The Christian Union ( nl, ChristenUnie, CU) is a
Christian-democratic
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
political party in the
Netherlands. The CU is a centrist party, maintaining more
progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...
stances on economic, immigration and environmental issues
while holding more
socially conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
positions on issues such as
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...
and
euthanasia. The party describes itself as "social Christian".
[ChristenUnie]
''Parlement & Politiek''
Founded in 2000 as a merger of the
Reformed Political Alliance
The Reformed Political LeagueTranslation used by Andeweg and Irwin in ''Governance and Politics of the Netherlands'' (2002: 45) ( nl, Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV) was an orthodox Protestant political party in the Netherlands. The GPV is ...
(GPV) and
Reformatory Political Federation
The Reformatory Political Federation ( nl, Reformatorische Politieke Federatie; RPF) was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands.
History
The RPF was founded in 1975 by three groups of orthodox Christians. The first group ...
(RPF),
the Christian Union has five seats in the
House of Representatives and four in the
Senate. After doubling its seats in the
2006 elections it became the smallest member of the
fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 22 February 2007 until 14 October 2010. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Christian Union ...
.
In some elections, it forms
an alliance with the Calvinist
Reformed Political Party (SGP), which, unlike the CU, is a
testimonial party
A testimonial party () is a political party that focuses on its principles, instead of adapting them to local or temporal issues in the pursuit of coalition government participation. In the Netherlands
It is a peculiar phenomenon in the Netherla ...
.
Primarily a
Protestant party, the CU bases its policies on the
Bible, and takes the theological principles of
charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* C ...
and
stewardship
Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, property, information, theology, cultural resources e ...
as bases for its support for
public expenditure
Public expenditure is spending made by the government of a country on collective needs and wants, such as pension, provisions, security, infrastructure, etc. Until the 19th century, public expenditure was limited as laissez faire philosophie ...
and
environmentalism. The party seeks for government to uphold Christian morality, but supports
freedom of religion under the doctrine of
sphere sovereignty
In neo-Calvinism, sphere sovereignty ( nl, soevereiniteit in eigen kring), also known as differentiated responsibility, is the concept that each sphere (or sector) of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority or competence, and stand ...
. The party is moderately Eurosceptic; it was formerly with the
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti-federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...
(ECR) group in the
European Parliament but now sits with the
European People's Party group (EPP). It is a member of the
European Christian Political Movement
The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) is the only European political party explicitly working on promoting Christian values. The party unites national parties and individuals from across Europe who share policies influenced by Chri ...
.
History
Before 2000
The Netherlands has a long tradition of small orthodox or conservative Protestant (i.e., mostly
Reformed) parties in parliament. The
Reformed Political Party (SGP) entered parliament in the
1922 election as a split off from the
Anti-Revolutionary Party
The Anti-Revolutionary Party ( nl, Anti-Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) was a Protestant conservative and Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1879 by Abraham Kuyper, a neo-Calvinist theologian and mi ...
, the ''
Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij
The Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij (in English: Reformed Reformed State Party (see below), HGS) was a Dutch orthodox Protestant political party during the interbellum. For its orthodox political ideals and its refusal to cooperate in any ca ...
'' (HGS) entered parliament in the
1925 election, a split from the
Christian Historical Union
The Christian Historical Union ( nl, Christelijk-Historische Unie, CHU) was a Protestant Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CHU is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), into which it merged i ...
. The SGP did survive the
war years, but the HGS was unable to obtain seats in the
1946 elections. In 1948, the
Reformed Political Alliance
The Reformed Political LeagueTranslation used by Andeweg and Irwin in ''Governance and Politics of the Netherlands'' (2002: 45) ( nl, Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV) was an orthodox Protestant political party in the Netherlands. The GPV is ...
(GPV) split from the Anti-Revolutionary Party over a religious issue within the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, but it took until
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
for the party to enter parliament. In the
1981 election, the
Reformatory Political Federation
The Reformatory Political Federation ( nl, Reformatorische Politieke Federatie; RPF) was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands.
History
The RPF was founded in 1975 by three groups of orthodox Christians. The first group ...
(RPF) entered parliament. It had split from the ARP six years earlier over the formation of the
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...
(CDA).
The RPF explicitly stated in its manifesto of principles that it sought to unite all reformed parties in the Netherlands. However, the GPV and SGP were somewhat less receptive. The GPV was only open to a specific current in reformed Protestantism, namely the
Reformed Churches (Liberated)
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) are an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed ...
, 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 SGP had rejected cooperation with these parties because they had female members; the SGP consistently rejected female suffrage until 2006. 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. In the
1989 general election they formed an
electoral alliance in order to enhance their chances of obtaining seats. In 1995 informal talks were opened 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 major 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. 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 formalised and intensified, leading to the foundation of the Christian Union.
2000–present
The Christian Union was founded in January 2000 as an alliance between the RPF and GPV. Later that year, their youth organisations, GPJC and RPFJ, fused completely, presenting an example to their mother organisations. In 2001 they formed a common
parliamentary party
A parliamentary group, parliamentary party, or parliamentary caucus is a group consisting of some members of the same political party or electoral fusion of parties in a legislative assembly such as a parliament or a city council.
Parliamentar ...
in both the
House of Representatives and
Senate. In
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
the alliance entered the elections for the first time. 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. 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
In psychology, economics and philosophy, preference is a technical term usually used in relation to choosing between alternatives. For example, someone prefers A over B if they would rather choose A than B. Preferences are central to decision the ...
a woman,
Tineke Huizinga
Johanna Catharina "Tineke" Huizinga-Heringa (born 16 February 1960) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Union (CU) party.
Huizinga grew up in Amersfoort; both of her parents were teachers. After attending gymnasium, she began to study law ...
(positioned no. 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, prominent party figure
Eimert van Middelkoop, who was no. 4 on the candidate-list, had to leave parliament. In the
2003 general election the party lost an additional seat, and was left with three seats. Again Huizinga (now no. 4 on the list) was elected with preference votes and this time former RPF leader
Leen van Dijke
Leendert Cornelis "Leen" van Dijke (born 3 September 1955) is a retired Dutch politician of the defunct Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later co-founder of the Christian Union (CU) party and management consultant.
As a member o ...
(no. 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 Christian Union was heavily involved in the formation of
Balkenende II
The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peo ...
, along with the SGP. However, the liberal
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party i ...
(VVD) vetoed the formation of a cabinet that included the two conservative Reformed parties, and so the progressive liberal
D66 became a part of the governing alliance instead. In 2004 the two organisations 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 fourth Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 22 February 2007 until 14 October 2010. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Christian Union ...
. CU-leader
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet (; born 4 January 1962) is a retired Dutch politician of the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later the Christian Union (CU) party and jurist. He is the chairman of the executive board of the Healthcare Insuranc ...
became
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and
minister without portfolio for
family and youth, while Middelkoop became Minister of Defence and Huizinga junior minister (''staatssecretaris'') of Transport and Water management. Since the party has entered government, there has been some controversy about the conservative Christian ethical views of some of its members. 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. 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.
After the collapse of the Balkenende cabinet, the Christian Union had no representatives in government any more and Rouvoet returned to parliament as leader of the CU parliamentary group, until he left politics in April/May 2011. Arie Slob succeeded him as the party leader.
In October 2013 the
Second Rutte cabinet (VVD and PvdA), lacking a majority in the ''
Senate'', reached a budgetary agreement with the CU, the
Reformed Political Party (SGP) and
Democrats 66 (D66). This occasional coalition is nicknamed "purple plus the Bible" (''Paars met de Bijbel'') as it includes the secular parties VVD, PvdA and D66 plus the religious-orientated parties Christian Union and SGP. The term "purple plus the Bible" had already been used in February that year, when the same parties reached an agreement on modernising the housing market. Although the cabinet is quite unpopular and the VVD and PvdA lost a lot of municipal seats during the
municipal elections of 19 March 2014, the parties that give tactical support to the
minority government of VVD and PvdA, D66, CU and SGP won a lot of seats.
After the
2017 general election, the Christian Union became part of the
Third Rutte cabinet
The third Rutte cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022 (since 15 January 2021 demissionary). It was formed by a coalition government of the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ...
, as a minor coalition partner to the VVD, CDA and D66. The party has three representatives in the current cabinet: minister
Carola Schouten
Cornelia Johanna "Carola" Schouten (born 6 October 1977) is a Dutch politician serving as third Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions in the IV Rutte Cabinet since 10 January 2022. Sh ...
for the
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
, type = Department
, logo = Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit Logo.png
, logo_width = 250x250px
, logo_caption = Logo of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
, image = ...
,
Arie Slob
Arie Slob (; born 16 November 1961) is a Dutch politician and history teacher who served as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Media in the Third Rutte cabinet from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022.
A member of the Christian ...
,
Minister for Primary Education, Secondary Education and Media and
Paul Blokhuis,
State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sports.
Following the
2019 European elections, the Christian Union left the
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti-federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...
(ECR) group in the
European Parliament (of which it had been a founding member) arguing that the ECR was moving too far to the right by including MEPs far-right parties such as the Dutch
Forum for Democracy and the
Sweden Democrats. The party instead joined the
European People's Party Group.
Ideology and issues
The CU describes itself as a Christian social party. The party has its roots in orthodox Protestant (i.e. mostly
Reformed) parties, often referred to as the "small right". It combines a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
point of view on ethical and foreign policy issues, with more
centre-left
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The ...
ideas on economic, asylum, social and environmental issues. Its conservative reformed ideals are reflected in its program of principles. It believes that the state is the
swordmaiden of
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
. It bases its politics directly on the
Bible. 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
Stewardship is an ethical value that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources. The concepts of stewardship can be applied to the environment and nature, economics, health, property, information, theology, cultural resources e ...
for the Earth, however have given the CU's political program a centre-left orientation.
Some of CU's conservative policies
include:
* Facilitation by government of a one-earner model, allowing one parent, usually the wife, to stay at home and take care of the children.
* Society should cherish its collective moments of rest, and preferably leave
Sunday a day of rest.
*
Abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...
and
euthanasia-practices should be reduced and eventually replaced by alternatives, such as care of women with unwanted pregnancies and
palliative care
Palliative care (derived from the Latin root , or 'to cloak') is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Wit ...
.
* The Dutch policy of
toleration of soft drugs should be abandoned.
* Combatting
child pornography
Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ch ...
and
prostitution.
* Defending the
freedom of education
Freedom of education is the right for parents to have their children educated in accordance with their religious and other views, allowing groups to be able to educate children without being impeded by the nation state.
Freedom of education is a ...
(that is, to found religious schools), because of
sphere sovereignty
In neo-Calvinism, sphere sovereignty ( nl, soevereiniteit in eigen kring), also known as differentiated responsibility, is the concept that each sphere (or sector) of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority or competence, and stand ...
.
* The Netherlands should remain an independent political entity within the
European Union.
* Limiting the use of
genetic manipulation
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...
.
More centre-left policies include:
* Public services of
education,
health care and social security should remain state run, but on a smaller scale than is presently the case.
* Increased budgets for
development cooperation in order to address the
poverty in the global south.
* A more open policy towards
asylum seeker
An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and m ...
s, especially those who are persecuted for religious reasons.
* A relatively green
environmental policy. Based on its electoral promises on investment in
green energy
Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenho ...
, the Dutch branch of
Greenpeace termed CU the greenest political party.
[ChristenUnie op 1 in energiebarometer Greenpeace]
''Christian Union''
Social issues
The CU describes itself as "Christelijk-sociaal" ''(Social Christian)'' and explicitly distance themselves from the labels
Christian socialism
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe ca ...
or
Christian right
The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with t ...
.
[ Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49] "Social Christian" describes a
Christian democracy
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern Democracy, d ...
ideology that is more
right-wing than
Christian socialism
Christian socialism is a religious and political philosophy that blends Christianity and socialism, endorsing left-wing politics and socialist economics on the basis of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Many Christian socialists believe ca ...
and more
left-wing than the
Christian right
The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with t ...
and
social conservatism. Described as
centrist
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 ...
and
Orthodox Protestant, it has an emphasis on the community, social solidarity, support for a welfare state, and support for some regulation of market forces but is more
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
on some social issues opposition to
euthanasia,
embryonic stem cell research
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...
,
same-sex marriage,
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...
and some elements of
the EU. The party is
left of centre
Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The ...
on issues such as
social policy,
asylum policy,
development aid, green
environmental policy and the
economy.
The party supports Dutch membership of the
European Union to ensure peace and prosperity, and to counter the influence of Russia and China, while simultaneously being critical of several EU policies which it claims are undemocratic and "mainly benefits large companies and the upper middle classes." The CU instead calls for more transparency within the EU, for domestic decision making of EU member states to be respected and wants reforms made to the
Eurozone. The CU is also against the
accession of Turkey to the European Union
Turkey is negotiating its accession to the European Union (EU) as a member state, following its application to become a full member of the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the EU, on 14 April 1987.
After the ten founding ...
.
Electoral results
This table shows the CU's results in elections to the House of Representatives, Senate, European Parliament and States-Provincial, 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.
House of Representatives
Senate
European Parliament
Provincial
Since the
Provincial elections of March 2015 the Christian Union has had 29 members of the
States-Provincial
The provincial council (, PS), also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has ...
. It is part of the
provincial executives of
Overijssel
Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of Utr ...
and
Flevoland.
The following table below shows the election results of the most recent 2015 provincial election in each province. It shows the areas where the ChristenUnie is strong, namely Groningen, Overijssel, Gelderland 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.
* result of combined CU/
SGP lists; ** members of the CU in combined CU/SGP parliamentary parties.
Municipalities
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
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's aver ...
". This includes cities like
Tholen
Tholen () is a 25,000 people municipality in the southwest of the Netherlands. The municipality of Tholen takes its name from the town of Tholen, which is the largest population center in the municipality.
The municipality consists of two peninsu ...
,
Staphorst
Staphorst () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.
History
The villages of Staphorst and its southern neighbour Rouveen came into existence as in the 13th century monks started to bring the bogs and swamps into culture.
All ...
and
Elburg
Elburg () is a municipality and a city in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands.
History
There is evidence of a Neolithic settlement at Elburg consisting of stone tools and pottery shards. From Roman times there are names and shards of earthenw ...
. 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. It has 71
aldermen
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...
. It has 398 members of
local legislatures.
Representation
Members of the cabinet
From 2007 to 2010 the CU supplied two ministers and one state secretary in the
fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 22 February 2007 until 14 October 2010. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Christian Union ...
:
*
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet (; born 4 January 1962) is a retired Dutch politician of the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later the Christian Union (CU) party and jurist. He is the chairman of the executive board of the Healthcare Insuranc ...
,
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and
Minister without portfolio for
Youth and Family Affairs
*
Eimert van Middelkoop,
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...
*
Tineke Huizinga
Johanna Catharina "Tineke" Huizinga-Heringa (born 16 February 1960) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Union (CU) party.
Huizinga grew up in Amersfoort; both of her parents were teachers. After attending gymnasium, she began to study law ...
,
State Secretary and Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning
Since 2017, the CU has once again supplied two ministers and one state secretary in the
third Rutte cabinet
The third Rutte cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022 (since 15 January 2021 demissionary). It was formed by a coalition government of the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ...
:
*
Carola Schouten
Cornelia Johanna "Carola" Schouten (born 6 October 1977) is a Dutch politician serving as third Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions in the IV Rutte Cabinet since 10 January 2022. Sh ...
,
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and
Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
*
Arie Slob
Arie Slob (; born 16 November 1961) is a Dutch politician and history teacher who served as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Media in the Third Rutte cabinet from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022.
A member of the Christian ...
,
Minister for Primary Education, Secondary Education and Media
*
Paul Blokhuis,
State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sports
Members of the House of Representatives
After the
2021 elections the party has five representatives in the
House of Representatives:
*
Gert-Jan Segers
Gert Jan Maarten "Gert-Jan" Segers (born 9 July 1969) is a Dutch politician serving as Leader of the Christian Union since 2015. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2012 and parliamentary leader since 2015.
Early career
A ...
,
Parliamentary leader
*
Mirjam Bikker
*
Don Ceder
*
Pieter Grinwis
*
Stieneke van der Graaf
Stieneke van der Graaf (born 7 October 1984 in Zwartsluis
Zwartsluis is a small city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Zwartewaterland, at the mouth of the Zwarte Water river and the .
History
Zwart ...
Members of the Senate
After the
2019 Senate elections, the party has four representatives in the
Senate:
*
Tineke Huizinga
Johanna Catharina "Tineke" Huizinga-Heringa (born 16 February 1960) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Union (CU) party.
Huizinga grew up in Amersfoort; both of her parents were teachers. After attending gymnasium, she began to study law ...
,
Parliamentary leader
*
Peter Ester
*
Maarten Verkerk
*
Hendrik-Jan Talsma
Members of the European Parliament
After the
2019 European Parliament elections, the party has one representative in the
European Parliament, who sits in the
European People's Party group:
*
Peter van Dalen
Peter van Dalen (born 3 September 1958) is a Dutch politician serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2009. He is a member of the Christian Union, which used to be part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), bu ...
Members of the
Fourth Rutte cabinet
The Fourth Rutte cabinet is the current Government of the Netherlands. It was inaugurated on 10 January 2022. The cabinet is a continuation of the previous third Rutte cabinet and is formed by the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedo ...
Electorate
The CU was supported by orthodox
Reformed of many denominations, such as the
Christian Reformed Churches
The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( nl, Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) is a Protestant church in the Netherlands.
History
The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands ('' ...
, the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands,
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) are an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed ...
and the
Dutch Reformed Church. But members of newer churches such as the
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual exper ...
Church and the
Pentecostal community also supported this party. The electorate is concentrated in the smaller rural districts in the so-called "
Bible Belt
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's aver ...
" an area of more conservative Christian municipalities that reaches from
Overijssel
Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of Utr ...
, through the
Veluwe and the
Biesbos to
Zeeland
, nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge")
, anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem")
, image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg
, map_alt =
, m ...
. 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 less Christian policies of the
CDA. Roman Catholics are welcome to become a member of the party although one of the foundations of the party is the
Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), one of the Three Forms of Unity, is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Calvinist Christian doctrine. It was published in 1563 in Heidelber ...
, known for its staunch anti-Catholicism. 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 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.
The party's congress, held on 13 June 2015, replaced the Heidelberg Catechism with Nicean Creed.
Organisation
Leadership
* Leader in the
House of Representatives
**
Leen van Dijke
Leendert Cornelis "Leen" van Dijke (born 3 September 1955) is a retired Dutch politician of the defunct Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later co-founder of the Christian Union (CU) party and management consultant.
As a member o ...
**
Kars Veling
**
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet (; born 4 January 1962) is a retired Dutch politician of the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later the Christian Union (CU) party and jurist. He is the chairman of the executive board of the Healthcare Insuranc ...
**
Arie Slob
Arie Slob (; born 16 November 1961) is a Dutch politician and history teacher who served as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Media in the Third Rutte cabinet from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022.
A member of the Christian ...
**
André Rouvoet
André Rouvoet (; born 4 January 1962) is a retired Dutch politician of the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) party and later the Christian Union (CU) party and jurist. He is the chairman of the executive board of the Healthcare Insuranc ...
**
Arie Slob
Arie Slob (; born 16 November 1961) is a Dutch politician and history teacher who served as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Media in the Third Rutte cabinet from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022.
A member of the Christian ...
**
Gert-Jan Segers
Gert Jan Maarten "Gert-Jan" Segers (born 9 July 1969) is a Dutch politician serving as Leader of the Christian Union since 2015. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2012 and parliamentary leader since 2015.
Early career
A ...
* Leader in the
Senate
**
Egbert Schuurman
**
Roel Kuiper
**
Tineke Huizinga
Johanna Catharina "Tineke" Huizinga-Heringa (born 16 February 1960) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Union (CU) party.
Huizinga grew up in Amersfoort; both of her parents were teachers. After attending gymnasium, she began to study law ...
Organisational structure
The highest body in the CU is the Union Congress, formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It appoints the party board and decides the order of the candidates on the lists for elections to the Senate, House of Representatives and European Parliament 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 25,170 members (as of 1 January 2019). They are organised in over 200 municipal branches.
Linked organisations
The youth organisation of the party is
PerspectieF
PerspectieF – Christian Union Youth ( nl, PerspectieF – ChristenUnie-jongeren) is the youth wing of the ChristianUnion, a Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. PerspectieF was founded on 23 September 2000 as a merger betw ...
which was formed as a fusion of the two youth organisations of the CU's predecessors the
GPJC and
RPFJ. 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 organisation is Inclusief.
The CU participates in the
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, a democracy assistance organisation of seven Dutch political parties.
International organisations
Internationally the CU is a member of the
European Christian Political Movement
The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) is the only European political party explicitly working on promoting Christian values. The party unites national parties and individuals from across Europe who share policies influenced by Chri ...
. Its MEPs where seated in the
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti-federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...
group. Until 2019 when the CU joined the
EPP Group
The European People's Party Group (EPP Group) is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament consisting of Member of the European Parliament, deputies (MEPs) from the member parties of the European People's Party (EPP). Sometimes ...
Orthodox-Protestant (pillarised) organisations
The CU still has ideological strong links with so-called
pillarised organisations. Together with conservative
Protestant schools, papers like the ''
Nederlands Dagblad
''Nederlands Dagblad'' (; "Dutch Daily") is a Dutch daily newspaper, available nationwide, with a daily circulation of 23,800 issues (in 2020).
History
The paper was founded in 1944 as a semi- resistance paper during World War II called ''Refo ...
'' and the ''
Reformatorisch Dagblad
The ''Reformatorisch Dagblad'' (; " Reformed Daily") is a Dutch Protestant newspaper with a circulation of around 60,000, headquartered in Apeldoorn. The conservative newspaper was founded in 1971 and is associated with the Reformed Political Part ...
'', the Protestant broadcaster
Evangelische Omroep, several Reformed churches they constitute the conservative or orthodox Reformed pillar (Dutch ''zuil''). While all four of the traditional Dutch pillars (socialists, liberals, Protestants and Catholics) have broken down since the 1960s, the orthodox reformed pillar has actually strengthened in reaction to the process of secularisation.
Relationships to other parties
The Christian Union had been in the opposition until 2006. It has good relations with the orthodox
Reformed Political Party (SGP), with which it forms a single European parliamentary party
CU-SGP and the
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...
, with which the ChristenUnie-SGP had an
electoral alliance for the
2004 European Parliament elections. As an opposition party against the centre-right
Second Balkenende cabinet
The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peo ...
, the CU has gained sympathy from the left wing parties in parliament, the
Labour Party, the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...
, and the
GreenLeft
GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands.
It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and ...
, with which it cooperates in several
local governments
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...
after the
2006 municipal elections.
International comparisons
The
Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland
The Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland (german: Evangelische Volkspartei der Schweiz), Swiss Evangelical Party (french: Parti évangelique suisse, it, Partito Evangelico Svizzero), or Evangelical Party of Switzerland ( rm, Partida evang ...
is nearest to the Christian Union as a conservative Protestant party that is left wing in social matters, conservative in ethical matters and critical of the European Union.
Notes
References
External links
*
Introduction (in English)Website of the European Christian Political Movement, of which the ChristenUnie is a member
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Union
Confessional parties in the Netherlands
European Conservatives and Reformists member parties
Political parties established in 2000
Political parties in the Netherlands
Protestant political parties
Eurosceptic parties in the Netherlands
Social conservative parties
2000 establishments in the Netherlands
European Christian Political Movement
Organisations based in Utrecht (province)
Conservative parties in the Netherlands
Amersfoort