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International Democrat Union
AbbreviationIDU
Formation1983; 40 years ago (1983)
PurposeWorld federation of right-of-centre/moderate-to-conservative political parties[1][2]
HeadquartersMunich, Bavaria, Germany
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
84 political parties and 8 organizations
Official language
English
Chairman
 Stephen Harper (Conservative)
Deputy Chairman
 Brian Loughnane (Liberal)
Websiteidu.org
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The International Democrat Union (IDU) is an international alliance of centre-right political parties.[3][4] Headquartered in Munich, Germany,[5] the IDU consists of 84 full and associate members from 65 countries.[6] It is chaired by Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, two affiliated international organizations (International Young Democrat Union and International Women's Democrat 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).

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] centre-right policies around the globe".[7] 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.[8]

Though the IDU was founded to be politically on the centre-right, a number of its member parties have been increasingly seen as further right on the political spectrum.[9][10]

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.[11]

The IDU has several regional affiliates: the Democrat Union of Africa, the Union of Latin American Parties, the Asia Pacific Democrat Union, the Caribbean Democrat Union, the European People's Party, and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party.[12] It also has an affiliated youth wing in the International Young Democrat Union, and an affiliated women's wing in the International Women's Democrat Union.

Founding

The IDU was founded in London on 24 June 1983.[13] According to Richard V. Allen, to be admitted as a member, a party must qualify as a "mainstream conservative" party influenced by classical liberalism.[14]

The founding declaration was signed by 19 persons:[15]

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

Member parties

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Full members

The IDU has 84 member parties.

Full members
Country Party Abbreviation Government Lower Chamber Upper Chamber
 Albania Democratic Party of Albania PD In opposition
59 / 140 (42%)
 Argentina Republican Proposal PRO In opposition
53 / 257 (21%)
8 / 72 (11%)
 Australia Liberal Party of Australia LIB In opposition
42 / 151 (28%)
31 / 76 (41%)
 Austria Austrian People's Party ÖVP In coalition
71 / 183 (39%)
26 / 61 (43%)
 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan National Independence Party AMIP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 125 (0%)
 Bangladesh Bangladesh Nationalist Party BNP In opposition
7 / 350 (2%)
 Belarus BPF Party BNF Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 110 (0%)
0 / 64 (0%)
United Civic Party AHP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 110 (0%)
0 / 64 (0%)
 Belize United Democratic Party UDP In opposition
5 / 31 (16%)
3 / 13 (23%)
 Bolivia Democrat Social Movement MDS Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 130 (0%)
0 / 36 (0%)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Party of Democratic Action SDA In coalition
9 / 42 (21%)
3 / 15 (20%)
Party of Democratic Progress PDP In opposition
2 / 42 (5%)
0 / 15 (0%)
Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina HDZ In coalition
16 / 98 (16%)
14 / 58 (24%)
Croatian Democratic Union 1990 HDZ 1990 In opposition
2 / 98 (2%)
0 / 58 (0%)
 Brazil Brazil Union UB Independent
81 / 513 (16%)
7 / 81 (9%)
 Bulgaria GERB GERB In opposition
59 / 240 (25%)
Union of Democratic Forces SDS In opposition
2 / 240 (0.8%)
 Canada Conservative Party of Canada CPC / PCC In opposition
115 / 338 (34%)
15 / 105 (14%)
 Chile Independent Democratic Union UDI In opposition
23 / 155 (15%)
9 / 43 (21%)
National Renewal RN In opposition
25 / 155 (16%)
8 / 43 (19%)
 Colombia Colombian Conservative Party PCC In coalition
21 / 172 (12%)
14 / 108 (13%)
 Croatia Croatian Democratic Union HDZ In coalition
61 / 151 (40%)
 Cyprus Democratic Rally DISY In government
17 / 56 (30%)
 Czech Republic Civic Democratic Party ODS In coalition
34 / 200 (17%)
18 / 81 (22%)
 Denmark Conservative People's Party DKF In opposition
13 / 179 (7%)
 Dominica Dominica Freedom Party DFP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 21 (0%)
 Dominican Republic National Progressive Force FNP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 190 (0%)
0 / 32 (0%)
 Ecuador Social Christian Party PSC In opposition
19 / 137 (14%)
 El Salvador Nationalist Republican Alliance ARENA In opposition
14 / 84 (17%)
 Estonia Isamaa In coalition
12 / 101 (12%)
 Finland National Coalition Party Kok In opposition
38 / 200 (19%)
 Georgia United National Movement ENM In opposition
36 / 150 (24%)
 Germany Christian Democratic Union of Germany CDU In opposition
152 / 736 (21%)
22 / 69 (32%)
Christian Social Union in Bavaria CSU In opposition
45 / 736
4 / 69
 Ghana New Patriotic Party NPP In government
137 / 275 (50%)
 Greece New Democracy ND In government
158 / 300 (53%)
 Grenada New National Party NNP In government
14 / 15 (93%)
10 / 13 (77%)
 Guatemala Unionist Party PU In coalition
3 / 160 (2%)
 Honduras National Party of Honduras PNH In opposition
44 / 128 (34%)
 Hungary Fidesz In government
117 / 199 (59%)
 Iceland Independence Party D In coalition
16 / 63 (25%)
 India Bharatiya Janata Party BJP In government
303 / 543 (56%)
95 / 245 (39%)
 Israel Likud Party Likud In government
32 / 120 (27%)
 Jamaica Jamaica Labour Party JLP In government
49 / 63 (78%)
13 / 21 (62%)
 Kenya Democratic Party of Kenya DP In opposition
1 / 394 (0.3%)
0 / 67 (0%)
 Lebanon Lebanese Forces Kataeb In opposition
19 / 128 (15%)
 Lithuania Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats TS–LKD In coalition
50 / 141 (35%)
 Maldives Maldivian Democratic Party MDP In government
65 / 87 (75%)
 Malta Nationalist Party PN In opposition
35 / 79 (44%)
 Moldova Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova PLDM Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 101 (0%)
Party of Action and Solidarity PAS In government
63 / 101 (62%)
 Mongolia Democratic Party DP In opposition
12 / 76 (16%)
 Montenegro Movement for Changes PzP In coalition
5 / 81 (6%)
 Morocco Istiqlal Party In coalition
81 / 395 (21%)
24 / 120 (20%)
 Namibia Popular Democratic Movement PDM In opposition
16 / 104 (15%)
2 / 42 (5%)
 New Zealand National Party NAT In opposition
34 / 120 (28%)
 Nicaragua Conservative Party PCN In opposition
1 / 92 (1%)
 North Macedonia VMRO-DPMNE In opposition
36 / 120 (30%)
   Nepal Rastriya Prajatantra Party RPP In coalition
14 / 275 (5%)
0 / 59 (0%)
 Norway Conservative Party H In opposition
36 / 169 (21%)
 Panama Democratic Change CD In opposition
18 / 71 (25%)
 Paraguay Partido Colorado ANR-PC In government
42 / 80 (53%)
17 / 45 (38%)
 Peru Christian People's Party PPC Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 130 (0%)
 Portugal CDS – People's Party CDS–PP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 230 (0%)
 Russia Union of Right Forces Movement SPS Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 450 (0%)
 Saint Kitts and Nevis People's Action Movement PAM In coalition
4 / 11 (36%)
 Saint Lucia United Workers Party UWP In opposition
2 / 17 (12%)
3 / 11 (27%)
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines New Democratic Party NDP In opposition
6 / 15 (40%)
 Serbia Serbian Progressive Party SNS In government
95 / 250 (38%)
 Slovenia Slovenian Democratic Party SDS In opposition
27 / 90 (30%)
 South Africa Inkatha Freedom Party IFP In opposition
14 / 400 (4%)
2 / 90 (2%)
 South Korea People Power Party PPP In government
114 / 300 (38%)
 Spain People's Party PP In opposition
88 / 350 (25%)
97 / 265 (37%)
 Sri Lanka United National Party UNP In coalition
1 / 225 (0.4%)
 Sweden Moderate Party M In coalition
68 / 349 (19%)
 Taiwan Kuomintang KMT In opposition
38 / 113 (34%)
 Tanzania Chama Cha Demokrasia Na Maendeleo CHADEMA In opposition
20 / 393 (5%)
 Turks and Caicos Islands People's Democratic Movement PDM In opposition
1 / 15 (7%)
 Uganda Forum for Democratic Change FDC In opposition
32 / 375 (9%)
 Ukraine Batkivshchyna VOB In opposition
25 / 450 (6%)
European Solidarity YeS In opposition
27 / 450 (6%)
 United Kingdom Conservative and Unionist Party CON In government
355 / 650 (55%)
262 / 786 (33%)
 United States Republican Party R / GOP In opposition
222 / 435 (51%)
49 / 100 (49%)
 Venezuela Project Venezuela PV Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 167 (0%)

Chairpersons

Chairperson Term Start Term End Political Affiliation Country
William Hague 1997 2002 Conservative  United Kingdom
John Howard 2002 2014 Liberal  Australia
Sir John Key 2014 2018 National  New Zealand
Stephen Harper 2018 incumbent Conservative  Canada

See also

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. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Burnell, Peter J. (2006). Globalizing Democracy: Party Politics in Emerging Democracies. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-415-40184-5.
  6. ^ International Democrat Union. "IDU Members". idu.org. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  7. ^ IDU — History. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  8. ^ Mohr, Alexander (2010). The German Political Foundations as Actors in Democracy Assistance. Boca Raton: Universal-Publishers. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-59942-331-9.
  9. ^ "Scott Morrison signs on with global political network home to 'intolerant far right'". thenewdaily.com.au. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  10. ^ Ennser, Laurenz (21 December 2010). "The homogeneity of West European party families". Sage. 18 (2): 151–171. doi:10.1177/1354068810382936. S2CID 146782908.
  11. ^ Goldman, Ralph Morris (2002). The Future Catches Up: Transnational Parties and Democracy. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 418. ISBN 978-0-595-22888-1.
  12. ^ "AECR becomes regional member of IDU". AECR.eu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  13. ^ "International Democrat Union, minutes of founding meeting, 1983" (PDF).
  14. ^ "BY ANY OTHER NAME, CONSERVATIVE". The New York Times. 27 July 1985.
  15. ^ "International Democrat Union, minutes of founding meeting, 1993" (PDF).[permanent dead link]

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