ABSTRACT
The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania renewed their independence, initially achieved after hard fought battles in the aftermath of World War I, following the collapse of the reactionary August 1991 Soviet putsch. Estonia and Latvia have also joined the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, essentially a think-tank for developed economies. This chapter considers the origins, development, electoral performance, and executive experience of liberal parties in the Baltic States. It focuses on to consider the ideological and policy positions of the parties before focusing on their structure and organisation. Latvia's Way has been Latvia's only electorally successful liberal party and it played a dominant role in Latvian politics between 1993 and 2002. It was formed at a meeting in the Latvian beach resort of Jurmala on 13 February 1993 in the run-up to Latvia's first postcommunist elections in June 1993.
