Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond
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The Reformed Political LeagueTranslation used by Andeweg and Irwin in ''Governance and Politics of the Netherlands'' (2002: 45) (, GPV) was an orthodox Protestant political party in the Netherlands. The GPV is one of the predecessors of the Christian Union. The party was 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 Netherlan ...
.


History


1948–1963

The GPV was founded in 1948 as the result of a theological conflict within the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (, abbreviated ''Gereformeerde kerk'') was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands and one of the two major Calvinist denominations along with the Dutch Reformed Church since 1892 unti ...
, which led to the creation of the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) () was an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, when many pastors and me ...
. In 1944 a group of orthodox Protestants left the Reformed Church, because they disagreed with
Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper ( , ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist pastor and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...
's view that God had created multiple branches of Christianity (Catholicism, Protestantism etc.), each with their own sphere. In 1948, adherents of the Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Liberated) left the
Anti-Revolutionary Party The Anti-Revolutionary Party (, 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 minister who served as Prime Mi ...
, the party linked to the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. On 1 April 1948, they founded the GPV during a congress
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. As of 31 January 2023, the municipality had ...
. Former ARP MP Albertus Zijlstra chaired the congress, and also led the party in its early years. The party was specifically linked to the liberated Reformed Church. Membership of the church was a pre-requisite for membership of the party. This dogmatic position isolated the party. The party participated, without success in the
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
,
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
and 1956 general elections. After the 1956 elections, the number of seats in parliament was extended; therefore, the number of votes needed to obtain a seat was decreased from one percent of vote to two-thirds of one percent of vote. In the 1959 general election it appeared that the GPV had won a seat. Its sole MP, Laning, was asked to visit the queen to advise her on the formation of a new cabinet. After the results were calculated exactly, however, it became clear that the GPV had obtained too few votes for a seat.


1963–2003

In
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 ...
the party finally entered the House of Representatives in the person of Pieter Jongeling, who was made top candidate on advice of prominent professor of
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
J. Kamphuis. In the 1967 general elections, they were able to retain their one seat. During the early 1970s, a group called Nationaal Evanglisch Verbond (NEV) had left the ARP because they thought the party's alliance with the
Catholic People's Party The Catholic People's Party (, KVP) was a Roman Catholicism in the Netherlands, Catholic Christian democracy, Christian democratic list of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1945 as ...
was wrong. They asked the board of the GPV whether they could join their party. This was rejected by the board of the GPV, who said that the party was open only to members of the liberated Reformed Church. This group would later become the
Reformatory Political Federation The Reformatory Political Federation (; RPF) was a minor Protestant Christian democracy, Christian political party in the Netherlands. History The RPF was founded on 15 March 1975 by three groups of orthodox Christians. The first group were mem ...
(RPF). In the 1971 general election, the party was able to obtain a second seat, which it managed to retain in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
. In the 1977 general election, Jongeling was replaced by Verbrugh and the party lost one seat. Before the 1981 general election, Verbrugh was replaced by Schutte, who would lead the party until 2001. He was able to retain the one seat in 1981,
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
and 1986 general elections, and he won a second seat in
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
. In the 1994 general election the party retained its two seats. In 1993 the GPV officially opened itself to non-liberated members. This started a slow process of cooperation between the GPV and the RPF, another orthodox Protestant party. From the 1998 general election onwards, the two parliamentary parties began to cooperate, holding common meanings and appointing common spokespersons. The fact that the GPV had only two seats and the RPF three inhibited the cooperation. In 1999, their parliamentary parties in the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
officially merged, forming one parliamentary party. In 2001, the same happened in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
. In 2002 general election the GPV and RPF presented a common
electoral list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can c ...
of candidates for the House of Representatives, entering the elections as the Christian Union: they obtained four seats. In 2003, the GPV officially disbanded, making its merger into the Christian Union final.


Name

The GPV chose the name Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond (Reformed Political Alliance), because it wanted to convey that it was a reformed party, and that its organisation was decentralised: the GPV was primarily an alliance of local branches.


Ideology and issues

In its first years, the GPV did not have a separate election manifesto or manifesto of principles. Instead it claimed to base its policy directly on the bible. In 1967, the first manifesto of principles was published, in which the party again stressed that the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
was the basis of their policy. The party saw the Netherlands as a Protestant nation, which should be defended. In practice, this meant that the GPV took the following stances: *The GPV was against
European Integration European integration is the process of political, legal, social, regional and economic integration of states wholly or partially in Europe, or nearby. European integration has primarily but not exclusively come about through the European Union ...
, because it distrusted the Catholic nature of the project; *The party was in favour of a strong defense; *The GPV was staunchly monarchist because it saw the
Dutch Monarchy The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...
as a God-given institution; *Originally the party wanted the government to decrease its influence on society, allowing for private initiative and civil society to take over some of its functions; during the 1980s the party wanted to retain the
welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...
and paid attention to the environment; *The GPV defended the system of
special schools Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
, which allowed for schools to be founded on liberated reformed principles; *The party favoured the independence of South Maluku and
Irian Jaya New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Austral ...
, and supported
Apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
; *As an orthodox Christian party, the party was against the Dutch policy on soft drugs,
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
,
prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...
,
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
and
euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...


Election results


House of Representatives


Representatives


Members of the House of Representatives


Senators


Electorate

The GPV's electorate was almost entirely made up out of members of the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) () was an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, when many pastors and me ...
. These were concentrated in Gelderland, Utrecht and South Holland, which form part of the Dutch Bible belt, and Groningen


Organisation


Organisational structure

The highest organ of the GPV was the congress, it is formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It convenes once every year. It appoints the party board and decides the order of candidates on electoral lists for the Senate, House of Representatives and European Parliament, and has the last word on the party program. The party secretariat was located in
Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, lo ...
and later in
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. As of 31 January 2023, the municipality had ...
.


Linked organisations

The party published ''Ons Politeuma'' ("Our citizenship"). It scientific institute was the ''Groen van Prinsterer Stichting'' ("Groen van Prinsterer Foundation") and its education institute was ''Mandaat - Gereformeerd Politiek Vormingswerk'' ("Mandate, Reformed Political Education work"). Its youth organisation was the ''Gereformeerde Politieke Jongeren Club'' ("Reformed Political Youth Club"), which published ''Plein'' ("Square") and ''Stand-By''.


Pillarised organisations

The party had a small liberated Reformed
pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
around, consisting out of like minded organisations. Most prominent was the
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) () was an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (') from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, when many pastors and me ...
. The paper
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 ''Refor ...
was closely linked to the GPV, until 1974 Pieter Jongeling, who also led the parliamentary party, led the paper. The Kampen Theological University of the Reformed Church (Liberated) was also linked to the liberated Reformed Church.


Relationships to other parties

Before 1981, the party was very isolated, this was caused by their own dogmatic position on non-liberated Christians. Nonetheless the knowledge and conscience of its MPs was respected throughout parliament. After 1981, the party began to cooperate with more with other parties, especially with the orthodox Protestant
Political Reformed Party The Reformed Political Party ( , SGP) is a conservative Reformed Christianity, Reformed ChristianThese sources describe the SGP as a Calvinist (Reformed Christian) political party: * * * * List of political parties in the Netherlands, political pa ...
(SGP) and
Reformatory Political Federation The Reformatory Political Federation (; RPF) was a minor Protestant Christian democracy, Christian political party in the Netherlands. History The RPF was founded on 15 March 1975 by three groups of orthodox Christians. The first group were mem ...
(RPF). In 1981, the GPV allowed municipal branches to cooperate with branches of other parties, this led to the formation of several combined lists with either the SGP or RPF or both. In 1984, the party entered in the
European elections Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until 2019, 751 ...
with a combined list the RPF and SGP. It won only one seat. In 1994. they were more successful and won two seats, one of which was taken by the GPV. In 1993, the party allowed non-liberated to become member of the party, this started a slow cooperation process with the RPF which resulted in the fusion in the Christian Union in 2003.


International comparison

Internationally the party was comparable to the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
Christian Right The Christian 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 their interpretation ...
and the small Protestant parties of Scandinavia, such as the
Christian Democratic Party of Norway The Christian Democratic Party (, , , KrF; ) is a Christian democracy, Christian-democratic List of political parties in Norway, political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of the European People's Party (EPP). It ...
, the
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
and Danish Christian Democrats. The party has never been in a government coalition however, instead it has chosen to voice its concerns with government policy, while acknowledging that they are not big enough to force their opinion upon others.


Literature

*


Notes


References

{{Authority control Christian Union (Netherlands) Confessional parties in the Netherlands Defunct Christian political parties Defunct political parties in the Netherlands Political parties established in 1948 Political parties disestablished in 2003 Protestant political parties Conservative parties in the Netherlands 1948 establishments in the Netherlands 2003 disestablishments in the Netherlands