This article gives information on
liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world.
Not all the parties using the "Liberal" or "Freedom" labels are actually liberal. Moreover, some parties, such as the
Freedom Party of Austria, were originally liberal, but have since tilted toward a
populist direction and abandoned most of the tenets of liberalism. Finally, some parties, such as the United States Republican Party, Australia's
Liberal Party or Norway's
Progress Party are liberal mainly from an economic point of view rather than a social point of view (see
economic liberalism,
libertarianism and
right-libertarianism).
Parliamentary parties and other parties with substantial support
This list includes also parties that were represented in the last previous legislature and still exists as well as some banned or exiles parties (Cuba). Liberals might be active in other parties, but that is no reason to include a party.
See the remarks
above about the criteria. Minor parties are listed
below
Africa
Liberalism is a relatively new current for
Africa. Traditionally it only existed more or less in
Egypt,
Senegal and especially
South Africa.
Algeria: There are very few liberal political parties.
Ahd 54 and the Algerian Natural Law Party may be considered liberal. The main
Berber party, the
Rally for Culture and Democracy (
French: Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie) could be considered to embrace some liberal values.
Benin: the
Rebirth Party of Benin (
French: Parti de la renaissance du Bénin), might be considered a liberal party, but its exact profile is not available. The
Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (
French: Forces Cauris pour un Bénin émergent) are a centrist party alliance with liberal elements.
Malawi: the liberal character of the
United Democratic Front is despite its membership of the
LI disputable. The
Democratic Progressive Party was formed in 2005 by President
Bingu wa Mutharika after a dispute with the UDF. There were allegations that members of the former governing UDF did not adequately tackle corruption. It is unclear if the party will be ideological or personalist in style.
Morocco: two center-right parties, the
Constitutional Union (
French: Union Constitutionnelle) and the
Popular Movement (
French: Mouvement Populaire) are both member of the
LI. However both are conservative in social issues, something abnormal for a true liberal party. The
National Rally of Independents (observer
LI, member
ALN), founded in 1978 as a royalist party, is nowadays a liberal party.
In many Latin American countries, liberalism and radicalism have been associated with generally left-of-center political movements such as Colombia's Liberal Party, historically concerned mostly with effecting government decentralization and regional autonomy (liberals were influential in the total dissolution of at least two defunct countries, the
United Provinces of Central America and
Gran Colombia) and
separation of church and state. At times, the anti-clerical and secularist stances promoted by Latin American liberals have resulted in limitations on the civil rights of clergy or others associated with the Church (as in Mexico, where law still prohibits priests from public office). Liberalism in North America has a different background.
Aruba: the character of the
Aruban Liberal Organization (Organisacion Liberal Arubiano) is not clear. The party lost parliamentary representation in the 2005 election.
Brazil: Liberalism (in a general, international acceptance) is represented only by the recently founded
New Party (
Portuguese: Partido Novo). There are no mainstream parties currently holding unambiguous liberal principles nor any members of the
Liberal International. While at least three parties label themselves as "liberal", the
Liberal Front Party (Partido da Frente Liberal), renamed
Democrats (
Portuguese: Democratas) in 2007, is actually a
conservative party. The
Liberal Party (
Portuguese: Partido Liberal), is a populist-conservative party with links to religious organizations, and the
Social Liberal Party (
Portuguese: Partido Social Liberal) is a conservative party. (Main article:
Liberalism in Brazil).
Canada: Liberal refers mainly to the policies and ideas of the
Liberal Party of Canada/
French: Parti Libéral du Canada (member
LI), the most frequent governing party of Canada for the last century and one of the most successful
liberalparties in the world. The Liberal Party of Canada has generally adhered to
modern liberalism, supporting a welfare state, and is regarded as a centrist to centre-left party in the Canadian context although some provincial parties such as the
Quebec Liberal Party combine liberalism with
conservative ideas. (Main article:
Liberalism in Canada).
Costa Rica: the
Libertarian Movement Party (
Spanish: Partido Movimiento Libertario) was originally a classical liberal (libertarian) party but has become conservative on social issues as abortion and same-sex marriage. The
Liberal Progressive Party (
Spanish: Partido Liberal Progresista) was founded in 2016 is an economically and socially liberal party. (Main article:
Liberalism in Costa Rica).
United States: the primary use of the term liberal is at some variance with European and worldwide usage. In the United States today, it is most associated with the definition of
modern liberalism, which is a combination of
social liberalism,
public welfare and a
mixed economy,[12] which is in contrast to
classical liberalism. In the
Third Party System, the primary liberal groups (which by that point still meant classical liberal) were the
Bourbon Democrats and the
Liberal Republicans, the latter of which evolved into the
Mugwumps;[13] they both supported free trade and free markets, and opposed political corruption. By 1884, both groups had come to support the Democratic Party under the leadership of the liberal Bourbon
Grover Cleveland. However, when William Jennings Bryan took over the Democratic Party, there was a substantial move towards populism and progressivism;[14] the last hurrah of the Bourbons was the nomination of
Alton Parker in 1904. Despite this, most Democrats, including
Woodrow Wilson and
Franklin Roosevelt, continued to call themselves liberals, framing social liberal ideas as positive liberties, in contrast to the negative liberties that can only be avoided through a lack of government intervention.[15] Starting in the 1980s, the conservatives and modern liberals began to adopt more classically-liberal economic perspectives through
fusionism and the
Third Way respectively. Today, the Democratic Party is sometimes identified as the liberal party within the broader definition of
liberalism thus putting it in contrast with most other parties listed here. Democrats advocate for more social freedoms,
affirmative action, and a mixed economy (and therefore modern liberalism). The
Republican Party experiences a somewhat fractured economic viewpoint with some members supporting strong free-market and
libertarian views (and therefore
economic liberalism) and others championing pro-business and
economic nationalist stances, though both sectors typically mix their fiscal views with strong aspects of
social conservatism. The
Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States, (though still only getting 1–2% of the vote in congressional elections), and particularly centers itself on free markets and individual liberty, which is more in line with
classical liberalism. (Main article:
Liberalism in the United States and
Modern liberalism in the United States)
Uruguay: liberalism organized itself in the nineteenth century in the
Colorado Party (
Spanish: Partido Colorado) nowadays a heterogeneous party, divided in factions ranging from conservative to social-democratic; however, its general profile is more or less liberal. (Main article:
Liberalism in Uruguay).
Venezuela: liberalism was a strong force in the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. Nowadays there are three important classical liberal movements (still no parties):
Organization for the Liberal Democracy in Venezuela (
Spanish: Organización por la Democracia Liberal en Venezuela), a classical liberal, pro-capitalism think-tank; Liberal Democratic Movement (
Movimiento Demócrata Liberal) and "
Rumbo Propio para el Zulia" from Maracaibo, Zulia, a classical liberal autonomist movement. They are going to create together a political party in the next years. (Main article:
Liberalism in Venezuela).
Asia
Liberalism has or had some tradition in some countries. Nowadays it is a growing current in East Asia, but in many of these countries liberals tend not to use the label liberal.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey are listed under Europe.
Cambodia: the
Candlelight Party (គណបក្សភ្លើងទៀន, member
CALD), claims to be a more or less liberal party, though some dispute this and consider it a xenophobic party.
Hong Kong: the
Democratic Party is a liberal party, strongly emphasizing the need of democratic reforms. The
Civic Party is also a liberal party. The
Liberal Party is often considered to be a conservative, pro-business party.
India: Liberalism is currently unrepresented. However two centrist parties,
INC and
NCP have been described as liberal.[16](Main article:
Liberalism in India).
Iran: liberalism is forbidden and its members have been killed in the past. The Liberal Democratic Party of Iran is forced to exist in exile (based in Sweden). (Main article:
Liberalism in Iran).
Israel:
Yesh Atid (
Hebrew: יש עתיד,
lit. 'There Is a Future', member of
LI) is the second biggest party in the
Israeli Parliament with a strongly anti-clerical, liberal ideology. In the early 2000s, some
Likud and
Labor members formed a new liberal party called
Kadima. The center-right
Likud calls itself a National-Liberal Party.
Mongolia: the
Civil Will–Green Party (Irgenii Zorig-Nogoon Nam, member
LI,
CALD,
GG) was founded in 2012 by a merger of the market liberal
Civil Will Party (Irgenii Zorig Nam) and the
Mongolian Green Party (Mongolyn Nogoon Nam) who both had worked for protecting human rights and democracy. The new party combines market liberal and green values.
Myanmar: the
National League for Democracy, observer
CALD, a party with liberal democratic elements, became the biggest parliamentary party at the latest election. It won a parliamentary majority in the 1990 election but the result was not recognised by the military and the party was suppressed until 2012.
Taiwan: the
Democratic Progressive Party (Min-chu Chin-pu Tang, member
LI,
CALD) is a left-liberal party. The
Taiwan Solidarity Union is a characterised primarily by its Taiwanese nationalism and derives its membership from both the
Chinese Nationalist Party's former moderate and Taiwan-oriented fringe and DPP supporters disgruntled by the party's moderation on the question of Taiwanese sovereignty. Its liberal character is questionable, although it is part of the DPP's left-of-centre and pro-Taiwanese Independence Pan-Green alliance (in contrast with the conservative
Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and
People First Party.) (Main article:
Liberalism in Taiwan).
Andorra: the
Liberal Party of Andorra (
Catalan: Partit Liberal d'Andorra, member
LI,
ALDE) is a centre-right liberal party and currently the second-largest political party by parliamentary representation.
Austria: the
NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (
German: NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum, member
ALDE) was formed in 2014 as a merger of NEOS formed in 2012 and the
Liberal Forum (
German: Liberales Forum, LiF) formed in 1993. The Liberal Forum had split from the
Freedom Party of Austria (
German: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ), which had become a right-wing nationalist party, but was previously liberal or national-liberal, and was a member of the Liberal International until 1993. (Main article:
Liberalism in Austria.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: liberalism is weak, because of the domination by ethnic parties. A small and rather unsuccessful liberal party is the
Liberal Democratic Party (Liberalno demokratska stranka, associate
ALDE). More successful is the social liberaI and multi-ethnic
Our Party (Naša stranka, associate
ALDE).
Finland: the dominant
LI and
ALDE member party is the centrist and agrarian
Centre Party (Suomen Keskusta), however the liberal character of this party is questioned. In actuality, the Centre Party has long since become socially more conservative than the liberal-conservative
National Coalition Party, since it opted not to support
same-sex marriage. The Swedish minority party
Swedish People's Party (Svenska Folkpartiet i Finland, member
LI,
ALDE) has a clearer liberal profile. The original liberal current was until 2011 organized in the
Liberals (Liberaalit), after 1995 a very small extra-parliamentary party. At the autonomous islands of
Åland the
Liberals for Åland (Liberalerna på Åland) and the centrist agrarian
Ålandic Centre (Åländsk Center, member
ALDE) are the dominant forces. (Main article:
Liberalism and centrism in Finland).
Germany: the
Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei, member
LI,
ALDE) is a centre to centre-right
classical liberal party. It supports
laissez-faire and
free market economics and is seen to be closer to the centre-right conservative
CDU/CSU alliance on economic issues than the centre-left
SPD, but closer to the SPD and the
Greens on issues such as civil liberties, education, defense, and foreign policy. (Main article:
Liberalism in Germany).
Greece: the liberal current disappeared, leading to liberals joining the centre-right
New Democracy, est. in 1974 and the centre-left
PASOK, est. in 1974. Smaller parties such as the social-liberal
The River (Greek: Το Ποτάμι, To Potami) and the
Union of Centrists (Greek:Ένωση Κεντρώων,
EDP member, Enosi Kentroon), claimer of
Venizelist heritage, became the leading liberal forces. Meanwhile, new liberal initiatives have been taken, like e.g. the purely liberal
Liberal Alliance (Greek: «Φιλελεύθερη Συμμαχία», Fileleftheri Simmakhia), est. in 2007. (Main article:
Liberalism in Greece).
Ireland:
Fine Gael (member
CDI and
EPP) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative party whose platform encompasses low-tax economic policies and socially liberal stances on issues such as
same-sex marriage,
abortion,
divorce,
medical cannabis, and
assisted dying. In recent years the traditionally
Irish nationalist centrist
Fianna Fáil (member
LI and
ALDE) has adopted liberal politics on both social and economic ones; however, the party membership remains conservative on social issues. The
Progressive Democrats were a liberal party with an emphasis on market economics in existence from 1985 to 2009.
Italy: liberals are now divided over the centre-right
Forza Italia (originally a merger of liberal and Christian-democratic forces in 1994, and reconstituted in 2013 from
The People of Freedom), the
Civic Choice party founded in 2013 to support then-Prime Minister Mario Monti,
Democratic Centre and
Alliance for Italy, small social-liberal parties, and various minor extra-parliamentary movements including the libertarian
Act to Stop the Decline and
Italian Radicals (member
ALDE Party). Also the centrist-populist
Italy of Values is a member
ALDE Party, although it is not classifiable as a liberal party in whichever sense. Most members of the late
Italian Liberal Party (refounded as a very small party in 2004) and many former members of the
Italian Republican Party joined Forza Italia, which is often presented and defined in Italy as a liberal party. This is the reason why the term 'liberals' is more often used when speaking of the
centre-right coalition, dominated by Forza Italia, which combines economic liberalism with freedom of conscience on ethical matters. (Main article:
Liberalism and radicalism in Italy).
Poland: the
Democratic Party (member
ALDE) was a centre-liberal party. It did not succeed in entering parliament in the 2005 election.
Civic Platform is considered economically liberal or conservative-liberal, however, it is conservative in terms of ideology. Created in 2015, liberal
Modern (member
ALDE) entered parliament in
2015 elections. In Poland, there is also conservative and liberal party
KORWiN, which was established in 2015 by
Janusz Korwin-Mikke. It possesses two deputies in the
European Parliament and also two MEPs in
polish parliament. (Main article:
Liberalism in Poland)
Slovenia: the largest liberal party is the
List of Marjan Šarec, member of the
ALDE, a centrist liberal party. The second largest is the
Party of Alenka Bratušek (member
ALDE), a liberal spin-off from centre-left
Positive Slovenia that went a more social democratic direction. The third largest is the classical-liberal
Civic List (member
ALDE). Two minor extra-parliamentary liberal parties in Slovenia are the
Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (
Slovene: Liberalna demokracija Slovenije, former member of both
LI and
ALDE), a centrist liberal party, and
Zares, a social-liberal party, and also a former ALDE member. (Main article:
Liberalism in Slovenia).
Turkey: liberalism was never a strong force. There is no popular support for liberalism.
Populism is the dominant rhetoric.
Liberal Democratic Party (
Turkish: Liberal Demokrat Parti), a
classical liberal party, was founded in 1994. It received very few votes in every election it participated in. (Main article:
Liberalism in Turkey).
Australia: the
Liberal Party of Australia is considered to be
centre-right, and largely the bastion of
Liberalism in Australia. Within the Liberal Party, there is a fusion of
liberal and
conservative views, a tradition which began by the party's predecessors in the early 20th century. The fusion has led to the party having a
big tent membership, bound by an anti-
Labor position. Many would argue that this party is a
classical liberal party and that the perception of what liberalism is has changed, not the Liberal Party (which promotes the
free market approach). Former Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull, a member of the Liberal Party, said that his party is "not a conservative party". The term small-l liberal generally refers to someone who champions civil liberties and progressive causes such as
reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. These views are represented strongly within the broad Liberal Party, as well as in parties such as the
Australian Democrats, which began its life as a group of social-liberals disaffected with the Liberal Party. The
Liberal Democratic Party is a classical liberal and libertarian party. (Main article:
Liberalism in Australia).
New Zealand: there is no longer a pure liberal party, as in the past the
Liberal Party was the first organised political party, and the
Liberal Government from 1891 to 1912 was responsible for many reforms. Similarly to Australia, this party merged with more conservative and free market forces to form the
National Party of New Zealand, in order to oppose the advancement of the democratic socialist
New Zealand Labour Party. Liberalism nowadays refers to a support for individual liberties and limited government. The term is generally used with a reference to a particular policy area, e.g. "market liberalism" or "social liberalism". Unqualified liberalism is less common; in its extreme form it is known by the American term libertarianism. The left of centre
New Zealand Democratic Party takes a more or less progressive liberal position in the spectrum, but lost popular support.
ACT New Zealand is a classical liberal or libertarian party. (Main article:
Liberalism in New Zealand).
This article gives information on
liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world.
Not all the parties using the "Liberal" or "Freedom" labels are actually liberal. Moreover, some parties, such as the
Freedom Party of Austria, were originally liberal, but have since tilted toward a
populist direction and abandoned most of the tenets of liberalism. Finally, some parties, such as the United States Republican Party, Australia's
Liberal Party or Norway's
Progress Party are liberal mainly from an economic point of view rather than a social point of view (see
economic liberalism,
libertarianism and
right-libertarianism).
Parliamentary parties and other parties with substantial support
This list includes also parties that were represented in the last previous legislature and still exists as well as some banned or exiles parties (Cuba). Liberals might be active in other parties, but that is no reason to include a party.
See the remarks
above about the criteria. Minor parties are listed
below
Africa
Liberalism is a relatively new current for
Africa. Traditionally it only existed more or less in
Egypt,
Senegal and especially
South Africa.
Algeria: There are very few liberal political parties.
Ahd 54 and the Algerian Natural Law Party may be considered liberal. The main
Berber party, the
Rally for Culture and Democracy (
French: Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie) could be considered to embrace some liberal values.
Benin: the
Rebirth Party of Benin (
French: Parti de la renaissance du Bénin), might be considered a liberal party, but its exact profile is not available. The
Cowry Forces for an Emerging Benin (
French: Forces Cauris pour un Bénin émergent) are a centrist party alliance with liberal elements.
Malawi: the liberal character of the
United Democratic Front is despite its membership of the
LI disputable. The
Democratic Progressive Party was formed in 2005 by President
Bingu wa Mutharika after a dispute with the UDF. There were allegations that members of the former governing UDF did not adequately tackle corruption. It is unclear if the party will be ideological or personalist in style.
Morocco: two center-right parties, the
Constitutional Union (
French: Union Constitutionnelle) and the
Popular Movement (
French: Mouvement Populaire) are both member of the
LI. However both are conservative in social issues, something abnormal for a true liberal party. The
National Rally of Independents (observer
LI, member
ALN), founded in 1978 as a royalist party, is nowadays a liberal party.
In many Latin American countries, liberalism and radicalism have been associated with generally left-of-center political movements such as Colombia's Liberal Party, historically concerned mostly with effecting government decentralization and regional autonomy (liberals were influential in the total dissolution of at least two defunct countries, the
United Provinces of Central America and
Gran Colombia) and
separation of church and state. At times, the anti-clerical and secularist stances promoted by Latin American liberals have resulted in limitations on the civil rights of clergy or others associated with the Church (as in Mexico, where law still prohibits priests from public office). Liberalism in North America has a different background.
Aruba: the character of the
Aruban Liberal Organization (Organisacion Liberal Arubiano) is not clear. The party lost parliamentary representation in the 2005 election.
Brazil: Liberalism (in a general, international acceptance) is represented only by the recently founded
New Party (
Portuguese: Partido Novo). There are no mainstream parties currently holding unambiguous liberal principles nor any members of the
Liberal International. While at least three parties label themselves as "liberal", the
Liberal Front Party (Partido da Frente Liberal), renamed
Democrats (
Portuguese: Democratas) in 2007, is actually a
conservative party. The
Liberal Party (
Portuguese: Partido Liberal), is a populist-conservative party with links to religious organizations, and the
Social Liberal Party (
Portuguese: Partido Social Liberal) is a conservative party. (Main article:
Liberalism in Brazil).
Canada: Liberal refers mainly to the policies and ideas of the
Liberal Party of Canada/
French: Parti Libéral du Canada (member
LI), the most frequent governing party of Canada for the last century and one of the most successful
liberalparties in the world. The Liberal Party of Canada has generally adhered to
modern liberalism, supporting a welfare state, and is regarded as a centrist to centre-left party in the Canadian context although some provincial parties such as the
Quebec Liberal Party combine liberalism with
conservative ideas. (Main article:
Liberalism in Canada).
Costa Rica: the
Libertarian Movement Party (
Spanish: Partido Movimiento Libertario) was originally a classical liberal (libertarian) party but has become conservative on social issues as abortion and same-sex marriage. The
Liberal Progressive Party (
Spanish: Partido Liberal Progresista) was founded in 2016 is an economically and socially liberal party. (Main article:
Liberalism in Costa Rica).
United States: the primary use of the term liberal is at some variance with European and worldwide usage. In the United States today, it is most associated with the definition of
modern liberalism, which is a combination of
social liberalism,
public welfare and a
mixed economy,[12] which is in contrast to
classical liberalism. In the
Third Party System, the primary liberal groups (which by that point still meant classical liberal) were the
Bourbon Democrats and the
Liberal Republicans, the latter of which evolved into the
Mugwumps;[13] they both supported free trade and free markets, and opposed political corruption. By 1884, both groups had come to support the Democratic Party under the leadership of the liberal Bourbon
Grover Cleveland. However, when William Jennings Bryan took over the Democratic Party, there was a substantial move towards populism and progressivism;[14] the last hurrah of the Bourbons was the nomination of
Alton Parker in 1904. Despite this, most Democrats, including
Woodrow Wilson and
Franklin Roosevelt, continued to call themselves liberals, framing social liberal ideas as positive liberties, in contrast to the negative liberties that can only be avoided through a lack of government intervention.[15] Starting in the 1980s, the conservatives and modern liberals began to adopt more classically-liberal economic perspectives through
fusionism and the
Third Way respectively. Today, the Democratic Party is sometimes identified as the liberal party within the broader definition of
liberalism thus putting it in contrast with most other parties listed here. Democrats advocate for more social freedoms,
affirmative action, and a mixed economy (and therefore modern liberalism). The
Republican Party experiences a somewhat fractured economic viewpoint with some members supporting strong free-market and
libertarian views (and therefore
economic liberalism) and others championing pro-business and
economic nationalist stances, though both sectors typically mix their fiscal views with strong aspects of
social conservatism. The
Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States, (though still only getting 1–2% of the vote in congressional elections), and particularly centers itself on free markets and individual liberty, which is more in line with
classical liberalism. (Main article:
Liberalism in the United States and
Modern liberalism in the United States)
Uruguay: liberalism organized itself in the nineteenth century in the
Colorado Party (
Spanish: Partido Colorado) nowadays a heterogeneous party, divided in factions ranging from conservative to social-democratic; however, its general profile is more or less liberal. (Main article:
Liberalism in Uruguay).
Venezuela: liberalism was a strong force in the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. Nowadays there are three important classical liberal movements (still no parties):
Organization for the Liberal Democracy in Venezuela (
Spanish: Organización por la Democracia Liberal en Venezuela), a classical liberal, pro-capitalism think-tank; Liberal Democratic Movement (
Movimiento Demócrata Liberal) and "
Rumbo Propio para el Zulia" from Maracaibo, Zulia, a classical liberal autonomist movement. They are going to create together a political party in the next years. (Main article:
Liberalism in Venezuela).
Asia
Liberalism has or had some tradition in some countries. Nowadays it is a growing current in East Asia, but in many of these countries liberals tend not to use the label liberal.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey are listed under Europe.
Cambodia: the
Candlelight Party (គណបក្សភ្លើងទៀន, member
CALD), claims to be a more or less liberal party, though some dispute this and consider it a xenophobic party.
Hong Kong: the
Democratic Party is a liberal party, strongly emphasizing the need of democratic reforms. The
Civic Party is also a liberal party. The
Liberal Party is often considered to be a conservative, pro-business party.
India: Liberalism is currently unrepresented. However two centrist parties,
INC and
NCP have been described as liberal.[16](Main article:
Liberalism in India).
Iran: liberalism is forbidden and its members have been killed in the past. The Liberal Democratic Party of Iran is forced to exist in exile (based in Sweden). (Main article:
Liberalism in Iran).
Israel:
Yesh Atid (
Hebrew: יש עתיד,
lit. 'There Is a Future', member of
LI) is the second biggest party in the
Israeli Parliament with a strongly anti-clerical, liberal ideology. In the early 2000s, some
Likud and
Labor members formed a new liberal party called
Kadima. The center-right
Likud calls itself a National-Liberal Party.
Mongolia: the
Civil Will–Green Party (Irgenii Zorig-Nogoon Nam, member
LI,
CALD,
GG) was founded in 2012 by a merger of the market liberal
Civil Will Party (Irgenii Zorig Nam) and the
Mongolian Green Party (Mongolyn Nogoon Nam) who both had worked for protecting human rights and democracy. The new party combines market liberal and green values.
Myanmar: the
National League for Democracy, observer
CALD, a party with liberal democratic elements, became the biggest parliamentary party at the latest election. It won a parliamentary majority in the 1990 election but the result was not recognised by the military and the party was suppressed until 2012.
Taiwan: the
Democratic Progressive Party (Min-chu Chin-pu Tang, member
LI,
CALD) is a left-liberal party. The
Taiwan Solidarity Union is a characterised primarily by its Taiwanese nationalism and derives its membership from both the
Chinese Nationalist Party's former moderate and Taiwan-oriented fringe and DPP supporters disgruntled by the party's moderation on the question of Taiwanese sovereignty. Its liberal character is questionable, although it is part of the DPP's left-of-centre and pro-Taiwanese Independence Pan-Green alliance (in contrast with the conservative
Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and
People First Party.) (Main article:
Liberalism in Taiwan).
Andorra: the
Liberal Party of Andorra (
Catalan: Partit Liberal d'Andorra, member
LI,
ALDE) is a centre-right liberal party and currently the second-largest political party by parliamentary representation.
Austria: the
NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (
German: NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum, member
ALDE) was formed in 2014 as a merger of NEOS formed in 2012 and the
Liberal Forum (
German: Liberales Forum, LiF) formed in 1993. The Liberal Forum had split from the
Freedom Party of Austria (
German: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ), which had become a right-wing nationalist party, but was previously liberal or national-liberal, and was a member of the Liberal International until 1993. (Main article:
Liberalism in Austria.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: liberalism is weak, because of the domination by ethnic parties. A small and rather unsuccessful liberal party is the
Liberal Democratic Party (Liberalno demokratska stranka, associate
ALDE). More successful is the social liberaI and multi-ethnic
Our Party (Naša stranka, associate
ALDE).
Finland: the dominant
LI and
ALDE member party is the centrist and agrarian
Centre Party (Suomen Keskusta), however the liberal character of this party is questioned. In actuality, the Centre Party has long since become socially more conservative than the liberal-conservative
National Coalition Party, since it opted not to support
same-sex marriage. The Swedish minority party
Swedish People's Party (Svenska Folkpartiet i Finland, member
LI,
ALDE) has a clearer liberal profile. The original liberal current was until 2011 organized in the
Liberals (Liberaalit), after 1995 a very small extra-parliamentary party. At the autonomous islands of
Åland the
Liberals for Åland (Liberalerna på Åland) and the centrist agrarian
Ålandic Centre (Åländsk Center, member
ALDE) are the dominant forces. (Main article:
Liberalism and centrism in Finland).
Germany: the
Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei, member
LI,
ALDE) is a centre to centre-right
classical liberal party. It supports
laissez-faire and
free market economics and is seen to be closer to the centre-right conservative
CDU/CSU alliance on economic issues than the centre-left
SPD, but closer to the SPD and the
Greens on issues such as civil liberties, education, defense, and foreign policy. (Main article:
Liberalism in Germany).
Greece: the liberal current disappeared, leading to liberals joining the centre-right
New Democracy, est. in 1974 and the centre-left
PASOK, est. in 1974. Smaller parties such as the social-liberal
The River (Greek: Το Ποτάμι, To Potami) and the
Union of Centrists (Greek:Ένωση Κεντρώων,
EDP member, Enosi Kentroon), claimer of
Venizelist heritage, became the leading liberal forces. Meanwhile, new liberal initiatives have been taken, like e.g. the purely liberal
Liberal Alliance (Greek: «Φιλελεύθερη Συμμαχία», Fileleftheri Simmakhia), est. in 2007. (Main article:
Liberalism in Greece).
Ireland:
Fine Gael (member
CDI and
EPP) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative party whose platform encompasses low-tax economic policies and socially liberal stances on issues such as
same-sex marriage,
abortion,
divorce,
medical cannabis, and
assisted dying. In recent years the traditionally
Irish nationalist centrist
Fianna Fáil (member
LI and
ALDE) has adopted liberal politics on both social and economic ones; however, the party membership remains conservative on social issues. The
Progressive Democrats were a liberal party with an emphasis on market economics in existence from 1985 to 2009.
Italy: liberals are now divided over the centre-right
Forza Italia (originally a merger of liberal and Christian-democratic forces in 1994, and reconstituted in 2013 from
The People of Freedom), the
Civic Choice party founded in 2013 to support then-Prime Minister Mario Monti,
Democratic Centre and
Alliance for Italy, small social-liberal parties, and various minor extra-parliamentary movements including the libertarian
Act to Stop the Decline and
Italian Radicals (member
ALDE Party). Also the centrist-populist
Italy of Values is a member
ALDE Party, although it is not classifiable as a liberal party in whichever sense. Most members of the late
Italian Liberal Party (refounded as a very small party in 2004) and many former members of the
Italian Republican Party joined Forza Italia, which is often presented and defined in Italy as a liberal party. This is the reason why the term 'liberals' is more often used when speaking of the
centre-right coalition, dominated by Forza Italia, which combines economic liberalism with freedom of conscience on ethical matters. (Main article:
Liberalism and radicalism in Italy).
Poland: the
Democratic Party (member
ALDE) was a centre-liberal party. It did not succeed in entering parliament in the 2005 election.
Civic Platform is considered economically liberal or conservative-liberal, however, it is conservative in terms of ideology. Created in 2015, liberal
Modern (member
ALDE) entered parliament in
2015 elections. In Poland, there is also conservative and liberal party
KORWiN, which was established in 2015 by
Janusz Korwin-Mikke. It possesses two deputies in the
European Parliament and also two MEPs in
polish parliament. (Main article:
Liberalism in Poland)
Slovenia: the largest liberal party is the
List of Marjan Šarec, member of the
ALDE, a centrist liberal party. The second largest is the
Party of Alenka Bratušek (member
ALDE), a liberal spin-off from centre-left
Positive Slovenia that went a more social democratic direction. The third largest is the classical-liberal
Civic List (member
ALDE). Two minor extra-parliamentary liberal parties in Slovenia are the
Liberal Democracy of Slovenia (
Slovene: Liberalna demokracija Slovenije, former member of both
LI and
ALDE), a centrist liberal party, and
Zares, a social-liberal party, and also a former ALDE member. (Main article:
Liberalism in Slovenia).
Turkey: liberalism was never a strong force. There is no popular support for liberalism.
Populism is the dominant rhetoric.
Liberal Democratic Party (
Turkish: Liberal Demokrat Parti), a
classical liberal party, was founded in 1994. It received very few votes in every election it participated in. (Main article:
Liberalism in Turkey).
Australia: the
Liberal Party of Australia is considered to be
centre-right, and largely the bastion of
Liberalism in Australia. Within the Liberal Party, there is a fusion of
liberal and
conservative views, a tradition which began by the party's predecessors in the early 20th century. The fusion has led to the party having a
big tent membership, bound by an anti-
Labor position. Many would argue that this party is a
classical liberal party and that the perception of what liberalism is has changed, not the Liberal Party (which promotes the
free market approach). Former Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull, a member of the Liberal Party, said that his party is "not a conservative party". The term small-l liberal generally refers to someone who champions civil liberties and progressive causes such as
reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. These views are represented strongly within the broad Liberal Party, as well as in parties such as the
Australian Democrats, which began its life as a group of social-liberals disaffected with the Liberal Party. The
Liberal Democratic Party is a classical liberal and libertarian party. (Main article:
Liberalism in Australia).
New Zealand: there is no longer a pure liberal party, as in the past the
Liberal Party was the first organised political party, and the
Liberal Government from 1891 to 1912 was responsible for many reforms. Similarly to Australia, this party merged with more conservative and free market forces to form the
National Party of New Zealand, in order to oppose the advancement of the democratic socialist
New Zealand Labour Party. Liberalism nowadays refers to a support for individual liberties and limited government. The term is generally used with a reference to a particular policy area, e.g. "market liberalism" or "social liberalism". Unqualified liberalism is less common; in its extreme form it is known by the American term libertarianism. The left of centre
New Zealand Democratic Party takes a more or less progressive liberal position in the spectrum, but lost popular support.
ACT New Zealand is a classical liberal or libertarian party. (Main article:
Liberalism in New Zealand).