International Democracy Union

Last updated

International Democracy Union
AbbreviationIDU
Formation24 June 1983;40 years ago (1983-06-24)
PurposeWorld federation of right-of-centre/moderate-to-conservative political parties [1] [2]
Headquarters Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
84 political parties and 8 organizations
Official language
English
Chairman
Stephen Harper (Conservative Party of Canada)
Deputy Chairman
Brian Loughnane (Liberal Party of Australia)
Website idu.org
Formerly called
International Democrat Union (until 2023)

The International Democracy Union (IDU; known as the International Democrat Union until September 2023) [3] is an international alliance of centre-right political parties. [4] [5] Headquartered in Munich, Germany, [6] the IDU consists of 84 full and associate members from 65 countries. [7] It is chaired by Stephen Harper, former prime minister of Canada. It has two affiliated international organizations (International Young Democrat Union and International Women's Democracy Union) and six affiliated regional organizations (Union of Latin American Parties, Asia Pacific Democrat Union, Caribbean Democrat Union, Democrat Union of Africa, European People's Party and European Conservatives and Reformists Party).

Contents

The IDU allows centre-right conservative political parties around the world to establish contacts and discuss different views on public policy and related matters. Their stated goal is the promotion of "democracy and [of] center-right policies around the globe". [8] The IDU has some overlap of member parties with the Centrist Democrat International (CDI), but the CDI is more centrist and communitarian than the IDU. [9]

The group was founded in 1983 as the umbrella organisation for the European Democrat Union (EDU), Caribbean Democrat Union (CDU), and the Asia Pacific Democrat Union (APDU). Created at the instigation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and U.S. Vice President George H. W. Bush, the organisation was founded at a joint meeting of the EDU and APDU in London, United Kingdom. [10]

Founding

The IDU was founded in London on 24 June 1983. [11] According to Richard V. Allen, to be admitted as a member, a party must qualify as a "mainstream conservative" party influenced by classical liberalism. [12]

The founding declaration was signed by 19 persons: [13]

PersonPartyCountry
Alois Mock Austrian People's Party Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Margaret Thatcher Conservative Party Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Helmut Kohl Christian Democratic Union of Germany Flag of Germany.svg  West Germany
Franz Josef Strauss Christian Social Union in Bavaria
Jacques Chirac Rally for the Republic Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Andrew Peacock Liberal Party of Australia Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Evangelos Averoff-Tossizza New Democracy Flag of Greece.svg  Greece
Manuel Fraga People's Alliance Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
Oscar Alzaga People's Democratic Party
Susanne Wood New Zealand National Party Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Glafcos Clerides Democratic Rally Flag of Cyprus (1960-2006).svg  Cyprus
Ilkka Suominen National Coalition Party Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Lucas Pires CDS – People's Party Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Tatsuo Tanaka  [ ja ] Liberal Democratic Party Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg  Japan
Ulf Adelsohn Moderate Party Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Erik Nielsen Progressive Conservative Party of Canada Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Poul Schlüter Conservative People's Party Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
Jo Benkow Conservative Party Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
Frank Fahrenkopf Republican Party Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Member parties

Full members

CountryPartyAbbreviationGovernmentLower ChamberUpper Chamber
Flag of Albania.svg  Albania Democratic Party of Albania PDOpposition
59 / 140(42%)
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Republican Proposal PROGovernment
37 / 257(14%)
9 / 72(13%)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Liberal Party of Australia LIBOpposition
42 / 151(28%)
31 / 76(41%)
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria Austrian People's Party ÖVPGovernment
71 / 183(39%)
26 / 61(43%)
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan Azerbaijan National Independence Party AMIPExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 125(0%)
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia Democrat Social Movement MDSExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 130(0%)
0 / 36(0%)
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina Party of Democratic Progress PDPOpposition
2 / 42(5%)
0 / 15(0%)
Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina HDZGovernment
4 / 42(10%)
3 / 15(20%)
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium New Flemish Alliance N-VAIndependent
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Brazil Union UNIÃOIndependent
59 / 513(12%)
7 / 81(9%)
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria GERB GERBGovernment
66 / 240(28%)
Union of Democratic Forces SDSGovernment
2 / 240(0.8%)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Conservative Party of Canada CPC / PCCOpposition
117 / 338(35%)
15 / 105(14%)
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica Social Christian Unity Party PUSC
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Independent Democratic Union UDIOpposition
23 / 155(15%)
9 / 43(21%)
National Renewal RNOpposition
23 / 155(15%)
11 / 43(26%)
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia Colombian Conservative Party PCCGovernment
28 / 187(15%)
15 / 108(14%)
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia Croatian Democratic Union HDZGovernment
62 / 151(41%)
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus Democratic Rally DISYGovernment
17 / 56(30%)
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic Civic Democratic Party ODSGovernment
34 / 200(17%)
23 / 81(28%)
TOP 09 TOP 09Government
14 / 200(7%)
6 / 81(7%)
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Conservative People's Party DKFOpposition
10 / 179(6%)
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic National Progressive Force FNPExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 190(0%)
0 / 32(0%)
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador Social Christian Party PSCOpposition
14 / 137(10%)
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador Nationalist Republican Alliance ARENAOpposition
11 / 84(13%)
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia Isamaa Opposition
10 / 101(10%)
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland National Coalition Party KokGovernment
48 / 200(24%)
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia United National Movement ENMOpposition
23 / 150(15%)
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany Christian Democratic Union of Germany CDUOpposition
152 / 736(21%)
22 / 69(32%)
Christian Social Union in Bavaria CSUOpposition
45 / 736
4 / 69
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana New Patriotic Party NPPGovernment
137 / 275(50%)
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece New Democracy NDGovernment
158 / 300(53%)
Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada New National Party NNPOpposition
5 / 15(33%)
3 / 13(23%)
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala Unionist Party PUGovernment
5 / 160(3%)
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Fidesz Government
116 / 199(58%)
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland Independence Party XDGovernment
17 / 63(27%)
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Likud LikudGovernment
32 / 120(27%)
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya Democratic Party of Kenya DPExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 394(0%)
0 / 67(0%)
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon Lebanese Forces LFOpposition
19 / 128(15%)
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats TS–LKDGovernment
50 / 141(35%)
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives Maldivian Democratic Party MDPOpposition
43 / 80(54%)
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta Nationalist Party PNOpposition
35 / 79(44%)
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova Party of Action and Solidarity PASGovernment
63 / 101(62%)
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia Democratic Party DPOpposition
12 / 76(16%)
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro Movement for Changes PzPExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 81(0%)
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Istiqlal Party Government
81 / 395(21%)
24 / 120(20%)
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand National Party NATGovernment
49 / 123(40%)
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia VMRO-DPMNE Opposition
37 / 120(31%)
Flag of Nepal.svg  Nepal Rastriya Prajatantra Party RPPGovernment
14 / 275(5%)
0 / 59(0%)
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway Conservative Party HOpposition
36 / 169(21%)
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama Democratic Change CDOpposition
18 / 71(25%)
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay Partido Colorado ANR-PCGovernment
48 / 80(60%)
23 / 45(51%)
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru Christian People's Party PPCExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 130(0%)
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal CDS – People's Party CDS–PPGovernment
2 / 230(0.9%)
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania National Liberal Party PNLGovernment
79 / 330(24%)
36 / 136(26%)
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia United Workers Party UWPOpposition
2 / 17(12%)
3 / 11(27%)
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines New Democratic Party NDPOpposition
6 / 15(40%)
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia Serbian Progressive Party SNSGovernment
103 / 250(41%)
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Slovenian Democratic Party SDSOpposition
27 / 90(30%)
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea People Power Party PPPGovernment
112 / 300(37%)
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain People's Party PPOpposition
137 / 350(39%)
140 / 266(53%)
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka United National Party UNPGovernment
3 / 225(1%)
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Moderate Party MGovernment
68 / 349(19%)
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan Kuomintang KMTOpposition
52 / 113(46%)
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Chama Cha Demokrasia Na Maendeleo CHADEMAOpposition
20 / 393(5%)
Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg  Turks and Caicos Islands People's Democratic Movement PDMOpposition
1 / 15(7%)
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda Forum for Democratic Change FDCOpposition
32 / 529(6%)
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine European Solidarity YeSOpposition
27 / 450(6%)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Conservative and Unionist Party CONGovernment
348 / 650(54%)
270 / 786(34%)
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Republican Party R / GOPOpposition
221 / 434(51%)
49 / 100(49%)
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela Project Venezuela PVExtraparliamentary opposition
0 / 167(0%)

Former members

Chairmen

ChairpersonTerm StartTerm EndPolitical AffiliationCountry
William Hague 19972002 Conservative Party (UK) UK
John Howard 20022014 Liberal Party of Australia Australia
Sir John Key 20142018 New Zealand National Party New Zealand
Stephen Harper 2018incumbent Conservative Party of Canada Canada

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Young Democrat Union</span> Global association of centre-right political youth groups

The International Young Democracy Union (IYDU) is a global alliance of centre-right political youth organisations and the youth wing of the International Democrat Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pro-Europeanism</span> Favouring European integration

Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European People's Party</span> European centre-right political party

The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, liberal-conservative, and conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Christian-democratic parties in 1976, it has since broadened its membership to include liberal-conservative parties and parties with other centre-right political perspectives. On 31 May 2022, the party elected as its President Manfred Weber, who was also EPP's Spitzenkandidat in 2019.

This article gives information on liberalism worldwide. It is an overview of parties that adhere to some form of liberalism and is therefore a list of liberal parties around the world.

Liberalism and radicalism have played a role in the political history of Italy since the country's unification, started in 1861 and largely completed in 1871, and currently influence several leading political parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political groups of the European Parliament</span> Groups of aligned legislators in European Parliament

The political groups of the European Parliament are the officially recognised parliamentary groups consisting of legislators of aligned ideologies in the European Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party of Democratic Progress</span> Bosnian Serb political party

The Party of Democratic Progress is a centre to centre-right Serb political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina founded on 26 September 1999. It is the third-largest party in the Republika Srpska entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classical radicalism</span> Historical political movement within liberalism

Radicalism was a political movement representing the leftward flank of liberalism during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and a precursor to social liberalism, social democracy, civil libertarianism, and modern progressivism. This ideology is commonly referred to as "radicalism" but is sometimes referred to as radical liberalism, or classical radicalism, to distinguish it from radical politics. Its earliest beginnings are to be found during the English Civil War with the Levellers and later the Radical Whigs.

Conservative liberalism, also referred to as right-liberalism, is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or simply representing the right-wing of the liberal movement. In the case of modern conservative liberalism, scholars sometimes see it as a more positive and less radical variant of classical liberalism; it is also referred to as an individual tradition that distinguishes it from classical liberalism and social liberalism. Conservative liberal parties tend to combine economically liberal policies with more traditional stances and personal beliefs on social and ethical issues. Ordoliberalism is an influential component of conservative-liberal thought, particularly in its German, British, French, Italian, and American manifestations.

Conservatism in North America is a political philosophy that varies in form, depending on the country and the region, but that has similar themes and goals. Academic study into the differences and similarities between conservatism in North American countries has been undertaken on numerous occasions. Reginald Bibby has asserted that the primary reason that conservatism has been so strong and enduring throughout North America is because of the propagation of religious values from generation to generation. This connection is strongest in mainstream Protestantism in the United States, and both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism in Canada.

The European Democrat Union (EDU) is one of the three European wings of the International Democrat Union, along with the European People's Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party. Its members include Christian democratic, liberal conservative, and conservative political parties. It is only a nominal sub-entity of the IDU, since it ceased its activities in 2002.

The Christian Democrat Organization of America is an international organization made up of political parties, groups, and associations in North America and South America that promote the principles of Christian humanism. Affiliated with the Center Democratic International, it is a regional partner of the European People's Party and regional organizations of Christian Democratic parties in Asia and Africa.

The Centrist Democrat International is a Christian-democratic political international. Until 2001, it was known as the Christian Democrat International (CDI); before 1999, it was known as the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International. This earlier name is still sometimes used colloquially.

The Democrats was a centre-right political party in Brazil that merged with the Social Liberal Party to found the Brazil Union in 2021. It was founded in 1985 under the name of Liberal Front Party from a dissidence of the defunct Democratic Social Party (PDS), successor to the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA), the official party during the military dictatorship of 1964–1985. It changed to its current name in 2007. The original name reflected the party's support of free market policies, rather than the identification with international liberal parties. Instead, the party affiliated itself to the international federations of Christian-democratic (CDI) and conservative parties (IDU). The Democrats' identification number is 25 and its colors are green, blue, and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group</span> European Parliament political group

The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe was the liberal–centrist political group of the European Parliament from 2004 until 2019. It was made up of MEPs from two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and the European Democratic Party, which collectively form the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the left or the right.

References

  1. "Declaration of Principles, London 1983". idu.org. February 2018.
  2. Hunter, Marjorie; Weaver, Warren Jr. (24 July 1985). "Briefing; A Parties' Party". The New York Times .
  3. @internationaldemocracyunion (4 September 2023). "As part of celebrating 40 years of championing #democracy and #freedom, the IDU Executive approved the re-launch of our organization as the 'International Democracy Union'. While our values remain constant, this small adjustment clarifies our cause as we work to expand our network in support of democracy worldwide. Welcome to the International Democracy Union! #idu40" . Retrieved 16 October 2023 via Instagram.
  4. Weisman, Steven R. (23 September 1989). "Conservative Figures See 'Bright' Future". The New York Times . New York City. ISSN   1553-8095. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  5. Sanger, David E. (11 June 2002). "Bush in Terrorist Warning". The New York Times . New York City. ISSN   1553-8095. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2022. President Bush warned an international group of conservative and moderate politicians at the White House tonight that terrorists could attain 'catastrophic power' with weapons of mass destruction and would readily use that power to attack the United States or other nations. The president made his remarks to about 100 members of the International Democrat Union, a group of international center and center-right political parties that met today and Sunday for a conference in Washington.
  6. Burnell, Peter J. (2006). Globalizing Democracy: Party Politics in Emerging Democracies. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 63. ISBN   978-0-415-40184-5.
  7. International Democrat Union. "IDU Members". idu.org. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  8. IDU — History. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  9. Mohr, Alexander (2010). The German Political Foundations as Actors in Democracy Assistance. Boca Raton: Universal-Publishers. p. 151. ISBN   978-1-59942-331-9.
  10. Goldman, Ralph Morris (2002). The Future Catches Up: Transnational Parties and Democracy. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 418. ISBN   978-0-595-22888-1.
  11. "The Founding Meeting Of The Union" (PDF). International Democrat Union. 24 June 1983. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 December 2022.
  12. "By Any Other Name, Conservative". The New York Times. 27 July 1985. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
  13. "International Democrat Union, minutes of founding meeting, 1993" (PDF).[ permanent dead link ]