

national conservative National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity, communitarianism and the public role of religion. It shares aspects of traditionalist conservatism and social conserva ...

political party in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. In 2011, it dissolved and merged into the

National Alliance National Alliance may refer to: Electoral alliances *National Alliance (Egypt) (2015) * National Alliance (Ireland) (2024 onwards) * National Alliance (Pakistan) (2002-2004) *Nation Alliance (Turkey) (2018-2023) Political parties and organizations ...

. The party was founded from smaller groups in 1993 as For Fatherland and Freedom (TB), with a focus on promoting the

Latvian language Latvian (, ), also known as Lettish, is an East Baltic languages, East Baltic language belonging to the Indo-European language family. It is spoken in the Baltic region, and is the language of the Latvians. It is the official language of Latvia ...

and putting a cap on

naturalisation Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

of Latvian

non-citizens In law, an alien is generally any person (including an organization) who is not a citizen or a national of a specific country, although definitions and terminology differ across legal systems. Lexicology The term "alien" is derived from the ...

. It won six

Saeima The Saeima () is the parliament of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 100 members who are elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated to political parties which gain at least 5% of the p ...

seats in its first year, and 14 in 1995, when it entered the governing

centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...

coalition. It merged with the moderate Latvian National Independence Movement (LNNK) in 1997, and moved its emphasis to

economic liberalisation Economic liberalization, or economic liberalisation, is the lessening of government regulations and restrictions in an economy in exchange for greater participation by private entities. In politics, the doctrine is associated with classical liber ...

. TB/LNNK's then-leader,

Guntars Krasts Guntars Krasts (born 16 October 1957) is a Latvian politician, former Prime Minister, and former Member of the European Parliament for the single Latvia constituency. Born in Riga, he was the Minister of Economy of Latvia from December 1995 to ...

, was

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

from 1997 to 1998. It remained in government until 2004, and again from 2006. Initially from the nationalist right, the party become more moderate after the 1997 merger. It also shifted from supporting

economic interventionism A market intervention is a policy or measure that modifies or interferes with a market, typically done in the form of state action, but also by philanthropic and political-action groups. Market interventions can be done for a number of reas ...

to the free market. A predominantly ethnic Latvian party, the party's support base was university-educated,

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

, and concentrated in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

. The party was

soft Eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek reform ...

, and was a member of the anti-

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists The European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party or simply ECR), formerly known as Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists (AECR, 2009–2016) and Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE, 2016–2019), is a ...

. Its only MEP, party leader

Roberts Zīle Roberts Zīle (born 20 June 1958) is a Latvian economist and politician and Vice President of the European Parliament for the National Alliance, a free market national conservative right-wing populist political party in Latvia. In the seventh te ...

, sat with the ECR

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

in the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

. It has caused some controversy with its participation in the Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires processions. For the 2010 parliamentary election, it formed an alliance with the nationalist All for Latvia! party. In July 2011, both parties merged into a unitary party, bearing the name

History

Foundation

The roots of the party were in the 'Third Awakening' of the

Latvian independence movement The modern Latvian independence movement was the resistance movement to foreign occupation of the Republic of Latvia during Soviet and Nazi German occupation (1940–1991). First year (1940–1941) of occupation The effects of the Molotov–Ribbe ...

in the late 1980s. It identified with the part of the movement, which insisted on a full restoration of independence for Latvia and legal continuity with the Republic of Latvia that existed until 1940, when it was annexed by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

.Plakans (1997), p. 272 It was closely affiliated with the Citizens' Congress through which an alternative government was created that claimed lineage from the interwar government. Within this structure, parties developed which continued after the restoration of independence in 1991. Two of these parties, the ' 18th November Union' and '

Fatherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic nation ...

', merged in 1993 to form the

'For Fatherland and Freedom' ( or ''TB'').Plakans (1997), p. 281 The new party took its name from the inscription on the

Freedom Monument The Freedom Monument () is a monument located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. Unveil ...

, and its focus was on undoing the effects of the Soviet occupation, especially promoting the Latvian language and tightening citizenship laws. The party took part in the 1993 election to the

, and won six seats. A party with a similar background, the Latvian National Independence Movement (LNNK), won fifteen seats.

Merger and referendums

TB was the leading force behind two referendum proposals (in 1994 and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

) to make Latvian citizenship laws stricter. In 1994, the proposition did not gather the necessary number of voter signatures. Before the 1995 election, TB signed a prospective coalition agreement, the centre-right 'National Bloc', with the LNNK and the

Latvian Farmers' Union The Latvian Farmers' Union (, LZS) is an agrarian political party in Latvia. Initially formed in 1917 during the period of Latvian War of Independence (as ), it was banned in 1934. It was re-established in 1990. It is positioned in the centre o ...

, and presented a more rounded programme, based on the LNNK's,Berglund (2004), p. 117 although still concentrating on national identity issues. The party jumped to fourteen seats, becoming one of the four major parties in the Saeima, and leap-frogging the LNNK (which suffered a split from the secession of the

populist right Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populism, populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-Elitism, ...

under Joachim Siegerist) as the main right-wing party. The party fell just short of a majority, with leader Māris Grīnblats's right-wing coalition securing the support of 49 out of 100 deputies for the premiership. Instead, a broad centre-right coalition was formed with TB controlling four ministries under PM

Andris Šķēle Andris Šķēle (born 16 January 1958) is a Latvian former politician and business oligarch. He served two terms as Prime Minister of Latvia from 1995 to 1997, and again from 1999 to 2000. Early life Šķēle graduated from the Latvian Agri ...

. In 1997, the TB merged with the LNNK to form 'For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK', also known as the 'Conservative Union'. In 1998, the proposal was defeated in a referendum, by a relatively small margin (45% of voters supporting the change and 52% rejecting it). At the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s, the party shifted its focus to economic issues.

Government

"For Fatherland and Freedom" was a part of coalition governments from December 1995 to February 2004. From 1997 to 1998, its representative,

, was the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. From February 2004 until November 2006, the party was in opposition. Although it only gained 8 seats in the 2006 election, the party was invited to become part of the ruling coalition, and it agreed to join. "For Fatherland and Freedom" campaigned as a strong supporter of Latvia's national interests and opponent of a

federal Europe A federal Europe, also referred to as the United States of Europe (USE) or a European federation, is a hypothetical scenario of European integration leading to the formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of America), ...

. "For Fatherland and Freedom" won 29% of votes and 4 of Latvia's 9 seats in the

2004 European Parliament election The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but elect ...

. In the 2009 European election, the party lost most of its support, falling from nearly 30% to 7.5%, resulting in the loss of 3 of its 4 European seats. The party attempted to join the centre-right

Unity Unity is the state of being as one (either literally or figuratively). It may also refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpoo ...

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

in 2010, but was rejected. Instead it joined with the more nationalist All for Latvia! (VL) in the

(''Nacionālā Apvienība''). In the 2010 election, the Alliance won eight seats, with VL winning six of them and TB/LNNK reduced to two. In July 2011, both components of the National Alliance agreed to intensify their links and to re-organize the National Alliance as a unitary party under the same name. On TB/LNNK's 17th and last delegate conference, 84 of 90 party representatives agreed with the merger, 3 opposed and 3 abstained.

Ideology

Constitutionally, the party treated the post-1991 Republic of Latvia not as a successor to the inter-war republic, but as a continuation, and considered all acts of the

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began between J ...

illegitimate. The party opposed the

of the large population of Soviet-era migrants () that live in Latvia. The party's stance towards the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

era lead

's government to make the Remembrance day of the Latvian legionnaires a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

, and its members to celebrate the

Latvian Legion The Latvian Legion () was a formation of the Nazi German Waffen-SS during World War II. Created in 1943, it consisted primarily of ethnic Latvians.Gerhard P. Bassler, ''Alfred Valdmanis and the politics of survival'', 2000, p150 Mirdza Kate Balta ...

, part of the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

. The party was an advocate of the

free market In economics, a free market is an economic market (economics), system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of ...

. The party's position shifted over time from interventionism to

liberalisation Liberalization or liberalisation (British English) is a broad term that refers to the practice of making laws, systems, or opinions less severe, usually in the sense of eliminating certain government regulations or restrictions. The term is used ...

. Originally, the party based its

Statism In political science, statism or etatism (from French, ''état'' 'state') is the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree. This may include economic and social policy, especially in regard to taxation ...

on the heavy interventionism of the inter-war republic. Of TB/LNNK's predecessors, For Fatherland and Freedom was more sceptical of the free market, while the LNNK supported full

privatisation Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

, within the context of a welfare state and

protectionism Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations ...

. After the merger, the party adopted free market economics as one of its main emphases, advocating a swift transition to a market economy. The party held an anti-

position. It was the only centre-right party to have flirted with opposing membership of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

before Latvian accession. In March 2003, it changed to supporting membership, fearing that voting no would cause the country to lose support for economic reforms and security policy. The party campaigned in favour of accession in the November 2003 referendum. The party was a strong advocate for the

. For example, it introduced a law mandating the

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

to ignore communication in any other language. At the

European Commission against Racism and Intolerance European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) is the Council of Europe's independent human rights monitoring body specialised in combating antisemitism, discrimination, racism, religious intolerance, and xenophobia. It publishes periodi ...

high-level panel meeting in 2005,

Jean-Yves Camus Jean-Yves Camus (born 1958) is a French political scientist who specializes in nationalist movements in Europe. Life and career Born in 1958 to a Catholic and Gaullist family, Camus is an observant Jew and describes himself as part of "the an ...

, a French political scientist, described the party as "on the borderline between conservative right and far-right" and "an ultra-nationalist party comparable in some respects to the far right".

Political support

A major cleavage in Latvian politics is between ethnic Latvians, from whom TB/LNNK received almost all of its votes, and

ethnic Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

. In the 1998 election, ethnic Latvians were fifteen times as likely to vote for the party as ethnic Russians.Smith-Silvertsen (2004), p. 108 The 1998 referendum on citizenship sponsored by TB/LNNK was supported by a majority of Latvians, but defeated overall by opposition from ethnic Russians. The party was supported mostly by the

,Smith-Silvertsen (2004), p. 98 with wealthier voters tending to vote either for TB/LNNK or

Latvian Way Latvian Way () was a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in Latvia, political party in Latvia. It merged with Latvia's First Party to form the Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way (LPP/LC) in 2007. It described it ...

. Before the parties merged in 1997, both TB and the LNNK received the most support from university graduates.Smith-Silvertsen (2004), p. 114

was traditionally the party's strongest area, with 40% of its voters in 1995 coming from the capital city.Smith-Silvertsen (2004), p. 110 However, Riga's politics are shifting from an ethno-linguistic cleavage to a socio-economic one, leading to a softening of this disparity in the 2001 municipal election. Unlike most parties in Latvia, TB/LNNK never based its support on having a particularly populist leader.

International relations and criticism

The party was a member of the

(AECR), allying with amongst others, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Conservative Party,

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...

, and the

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

Civic Democratic Party. They sat with the AECR's group, the

European Conservatives and Reformists European Conservatives and Reformists may refer to: *European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party), a soft Eurosceptic European political party *European Conservatives and Reformists Group The European Conservatives and Reformists ...

, in the

. Until 2009, TB/LNNK was a member of the

Alliance for Europe of the Nations The Alliance for Europe of the Nations was a European political party that gathered conservative and national-conservative political parties from across the continent. History The AEN was founded in 2002, designed to complement the existing Un ...

and sat with the UEN group. In 2009, British foreign secretary

David Miliband David Wright Miliband (born 15 July 1965) is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the International Rescue Committee and a former British Labour Party politician. He was the Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 and the Member o ...

criticized Conservative Chairman

Eric Pickles Eric Jack Pickles, Baron Pickles, (born 20 April 1952) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 United ...

' decision to secure an alliance with TB/LNNK in the ECR group "despite the fact that its members attend commemorations for the Waffen-SS". In a response,

William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...

demanded an apology be made to TB/LNNK and the Latvian government from Miliband, describing his remarks as recycling "false

Soviet propaganda Propaganda in the Soviet Union was the practice of state-directed communication aimed at promoting class conflict, proletarian internationalism, the goals of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the party itself. The main Soviet cen ...

" and noting that "the majority of parties forming Latvia’s current Government including the Prime Minister’s party, have attended the commemoration of Latvians who fought in the Second World War". The

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i historian and Nazi-hunter

Efraim Zuroff Efraim Zuroff (; born August 5, 1948) is an American-born Israeli historian and Nazi hunter who has played a key role in bringing Nazi and fascist war criminals to trial. Zuroff, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center office in Jerusalem, is th ...

, head of the

Simon Wiesenthal Center The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a Jewish human rights organization established in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The center is known for Holocaust research and remembrance, hunting Nazi war criminals, combating antisemitism, tolerance educati ...

's office in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, criticized the party's "obsession with paying public homage to the Latvian-SS Legion in contradiction to all historical logic and sensitivity to Nazi crimes" in a column for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' on 28 September 2009,Zuroff, Efraim
"The Nazi Whitewash".
''

''. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2009. while

University of Vilnius Vilnius University (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a Public university, public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher e ...

professor

Dovid Katz Dovid Katz (Yiddish: , also , Hirshe-Dovid Kats, , born 9 May 1956) is an American-born Vilnius-based scholar, author, and educator specializing in Yiddish language and literature, Lithuanian-Jewish culture, and the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. ...

, writing that the British Conservatives must not be let "off the hook for their dalliances with some of the worst racists and Holocaust perverters in eastern Europe," called for Pickles' resignation as chairman in October 2009.Katz, Dovid
"Cameron Must End Tories' Far-Right Fling".

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2009.

Electoral performance

Electoral performance of TB/LNNK in the Saeima. TB/LNNK is in gold, as is its predecessor For Fatherland and Freedom. The performance of LNNK is in red (1993 and 1995) and that of VL in maroon (2010). ImageSize = width:350 height:120 PlotArea = width:250 height:80 left:50 bottom:20 AlignBars = justify Colors = id:TB value:rgb(0.937,0.784,0.000) id:LNNK value:rgb(0.926,0.105,0.137) id:VL value:rgb(0.352,0.020,0.020) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:25 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:0 PlotData= bar:Seats color:LNNK width:30 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S bar:1993 color:TB from:start till:6 text:6 bar:1993 color:LNNK from:6 till:21 text:15 bar:1995 color:TB from:start till:14 text:14 bar:1995 color:LNNK from:14 till:21 text:7 bar:1998 color:TB from:start till:17 text:17 bar:2002 color:TB from:start till:7 text:7 bar:2006 color:TB from:start till:8 text:8 bar:2010 color:TB from:start till:2 text:2 bar:2010 color:VL from:2 till:8 text:6

Leaders

Party chairmen

* Māris Grīnblats (1997–2002) *

Jānis Straume Jānis Straume (27 August 1962 – 10 July 2024) was a Latvian politician for For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK (TB/LNNK). He was the fourth Speaker of the Saeima (1998–2002) since 1991. Straume was a leading member of a number of organisations ...

(2002–2006) *

(2006–2011)

Saeima faction presidents

(1997–2002) * Māris Grīnblats (2002–2010)

Bibliography

* * * * *

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:For Fatherland And Freedom Lnnk Defunct political parties in Latvia Nationalist parties in Latvia European Conservatives and Reformists Party member parties European Conservatives and Reformists Group member parties Conservative parties in Latvia Eurosceptic parties in Latvia National conservative parties Right-wing parties in Europe Right-wing populism in Latvia Right-wing populist parties Socially conservative parties Organizations that oppose LGBTQ rights in Europe Opposition to same-sex marriage in Europe Anti-abortion organizations Criticism of multiculturalism Anti-globalization movement Criticism of feminism Paleoconservatism Paleoconservative organizations Anti-immigration politics in Europe