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This article is about the Dutch political party. See Christian Union (students) (with space between the two words) for the university religious organization, and Christian Union (disambiguation) for other meanings. Christian Union (with space redirects here For the Dutch political party see ChristianUnion (no space and for other meanings see Christian Union (disambiguation
ChristenUnie
Image:Christenunie logo.gif
Political leader André Rouvoet
Party Chair Peter Blokhuis
Chair of the First Chamber Parliamentary Party Egbert Schuurman
Chair of the First Chamber Parliamentary Party Arie Slob
Chair of the European Parliament Delegation Hans Blokland
(of the ChristenUnie-SGP-delegation)
Founded 15 March 2001
Merger of GPV and RPF
Seats in the First Chamber
Seats in the Second Chamber
Seats in the European Parliament
Political Ideology Orthodox Protestantism[1]
Position Centre
Youth Organization PerspectieF
Thinktank Mr. André Rouvoet (born January 4, 1962) is a Dutch politician currently serving as Minister of Youth and Family and Deputy Prime Minister of the Egbert Schuurman (born 23 July 1937, Borger (Drenthe) is a professor of Philosophy in The Netherlands, whose teaching is most concerned Arie Slob (born November 16 1961 in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, Zuid-Holland) is a member of the Dutch parliament for the Hans Blokland may refer to Hans T Blokland, Dutch social and political theorist Johannes Blokland, Dutch politician and Member of the Christian Union-Reformed Political Party (ChristenUnie - Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij is a parliamentary party in the European Parliament formed by two Dutch Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Reformed Political Alliance (in Dutch Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV was a Dutch Orthodox Protestant Political party. The Reformatory Political Federation (Reformatorische Politieke Federatie RPF was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands. In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes PerspectieF ChristenUnie-jongeren is the Youth organisation of the ChristenUnie and was founded on 23 september 2000 as a merger between G. Groen van Prinsterer Stichting
European Affiliation European Christian Political Movement
European Parliament Group Independence and Democracy
Colours Blue
Headquarters Partijbureau ChristenUnie
Puntenburgerlaan 91, Amersfoort
website www.christenunie.nl
See also Politics of the Netherlands

Political parties
Elections


The ChristianUnion (Dutch: ChristenUnie) is a Dutch orthodox-protestant[1] and Christian-social party. The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM is a European political association for reflection and working on Christian Democratic Politics in The Independence/Democracy Group in the European Parliament was set up on 20 July 2004. Blue is a Colour, the Perception of which is evoked by Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary Representative democracy, a Constitutional monarchy and a This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a Multi-party system with numerous parties in which any one party has little Elections in the Netherlands are held for six territorial levels the European Union (beyond the scope of this article the state the 12 Provinces Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary Representative democracy, a Constitutional monarchy and a Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. It combines a conservative point of view on ethical issues, with more centre left ideas on economic, migration, social and environmental issues. Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think After doubling its seats in the 2006 elections it became the smallest member of the newly-formed fourth Balkenende cabinet. The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after

Contents

Party history

Before 2000

The Netherlands

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Politics and government of
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The Netherlands has a long tradition of small orthodox or conservative Protestant parties in parliament. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary Representative democracy, a Constitutional monarchy and a The Netherlands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands are two distinct geographical and administrative entities The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom ( Dutch: Ministerraad van het Koninkrijk or Rijksministerraad) is the executive council of the Kingdom of the The Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba (Gevolmachtigd Minister van Aruba represents the constituent country of Aruba in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom The Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles (Gevolmachtigd Minister van de Nederlandse Antillen represents the constituent country of the Netherlands Antilles The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (in Dutch Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; in Papiamentu Statuut pa e Reino di Hulanda) describes the The Constitution of the Netherlands is the Fundamental law of the European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Human rights of the Netherlands are codified in the Dutch constitution. The Netherlands has been an independent Monarchy since 16 March 1815, and has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau Willem-Alexander Prince of Orange (in Dutch: Prins van Oranje The States-General ( Staten-Generaal) is the Parliament of the Netherlands. The Eerste Kamer ( First Chamber) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament the States-General The Historic composition of the Eerste Kamer gives an overview of the composition of the Higher House of the Dutch parliament The Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal ( literally "Second Chamber of the States-General" short Tweede Kamer, is the Dutch Lower house. The Historic composition of the Tweede Kamer gives an overview of the composition of the Lower House of the Dutch parliament The Dutch Council of Ministers is the executive council of Dutch government, formed by all the ministers This executive council initiates laws and policy The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. This is a list of cabinets of the Netherlands Note first party mentioned provided prime minister The Prime minister of the Netherlands is the Head of government of the Netherlands and is the chair of the Dutch cabinet, and This is a list of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands since 1848 Jan Peter Balkenende (pronounced ˈjɑn ˈpetər ˈbɑɫkənɛndə) (born 7 May 1956 is a Christian Democratic politician who has been the Prime Minister of the This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a Multi-party system with numerous parties in which any one party has little This article gives an overview of liberalism in the Netherlands. This article gives an overview of socialism in the Netherlands, including Communism and Social democracy. This article gives an overview of Christian democracy in the Netherlands, which is also called confessional politics, including political catholicism and Elections in the Netherlands are held for six territorial levels the European Union (beyond the scope of this article the state the 12 Provinces Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands, on March 7, 2007. The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on March 7 2006. The Dutch referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was a consultative Referendum that was held on 1 June 2005 to decide if the The European Parliament election of 2004 in the Netherlands was the election of MEP representing Netherlands constituency for the 2004-2009 term of the European A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the local municipalities having the responsibility for matters of subnational or regional The States-Provincial ( Provinciale Staten, or PS - commonly known as simply the Staten, or States) is the provincial parliament and legislative Dutch water boards (waterschappen or nl ''hoogheemraadschappen'' are regional government bodies in the Netherlands. |||} All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities ( gemeenten) together 443 (2007 The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy The Foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments to the atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to International This page lists embassies and consulates posted in the Netherlands. Listed below are the embassies and consulates of the Netherlands, excluding honorary consulates Europe Tirana A High Council of State (in Dutch: Hoog College van Staat) is a council of which the independence is guaranteed in the Constitution of the Netherlands. The National Ombudsman (in Dutch: Nationale Ombudsman) is a Dutch political office In the Netherlands, the Council of State ( Raad van State) is a Constitutionally established advisory body to the Government which consists of The General Chamber of Auditors (in Dutch: Algemene Rekenkamer) is an independent organ that Audits the spending of the national government on its Efficiency The Sociaal-Economische Raad (Social Economic Council SER is a major economic advisory council of the Dutch government The Hoge Raad der Nederlanden ( High Council of the Netherlands) is the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, situated in The Hague. De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB The Dutch Bank) is the Central bank of the Netherlands. Rise of Socialism In the beginning of the 20th century socialism began to develop in the Netherlands Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent The Reformed Political Party (SGP) entered parliament in the 1922 election as a split off from the Anti Revolutionary Party, the Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij (HGS) entered parliament in the 1925 election, a split from the Christian Historical Union. The Political Reformed Party ( Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on July 5, 1922. The Anti Revolutionary Party (in Dutch Anti-Revolutionaire Partij, ARP was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic Political party The Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij (in English Reformed Reformed State Party (see below) HGS was a dutch orthodox Protestant Political party during A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on July 1, 1925. The Christian Historical Union (in Dutch Christelijk Historische Unie, CHU was a Dutch conservative Protestant Political party The SGP did survive the war years, but the HGS was unable to obtain seats in the 1946 elections. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on May 17, 1946. In the 1963 election the Reformed Political Alliance (GPV) entered parliament, although it was founded in 1948 as a split from the Anti Revolutionary Party over a religious issue within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on May 15, 1963. The Reformed Political Alliance (in Dutch Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV was a Dutch Orthodox Protestant Political party. The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland abbreviated Gereformeerde kerk) was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands In the 1981 election, the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) entered parliament. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on May 26, 1981. The Reformatory Political Federation (Reformatorische Politieke Federatie RPF was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands. It had split from the ARP over the formation of the Christian Democratic Appeal. The Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA) (Christen Democratisch Appèl is a Dutch Christian-democratic Political party.

The RPF explicitly stated in its manifesto of principles that it sought to unite all reformed parties in the Netherlands. The other two were less positive about cooperation however. The GPV which was only open to a specific current in reformed Protestantism, namely the Reformed Churches (liberated), did not want to cooperate with non-'liberated' reformed: it had rejected the entry of the group that was to become the RPF in the 1970s on religious grounds. The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt are a Protestant denomination that holds to an orthodox view of Neo-Calvinist The Reformed Political Party had rejected cooperation with these parties because they had female members while the SGP consistently ejected female suffrage. The Political Reformed Party ( Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The RPF, GPV and SGP were testimonial parties, which chose to voice their concerns about government policy, while acknowledging that they are not big enough to force their opinion upon others.

In 1984 however the three parties cooperated in the European elections and presented a common list in order to enter the European Parliament. The European Parliament election of 1984 in the Netherlands was the election of MEP representing Netherlands constituency for the 1984-1989 term of the European The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU In the 1989 general election they formed a electoral alliance in order to enhance their chances of obtaining seats. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on September 6, 1989 In 1995 informal talks were opended between the three parties. The GPV had opened itself to non-liberated members, but the SGP not to women. The discussions with the SGP were broken off and the GPV and RPF continued together. For a long time the GPV was not willing to enter a large internal debate with the RPF which also performed better electorally; it had won three seats in the 1998 elections while the GPV received only two. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on May 6, 1998. From 1998 the two parliamentary parties cooperated with each other, held common meetings and appointed common spokespersons. In 1999 a group called "Transformatie" (Transformation) was set up by young people from both parties in reaction to the slow cooperation process: they tried to intensify the debate about cooperation. In the same year the cooperation talks were formalized and intensified, leading to the foundation of the ChristianUnion.

2000-present

The ChristianUnion was founded in January 2000 as an alliance between two conservative reformed parties: the Reformed Political Alliance and the Reformatory Political Federation. The Reformed Political Alliance (in Dutch Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV was a Dutch Orthodox Protestant Political party. The Reformatory Political Federation (Reformatorische Politieke Federatie RPF was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands. In 2000 their youth organizations, GPJC and RPFJ fused completely, presenting an example to their mother organizations. In 2001 they formed a common parliamentary party in both the lower and higher house. The Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal ( literally "Second Chamber of the States-General" short Tweede Kamer, is the Dutch Lower house. The Eerste Kamer ( First Chamber) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament the States-General In 2002 the alliance entered the elections for the first time. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on May 15, 2002 The party got four seats - one seat less than the 1998 election when they campaigned separately. It had polled much better, with some polling stations predicting seven or eight seats. The party's leader Kars Veling stepped down. Kars Veling ( Groningen, June 30 1948) is Rector of the Johan de Witt College in The Hague and former politician He had been good at keeping the peace internally in a party still somewhat divided along the old GPV and RPF blood lines, but had not appealed well enough to the population at large. With preference votes a woman, Tineke Huizinga (positioned nr. Johanna Catharina (Tineke Huizinga-Heringa ( Dantumadeel, 16 February 1960) is a Dutch politician. 7 on the CU candidate-list) was elected into parliament for the CU, becoming the first woman to enter parliament for the party or its predecessors. Because of her election, party-prominent Eimert van Middelkoop, who was nr. Eimert van Middelkoop (born February 14, 1949 in Berkel en Rodenrijs, Zuid-Holland) is a Dutch politician 4 on the candidate-list, had to leave parliament. In the 2003 the party lost an additional seat, and was left with three seats. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on January 22, 2003 Again Huizinga (now nr. 4 on the list) was elected with preference-votes and this time former RPF-leader Leen van Dijke (nr. 3) had to leave parliament. The decline of the CU in 2003 was probably due to party supporters voting for the Christian-democratic CDA, which was competing with the social-democratic PvdA, to become the largest party. The ChristianUnion was heavily involved in the formation of Balkenende II, but the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) vetoed the formation of a CDA/VVD/CU/SGP cabinet and so the progressive liberal D66 became a part of the governing alliance instead. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( VVD) (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie is a Dutch liberal Political party. Democrats 66 ( D66, Democraten 66 official name Politieke Partij Democraten 66) is a Dutch progressive, social-liberal and In 2004 the two organizations RPF and GPV officially ceased to exist, making the fusion into CU final.

In the 2006 elections the party doubled its seats and joined the fourth cabinet Balkenende. The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after CU-leader Andre Rouvoet became minister without portfolio for family and children

Ideology and issues

The CU calls itself a Christian social party. André Rouvoet (born January 4, 1962) is a Dutch politician currently serving as Minister of Youth and Family and Deputy Prime Minister of the A Minister without Portfolio is either a Government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (Dutch Ministerie van Volksgezondheid Welzijn en Sport; VWS is the public health authority The party has its roots in orthodox Protestant parties[1], often referred to as the "small right". It combines a conservative point of view on ethical and foreign policy issues, with more centre left ideas on economic, asylum, social and environmental issues. Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what The centre-left (or center-left) is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals political parties or organizations (such as Think Its conservative reformed ideals are reflected in its program of principles: It believes that the state is the sword maiden of God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. It bases its politics directly on the Bible. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin However, it sees separate duties for the state and the church in public life: the church should spread the Word of God, while the state should merely uphold public morality. The state should respect the religion of its citizens. Other Christian principles, like neighbourly love and stewardship for the Earth, however have given the CU's political program a centre-left orientation. In Christian Theology charity, or love ( Agapē) means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others Stewardship is personal responsibility for taking care of another person's property or financial affairs or in religious orders taking care of finances

Some of CU's conservative policies include:

More Center-left policies include:

Representation

In this table the election results of the CU in Tweede Kamer, Eerste Kamer and European elections are represented, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election; these posts are normally taken by the party's leader. It also listed whether the CU was in government at the time. For further information the membership figure and the name of the party chairman of the CU are listed.

Year Second Chamber First Chamber European Parliament Provincial Parliament Leader in elections Leader in Second Chamber Cabinet Membership Chair
2000 5 4 2 37 no elections Leen van Dijke and Gertjan Schutte opposition unknown M. The Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal ( literally "Second Chamber of the States-General" short Tweede Kamer, is the Dutch Lower house. The Eerste Kamer ( First Chamber) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament the States-General The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. van Daalen
2001 5 4 2 37 no elections Leen van Dijke and Gertjan Schutte opposition unknown M. van Daalen
2002 4 4 2 37 Kars Veling Kars Veling opposition 27. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on May 15, 2002 Kars Veling ( Groningen, June 30 1948) is Rector of the Johan de Witt College in The Hague and former politician 250 M. van Daalen
2003 3 2 2 26+3* André Rouvoet André Rouvoet opposition 27. A general election of the Tweede Kamer of the Dutch Parliament was held in The Netherlands on January 22, 2003 André Rouvoet (born January 4, 1962) is a Dutch politician currently serving as Minister of Youth and Family and Deputy Prime Minister of the 000 M. van Daalen
2004 3 2 1 26+3* no election André Rouvoet opposition 25. 074 M. van Daalen
2005 3 2 1 26+3* no election André Rouvoet opposition 24. 235 P. Blokhuis
2006 6 2 1 26+3* André Rouvoet André Rouvoet opposition 24. 156 P. Blokhuis
2007 6 2 1 35+3* no election Arie Slob Cabinet-member unknown P. Arie Slob (born November 16 1961 in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, Zuid-Holland) is a member of the Dutch parliament for the Blokhuis 26. 673

*: elected on combined SGP/CU-lists (estimate). The Political Reformed Party ( Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party.

Ministers

Currently the CU supplies two ministers and one state secretary:

Members of the Lower House of Parliament

After the 2006 elections the party has six representatives in the lower house of parliament (Second Chamber):

Arie Slob (Second Chamber fraction leader) Joel Voordewind Esmee Wiegman Cynthia Ortega Ernst Cramer Ed Anker

Members of the Upper House of Parliament

After the 2007 Upper House elections the party has four representatives in the Upper House (First Chamber):

Members of the European Parliament

After the 2004 European Parliament elections the party has one representative in the European Parliament:

Municipal and Provincial Government

Provincial Government

Since the 2007 elections The ChristianUnion is part of the provincial executives of Drenthe, Gelderland and Groningen. Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country Gelderland ( English also Guelders) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country Groningen is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands.

The following table below shows the election results of the 2007 provincial election in each province. It shows the areas where the ChristenUnie is strong, namely Groningen, Overijssel and Flevoland, provinces which have a traditional large conservative Protestant population. The party is especially weak in the southern Catholic provinces of Limburg and North Brabant and the more secular North Holland province.

Province Votes (%) Result (seats)
Groningen 10,3% 4
Friesland 8,2% 3
Drenthe 7,6% 3
Overijssel 10,3% 5
Flevoland 11,2% 5
Gelderland 8,1% 4
Utrecht 8,9% 4
North Holland 3,2%* 2**
South Holland 6,9%** 4
Zeeland 8,0% 3
North Brabant 2,7%* 1**
Limburg 1,8 0

* result of combined ChristianUnion/SGP lists; ** members of the CU (estimate) in combined ChristianUnion/SGP parliamentary parties. Groningen is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. Friesland ( West Frisian: Fryslân, Dutch Friesland) is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the bigger region known Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country Overijssel (Transiselania is a Province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on Gelderland ( English also Guelders) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country Utrecht ( ˈyːtrɛxt is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country North Holland ( Dutch: Noord-Holland,, West Frisian: Noôrd-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the South Holland ( Dutch:) is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. Zeeland ( also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. North Brabant ( Dutch: Noord-Brabant,) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country bordered by Belgium Limburg ( Dutch: (Nederlands Limburg is the southern-most of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands.

Municipal Government

Eight of the 414 mayors of the Netherlands are members of the CU. CU tends to have mayors in smaller rural districts in the so-called "Bible belt". For the Dutch-American Bible Belt see West Michigan. The Bible Belt (“De Bijbelgordel” in Dutch, although the English term is most commonly This includes cities like Tholen, Staphorst and Elburg. Tholen ( is a Municipality in the southwest of the Netherlands. Staphorst is a Municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Elburg is a Municipality and a city in eastern Netherlands. History There is evidence of a Neolithic settlement at The party cooperates in several local executives, both in the more conservative Bible Belt area, and in several larger cities like Leiden or Utrecht where the CU is a small party but needed to form a majority. "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It has 71 aldermen. It has 398 members of local legislatures.

Electorate

The CU was supported by orthodox Reformed of many denominations, such as the Christian Reformed Churches, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) and the Dutch Reformed Church. The Christian Reformed Churches (Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken are a Protestant church in the Netherlands with about 75000 members The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland abbreviated Gereformeerde kerk) was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt are a Protestant denomination that holds to an orthodox view of Neo-Calvinist Dutch Reformed Church (in Dutch: Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk or NHK was one of many branches of churches coming out of the Protestant Reformation in Europe But members of newer churches such as the Evangelical Church and the Pentecostal community also supported this party. Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism The electorate is concencentrated in the smaller rural districts in the so-called "Bible Belt" an area of more conservative Christian municipalities that reaches from Overijssel, through the Veluwe and the Biesbos to Zeeland. For the Dutch-American Bible Belt see West Michigan. The Bible Belt (“De Bijbelgordel” in Dutch, although the English term is most commonly Overijssel (Transiselania is a Province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. De Biesbosch ('forest of sedges or 'rushwoods' is one of the largest National parks of the Netherlands and one of the last freshwater Tide Zeeland ( also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The party also draws support from Christians with an immigrant background, who are mostly located in the large cities.

The party is also drawing support from a growing number of conservative Roman Catholics, dissatisfied with the, in their eyes, less Christian policies of the CDA. The Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA) (Christen Democratisch Appèl is a Dutch Christian-democratic Political party. Roman Catholics are welcome to become a member of the party although one of the foundations of the party is the Heidelberg Catechism, known for its staunch anti-Catholicism. See also Catechism, Reformed Christian confessions of faith The Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series During the Provincial elections of 2007 the party fielded two Roman Catholic candidates on their shortlist of the province of Limburg. This process has alerted some prominent CDA politicians. CU-senator Egbert Schuurman has stated the CU will provide a shelter for everyone who actively believes in Jesus Christ but also said the CU will always be a Protestant party.

Organisation

Organisational Structure

The highest organ of the CU is the Union Congress, formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It appoints the party board and decides the order of the First Chamber, Second Chamber, European Parliament candidates list and has the final say over the party program. A member congress has an important role in the formation of the CU's political direction.

Members

The CU currently has 26. 673 members (as of January 01, 2007). They are organized in over 200 municipal branches.

Linked Organisations

The youth organisation of the party is PerspectieF which was formed as a fusion of the two youth organizations of the CU's predecessors the GPJC and RPFJ. PerspectieF ChristenUnie-jongeren is the Youth organisation of the ChristenUnie and was founded on 23 september 2000 as a merger between The party publishes the HandSchrift (HandWriting) six times a year. The party's scientific institute is the Mr. Groen van Prinsterer Foundation, which publishes the DenkWijzer (ThoughtWiser). The women's organization is Inclusief.

The CU participates in the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, a democracy assistance organisation of seven Dutch political parties. The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy | NIMD ( Dutch Nederlands Instituut voor Meerpartijendemocratie) is a democracy assistance organisation of

International Organisations

Internationally the CU is a member of the European Christian Political Movement. The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM is a European political association for reflection and working on Christian Democratic Politics in Its MEPs are seated in the Independence and Democracy group. The Independence/Democracy Group in the European Parliament was set up on 20 July 2004.

Orthodox-protestant (pillarized) Organisations

The CU still has ideological strong links with so-called pillarized organizations. Pillarisation ( verzuiling in Dutch, pilarisation in French) is a term used to describe the denominational segregation of Dutch Together with conservative protestant schools, papers like the Nederlands Dagblad and the Reformatorisch Dagblad, the Protestant broadcaster Evangelische Omroep, several Reformed churches they constitute the conservative or orthodox Reformed pillar (Dutch zuil). Parochial school is one term used (particularly in the United States) to describe a school that engages in Religious education in addition to conventional Education The Nederlands Dagblad ("The Netherlands Daily" is a Dutch Newspaper, available throughout the country with a growing daily circulation of about 33000 The Reformatorisch Dagblad is a Dutch protestant Newspaper with a circulation of around 60000 The Evangelische Omroep ( EO, English: Evangelical Broadcast) is one of the public broadcast associations in the Netherlands. While all four of the traditional Dutch pillars (socialists, liberals, Protestants and catholics) have broken down since the 1960s, the orthodox reformatory pillar has actually strengthened in reaction to the process of secularization.

Relationships to Other Parties

Until 2006 the party had never been in government. It has good relations with the orthodox reformed SGP with which it forms one European parliamentary party ChristenUnie-SGP and the Christian-Democratic CDA, with which the ChristenUnie-SGP had an electoral alliance for the 2004 European Parliament elections. The Political Reformed Party ( Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. Christian Union-Reformed Political Party (ChristenUnie - Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij is a parliamentary party in the European Parliament formed by two Dutch The Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA) (Christen Democratisch Appèl is a Dutch Christian-democratic Political party. Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according As a critical but constructive opposition party against the Second Balkenende cabinet the CU has gained sympathy from the leftwing parties in parliament, the PvdA, the SP and the GreenLeft, with which it cooperates in several local governments after the 2006 municipal elections. The Socialist Party ( SP, Dutch: Socialistische Partij) is a Dutch socialist Political party. GroenLinks ( GL, English: GreenLeft) is a Dutch Green Political party. The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on March 7 2006.

International Comparisons

The Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland is the closest to the ChristianUnion as a conservative Protestant party that is leftwing in social matters, conservative in ethical matters and critical of the European Union. PEV redirects here For the Portuguese ecologist party see Partido Ecologista "Os Verdes".

The party is also comparable to the American Christian Right and the small Protestant parties of Scandinavia, such as the Christian Democratic Party of Norway, the Swedish and Danish Christian Democrats. Politics of the United States takes place in the framework of a presidential, Federal republic where the President of the United States (the Head of The Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and The Christian Democratic Party ( Kristelig Folkeparti or Kristeleg Folkeparti, KrF is a Christian Democratic Norwegian Political party The Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna abbreviated kd) is a political party in Sweden. The Christian Democrats ( Kristendemokraterne in Danish) are a political party in Denmark.

Controversy

During their existence, the RPF, GPV and since 2000 the CU have aroused some controversy. Examples:

In 1996 RPF-party leader Leen van Dijke declared: "Why would stealing, for example committing social welfare fraud, be less of a sin than going against the seventh commandment? Yes, why should someone with a homosexual relationship be better than a thief?" General public, and especially the Dutch gay movement, criticized this statement heavily. In 1999 the Dutch high court ruled that Van Dijke's views were not discriminatory according to Dutch law.

In 2007 Yvette Lont, a CU municipal council member for Amsterdam, expressed the view that homosexuals should not be admitted to representative functions within the party. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west Although research proved that two-thirds of de CU-voters and members disagreed with her, again the CU was heavily criticized in the media. Also in 2007, municipal council member Monique Heger decided to resign from office, because she had recently discovered that she was a lesbian, and she and her (female) partner moved in together. A minority of the CU-members in her constituency objected to her lifestyle, which made her decide to leave office. Heger is still a member of the CU and has declared not to bear grudge against her party. But again, the media and members of other parties were outraged.

Several incidents reinforce the public fear that the CU is trying to force a more conservative christian moral upon the Dutch people. Vice-premier Rouvoet recently said that it would be better if Dutch people had more children: he based this opinion upon scientific research which proved that a birth rate of 2. 1 would be most favourable for a society socially as wel as economically (and the Dutch birth rate is 1. 7). The Balkenende IV cabinet also wants to evaluate the effectiveness of Dutch legislation concerning abortion and euthanasia.

References

  1. ^ a b c Orthodox protestantism (Orthodox Protestantisme) is a term which is used in the Netherlands to refer to conservative forms of protestantism in contrast to liberal or free-thinking forms of protestantism. This includes conservative branches of the Dutch Reformed Church and the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (now united in the Protestant Church of the Netherlands), but also to independent forms of Reformed protestantism, such as the Reformed Churches (liberated) or other more conservative forms of protestantism such as the certain branches of baptism
  2. ^ www.greenpeace.nl

External links

Dutch Reformed Church (in Dutch: Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk or NHK was one of many branches of churches coming out of the Protestant Reformation in Europe The Protestant Church in the Netherlands ( Dutch: Protestantse Kerk in Nederland, abbreviated PKN) came into being on 1 May 2004 In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted
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