Center-Right Union (, CDS), previously knows as Freedom and Justice (, PLT) and Lithuanian Freedom Union (Liberals) (), is a conservative-liberal political party in Lithuania. It holds

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 ...

views.

History

The party was originally founded on 12 July 2014, when the Liberal and Centre Union (LiCS) merged with

YES Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

. YES leader

Artūras Zuokas Artūras Zuokas (born 21 February 1968) is a Lithuanian journalist, businessman and politician who served as the mayor of the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, from 2000 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2015, and as member of Lithuania's unicameral pa ...

became a leader of newly formed party. In the 2015 Lithuanian municipal election, the party won 4.91 per cent of votes. Its best performance was in northeast of Lithuania. In the

2016 Lithuanian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 9 and 23 October 2016 to elect the 141 members of the Seimas. 71 were elected in single-member constituencies using the two-round system, and the remaining 70 in a single nationwide constituency u ...

, the party won 2.16 per cent of votes in multi-member constituency. After poor results of 2019 European Parliament elections, Lithuanian Freedom Union (Liberals),

Order and Justice Order and Justice (, TT), formerly the Liberal Democratic Party (''Liberalų Demokratų Partija'', LDP) was a right-wing national-conservative political party in Lithuania that self-identified as " left-of-centre", at least on economic matters. It ...

and public election committee "Strong Lithuania in United Europe" started negotiations. In June 2020, Order and Justice and former MP Arturas Paulauskas' movement "Forward, Lithuania" merged into the party (combining with Artūras Zuokas–led party) and the new movement was renamed to Freedom and Justice. The party was affiliated with ALDE until its merger in 2020. MPs from Order and Justice,

Remigijus Žemaitaitis Remigijus Žemaitaitis (born 30 May 1982) is a Lithuanian far right politician and member of the Seimas. He is the founder and leader of the political party Dawn of Nemunas. Early life Žemaitaitis was born on 30 May 1982 in Šilutė. In 2005, ...

and Kęstutis Bartkevičius became Freedom and Justice' representatives in the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (), or simply the Seimas ( ; ), is the unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of Government of Lithuania, govern ...

. In

2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 11 and 25 October 2020 to elect the 141 members of the Seimas. 71 were elected in single-member constituencies using the two-round system, and the remaining 70 in a single nationwide constituenc ...

only Remigijus Žemaitaitis retained his seat. In 2021, Žemaitaitis joined the Lithuanian Regions Parliamentary Group. On 19 May 2023, Freedom and Justice terminated Remigijus Žemaitaitis membership in the party due to controversial antisemitic comments. The party managed to regain representation in Seimas after

2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election The 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election was held on 13 and 27 October 2024 to elect the 141 members of the Seimas. Parliament members were elected in 71 single-member constituencies using the two-round system, and the remaining 70 in a single ...

, when party's leader

took single member constituency in Vilnius. It was renamed to the Center-Right Union in May 2025, with the name adopted during the party congress on 31 May 2025.

Ideology

The party has a conservative-liberal,

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 ...

profile and is supportive of both 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 ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

. The party is in favour of allowing

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

s for same-sex couples. After it merger with

in 2020, the party adopts

stance on European integration. The party is economically liberal. It supports the privatization of parts of the health care sector and opposes the establishment of a national development bank. The party favours giving tax incentives to companies that hire seniors and opposes progressive taxation. Instead, it wants to lower value-added taxes. The Intertwined Concepts of Liberty, Justice, and Equality. Conceptual Foundations The articles "Liberty and Justice" and "Equality, Justice, and Liberty" explore these fundamental principles from a constitutional perspective, emphasizing their necessity for a functional and ethical society. Liberty is often defined as the absence of undue restrictions, while justice ensures fair treatment and upholds rights. Meanwhile, equality seeks to reconcile disparities and provide opportunities for all. Constitutional and Regional Applications The article "Equality, Justice, and Liberty" explores how these principles are embedded in legal frameworks and offers a roadmap for governance. The article "Freedom and Justice in the Modern Middle East" examines the practical challenges and regional nuances of implementing these ideals amidst cultural and political complexities. In short, combining these perspectives reveals that liberty, justice, and equality are interconnected. Constitutional frameworks provide the structure, but regional contexts highlight the complexities of implementation, and the collective pursuit of these ideals remains essential for societal progress and stability. James A. in Cate Journal Vol. 34 No.3 (2014 Cot, 1) Cato institute Publishing Adapted: https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/equality-justice-freedom-constitutional-perspective Bernard Lewis Vol. 84, No.3 (May- Jun., 2005) Published by Council on Foreign Relations::https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/20034348?origin=crossref

Election results

Seimas

European Parliament

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 2014 establishments in Lithuania Conservative liberal parties Conservative parties in Lithuania Liberal parties in Lithuania National liberal parties Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party member parties Political parties established in 2014