The Earth Party (Portuguese: Partido da Terra, pronounced[pɐɾˈtiðuðɐˈtɛʁɐ]), previously called The Earth Party Movement (Movimento Partido da Terra, abbreviated MPT, hence called MPT – Partido da Terra), is a green-conservative[1]political party in Portugal, founded on 12 August 1993. Its main political priorities are the promotion of environmental-friendly policies and the preservation of the national and cultural heritage of Portugal and of the remaining Portuguese-language countries.[1]
In April 2009, the party announced in a joint press conference with the leader of the pan-European alliance Libertas.euDeclan Ganley that it would run for the 2009 European Parliament election with an open electoral list under the banner of Libertas.[8] While not against European integration, MPT demands more accountability and transparency from the European Union, and the pursuit of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Portugal.[9] In the elections, MPT received 24,062 votes (0.67% of the votes).
2009 Legislative elections
For the 2009 Portuguese legislative election, MPT formed a coalition with the Humanist Party on mainland Portugal that received 0.22% of the votes. Including MPT's votes in Azores and Madeira, where they ran a list on their own, they reached 0.28% nationwide. However, the 2009 local elections were a success in terms of the number of people elected, as MPT elected two councilors, 17 municipal assembly members and 47 parish councilor posts.
2011 Elections
In the 2011 Portuguese legislative election, MPT stood under its own open lists throughout Portugal and achieved 0.41% of the national vote, catapulting it from 14th to 8th place overall in comparison to the 2009 Portuguese legislative election. This was largely due to its more professional campaigning – it employed a campaign manager for the first time – and the inclusion in its lists of a number of popular celebrities.
In the 2011 Madeira regional election the Party elected one Legislative Assembly member despite a fall in its number of votes of 0.3%.
2014 European Parliament elections
MPT achieved its first major electoral success independent of any coalition, in the 2014 European Parliament election, winning 7.14% of the vote and electing two MEPs: the former Chairman of the Portuguese Bar Association António Marinho e Pinto (who subsequently left the party due to personal differences with his fellow MEP) and the lawyer José Inácio Faria.
MPT held its IX Party Congress on 22 November 2014 in Lisbon, where incumbent president John Rosas Baker announced his intention not to stand for reelection and was replaced by MEPJosé Inácio Faria.
On 21 and 22 October 2018, the MPT had its bank accounts blocked due to a court decision and financial liabilities. As a consequence, the party fell into insolvency. The then-party leader Luís Vicente informed the public about this situation on 21 December 2018.[11]
2019 Legislative elections
The 2019 legislative elections, which were contested under MPT's own open lists, had a disastrous outcome, with the party losing practically half of its previous votes.
2022 Legislative elections
MPT contested the 2022 legislative elections under its own open lists, ending up losing more than half of the votes previously held for the second consecutive time.
^ abcJosé M. Magone (2015). "Portugal". In Donatella M. Viola (ed.). Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Routledge. p. 364. ISBN978-1-317-50363-7.
Original press release: Vicente, Luís (21 December 2018). "SITUAÇÃO DE INSOLVÊNCIA FINANCEIRA DO MPT"(PDF) (in European Portuguese). Lisboa: MOVIMENTO PARTIDO DA TERRA. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
Google Translation: Vicente, Luís (21 December 2018). "SITUATION OF FINANCIAL INSOLVENCY"(PDF). Lisboa: EARTH PARTY MOVEMENT. Archived from the original(pdf) on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
Member parties are members of Libertas.eu. Members of member parties are automatically members of Libertas.eu unless they choose otherwise.
2
Affiliated parties are not members of Libertas.eu but are otherwise associated. Members of affiliated parties are not members of Libertas.eu unless they choose to join as individuals.
3
Parties presenting as Libertas.eu affiliates/members but not sanctioned by Libertas.eu when presentation commenced.