The Christene Volkspartij (English: Christian People's Party) was the first Belgian Christian Democratic political party. The party was founded in 1893 by the Belgian priest Adolf Daens, who was inspired by the papal encyclical Rerum novarum of Pope Leo XIII, issued in 1891.
The inaugural meeting was organised in Okegem on 15 April 1893, and was attended by the founders of party, the self-styled Roelanders: Vanlangenhaeke, Van de Velde, De Backer, Lambrecht, Sterck, De Pelsmaecker and Pieter Daens, who was from nearby Aalst. Pieter Daens's brother priest Adolf Daens wrote the party programme which was adopted at the next meeting in July 1893.
Adolf Daens founded the party as an alternative for socialism and the conservative Catholic Party. He emphasized the social problems of the time and linked them to the need for social facilities and also a Flemish political programme, aimed at creating a favourable political climate in Flanders.
His political movement had significant success in the region of Aalst, but was opposed by the (Catholic) elite, and by the Roman Catholic Church. In spite of all opposition the Christene Volkspartij succeeded in gaining representation in the Belgian parliament, with Adolf Daens as its foremost leader. In parliament Daens quickly got into conflict with the conservative Catholic leader Charles Woeste and tried to gain support from the Socialists. During the municipal elections of 1899 the Daensists even cooperated with the Socialists in Brussels. In the same year, Adolf Daens was removed from his office as a priest. When the Christene Volkspartij started to grow and threatened the political power of the Socialists, the latter withheld further cooperation.
After his political career, Daens lived in Aalst where he remained as leader of the movement until his death in June 1907. Daensism had a permanent influence in the arrondissement Aalst and created the foundations of Christian democracy in Belgium.
Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River, 31 kilometres (19 mi) northwest from Brussels in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade, Meldert, Moorsel and Nieuwerkerken. Aalst is crossed by the Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek in Aalst and Hofstade. The current mayor of Aalst is Christoph D'Haese, from the New-Flemish Alliance party. The town has a long-standing (folkloric) feud with Dendermonde, which dates from the Middle Ages.
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Adolf Daens was a Flemish priest from Aalst. Daens was a Jesuit from 1859 to 1871, but is especially known for his socio-political involvement after he joined the diocesan clergy. He created the Daensist movement from which the Christene Volkspartij party was created in 1893, after being inspired by Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum novarum. The Christene Volkspartij forced the radicalisation and democratisation of the Catholic party.
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