The Liberal Democratic Congress (Polish: Kongres Liberalno-Demokratyczny, KLD) was a centrist-conservative, liberal-Catholic party in Poland. The party, led by Donald Tusk, had roots in the Solidarity movement. It advocated free market economy and individual liberty (however in Catholic understanding), rejected extremism and fanaticism and favoured European integration (in the form of European Union membership), rapid privatisation of the enterprises still owned by the Polish state and decentralisation of the government.
Until 1991 was a part of the Porozumienie Centrum, whose leaders, Kaczynski brothers, are currently seen as conservative socialists. In the 1991 general elections KLD got 7,5% of the votes and 37 seats in the Sejm (total 460 seats). In 1993 KLD got 4,0% of the votes and was left without seats.
It merged on March 20, 1994 with the Democratic Union (Unia Demokratyczna) into the Freedom Union (Unia Wolności, UW). Some of the former KLD members decided in January 2001 to move to join the new Civic Platform. The KLD group within Civic Platform is now seen as moderate conservative socialists. The liberal faction within Civic Platform is small and insignificant, represented by such politicians as Janusz Palikot and Adam Szejnfeld.
Famous quotes containing the words liberal, democratic and/or congress:
“We imagined that the sun shining on their bare heads had stamped a liberal and public character on their most private thoughts.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The Republican party makes even its young men seem old; the Democratic Party makes even its old men seem young.”
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965)
“We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)