Political party in Lithuania
| The Way of Courage Drąsos kelias | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Jonas Varkala |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Garliava, Vytauto g. 57-2 |
| Membership (2023) | 2,072 |
| Ideology | Populism Anti-corruption |
| Seimas | 0 / 141 |
| Seats in the European Parliament | 0 / 12 |
| Website | |
| http://www.drasoskeliaspartija.lt/ | |
The Way of Courage (Lithuanian: Drąsos Kelias) is an inactive populist political party in Lithuania. It was founded in 2012 and had an anti-corruption platform.
History
The party was established by supporters of Drąsius Kedys, who claimed that justice officials had whitewashed a ring of pedophiles after his daughter had been sexually molested. Kedys died under unclear circumstances in 2010. Among the party's founders is Neringa Venckienė, sister of Drąsius Kedys and former judge.
The party's name alludes to Kedys' first name Drąsius which means "the brave". The goals include changes in the justice system, e.g. the establishment of trial by jury. In 2012 parliamentary election the party gained approximately 8% of the popular vote. The party had its best performance in Kaunas and Kaunas District Municipality.
After the party's leader Neringa Venckiene applied for asylum in the United States, many party members decided not to participate in the future elections because of the "exile" of their leader.
The party's chairman is Jonas Varkala, a former Catholic priest, who officially left the church in February 2012. He was a constant critic of the ethics of the leaders of the church, particularly in regards to sexual abuse of children.
In 2014 with impeachment of Neringa Venckienė and Valdas Vasiliauskas moving to the Order and Justice parliamentary group, the party's parliamentary group was dissolved as it had less than 7 members.
In 2016 the party won just over 1 per cent of the votes and lost all representatives in parliament.
In 2024, Varkala confirmed that the party is no longer active and will be liquidated. It was later confirmed that the procedure had started in mid-2024.
Member of Seimas (2012–2016)
- Neringa Venckiene (born 1971), (MP until 2014, Impeached), Judge
- Jonas Varkala (born 1951), Priest
- Aurelija Stancikienė (born 1966), Architect
- Algirdas Vaclovas Patackas (born 1943), (MP until 2015, Died), Signer of the Lithuanian Declaration of Independence
- Dr. Vytautas Antanas Matulevičius (born 1952), Journalist
- Prof. Povilas Gylys (born 1948), Economist
- Valdas Vasiliauskas (born 1951), Journalist
- Prof. dr. Gintaras Aleknonis (born 1961), (refused to be sworn in), Journalist.
- Prof. Stasys Brundza (born 1947), (MP from 2014), Economist
- Audrius Nakas (born 1967), (MP from 2015), Actor
Political ideology
The party is generally considered populist. Some researchers have described it as "a single issue protest community". It included members from across the political spectrum. While some of its leaders, such as Jonas Varkala and Algirdas Patackas, were conservative, others were more liberal, such as Vytautas Matulevičius, who was one of the first Lithuanian politicians to support same-sex partnerships.
In its 2012 electoral program, the party promised various populist measures such as higher pensions, simplified referendum law and abolishing Lithuania's parallel voting system in favor of first-past-the-post. It also vowed to combat corruption, establish progressive taxation and ban advertisement of alcohol.
Election results
Seimas
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 109,448 | 8.34 (#5) | 7 / 141 |  7
|
External support |
| 2016 | 3,498 | 0.29 (#14) | 0 / 141 |  7
|
— |
| 2020 | 13,337 | 1.18 (#13) | 0 / 141 |  0
|
— |
| 2024 | Did not compete | 0 / 141 | 0
|
— | |
Municipal
| Election | Votes | % | Council seats | Mayors | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,243 | 0.11 (#18) | 0 / 1,473 | 0 / 60 | 
|
| 2019 | Did not compete | 0 / 1,442 | 0 / 60 | 0
| |
- Proportional representation votes.
- Municipal council election votes.
References
- ^ Dapkus, Liudas (14 October 2012), Poll: Ruling coalition to win Lithuanian election, Associated Press
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2016). "Lithuania". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020.
- ^ Beniusis, Vaidotas (14 October 2012), Austerity-weary Lithuania swings left in parliamentary election, Agence France-Presse, archived from the original on 13 June 2013
- 'Anti-paedophile' party poised for parliamentary debut in Lithuania, Agence France-Presse, 13 October 2012
- "P. Gylys traukiasi iš politikos".
- ""Drąsos kelio" pirmininkas Jonas Varkala prašo jį suspenduoti kunigystėje".
- ""Drąsos kelio" frakcija mirė: Valdas Vasiliauskas pabėgo pirmas – jį priglaudė Rolando Pakso partija".
- Skėrytė, Jūratė (9 March 2024). "Per pusmetį padaugėjo partijoms priklausančių asmenų, "Drąsos keliui" gresia likvidavimas". LRT (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- "Per pusmetį sumažėjo partijoms priklausančių žmonių skaičius, likviduojama partija „Drąsos kelias"". Laikmetis. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- VRK inf. Archived 17 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Jonutis, Karolis (December 2018). "The Operationalization of Ernesto Laclau's Theory of Populism: Case of the Political Party "The Way of Courage"". Sociologija Mintis Ir Veiksmas. 43 (2): 43–70. doi:10.15388/SocMintVei.2018.2.2.
- Aleknonis, Gintaras; Matkevičienė, Renata (2016). "Populism in Lithuania: defining the research tradition" (PDF). Baltic Journal of Law & Politics. 9 (1): 39. doi:10.1515/bjlp-2016-0002.
- Malinauskas, Skirmantas (18 June 2016). "Parlamentaras Vytautas Matulevičius: „Būtina įteisinti homoseksualų partnerystę"". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian).
- "Lietuvos Respublikos vyriausiosios rinkimų komisijos informacinis leidinys". Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). 2012.
- Želnienė, Liepa (20 November 2022), "Drąsos kelias" balsuos už Algirdą Butkevičių, retrieved 19 January 2023
