Political international
The Centrist Democrat International (Spanish: Internacional Demócrata de Centro) 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.
It is the primary international political group dedicated to the promotion of Christian democracy. Although it gathers parties from around the globe, its members are drawn principally from Europe and Latin America. Some of them are also members of the conservative International Democrat Union (IDU), although the CDI is closer to the continental European style conservative political centre and more communitarian than the IDU.
Formation
The organization was formed in 1961 in Santiago, Chile, as the Christian Democrat World Union, building on the legacy of other Christian democrat internationals alternative to the socialist internationals who tried to create a Christian-inspired third way. In 1982, it was renamed for the first time as the Christian Democrat International. The name was officially changed due to the participation of groups of various faiths such as the Islamic PAN of Indonesia.
In September 2001, the Leaders' Conference in Mexico City changed the organization's name to Centrist Democrat International, which kept the original abbreviation (CDI). In many Asian and African countries reference to religion was not allowed, and absent a name change, the CDI would not have been able to extend itself into Asia and Africa.[2]
The CDI's European division is the European People's Party, currently the largest European political party. It is Latin American equivalent is the Christian Democrat Organization of America. The Democratic Party of the United States of America maintains links with CDI through the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.
A youth organization of the CDI is currently being established, under the name of Youth of the Centrist Democrat International (YCDI).
Establishment history
- December 1925: The first international gathering of Catholic-Christian democratic parties takes place in Paris and they establish the Secrétariat International des Partis Démocratiques d'Inspiration Chrétienne (SIPDIC). Member parties were from Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, and Lithuania.
- 1939 to 1945: World War II suspends the operations of the SIPDIC.
- 23 April 1947: Political leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay meet in Montevideo, to create an international organization of Christian democratic parties. Representatives from Bolivia and Peru participate via diplomatic correspondence. The Declaration of Montevideo established the Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América (ODCA), although the name was not formalized until their second meeting in July 1949.
- 03 June 1947: European Christian Democrats formed the Nouvelles Équipes Internationales (NEI) in Chaudfontaine, Belgium, prompted by the suggestion of the Swiss a year before restarting the SIPDIC. The NEI was open to non-Catholic parties as long as they ascribed to the principles of social democracy. They saw European integration as the best way to prevent the spread of communism into western Europe and thus encouraged exile groups from Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia to attend. The NEI also played a significant role in preparations for the Hague Congress and the eventual establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community.
- 26 July 1950: The Christian Democratic Union of Central Europe (CDUCE) is formed in New York City to assist Christian democratic parties in exile by organizing forces in opposition to communism according to a constitutional charter. By 1955, it had begun working with underground operatives in the Soviet bloc while simultaneously trying to coordinate efforts between European and Latin American Christian Democratic parties.
- May, July 1956: The ODCA, NEI, and CDUCE meet for the first time in Paris at a gathering consisting of 33 delegations from 28 countries to discuss the creation of a global Christian democratic organization.
- 1960: The three regional Christian democratic organizations establish the Christian Democratic International Information and Documentation Centre (CDI-IDC) in Rome to provide political analyses for Christian democratic parties around the world.
- 1961: The World Union of Christian Democrats (WUCD) is established in Santiago.
- 1982: The WUCD changes its name to the Christian Democrat International (CDI).
- 1999: The CDI changes its name to the Centrist Democrat International due to the increasing membership of non-Christian political parties. Since October 2000, some have also informally referred to the CDI as the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International.
Member-parties of the CDI today also tend to be members of either the ODCA or the European People's Party (EPP; successor to NEI), although it is not required. Conversely, there may also be member-parties of either the ODCA and the EPP that are not member-parties of the CDI. The CDI also maintains a relationship with the United States through the National Democratic Institute.
Executive committee
The CDI Executive Committee is the highest body of the organization. It consists of the president, the executive secretary, and the vice-presidents.
The current president of the CDI is Andrés Pastrana Arango of Colombia. Its Executive Secretary is MEP Antonio López-Istúriz, from Spain, who is also Secretary-General of the EPP.[3]
The members of the executive committee are:
Member parties
The CDI has 80 full members, including:
Observer parties
The CDI has 9 observers, including:
