1976 Liberal Party (UK) leadership election the only time it was ever used to elect a Liberal leader. The election was won by David Steel, who served as leader of the Liberal Party until merger with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1988, forming the Liberal Democrats. David Steel later served as interim leader of the Liberal Democrats (jointly with Bob Maclennan of the SDP) for the duration of the 1988 leadership election which eventually elected Paddy Ashdown as the new party's first permanent leader. 1976 Liberal Party (UK) leadership election The 1976 Liberal Party (UK) leadership election was called following the resignation of Jeremy Thorpe
Liberal Party (Croatia) representatives in the Parliament in the 2003 elections, in an alliance with the social democrats, but became part of the opposition. After the 2003 election party leader Ivo Banac announced the merger of LS with the Croatian People's Party and LIBRA into one big liberal party, but this initiative was opposed by faction led by Zlatko Kramarić. Banac was replaced at the party convention. After the 2005 local elections Zlatko Kramarić started merger negotiations with the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS). That prompted a group of dissidents in Split to form a new party called Dalmatian Liberal Party. Liberal Party