Centrist Democrat 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.

Centrist Democrat International
AbbreviationCDI (English), IDC (French, Spanish)
Formation30 July 1961 (1961-07-30)[1]
PurposeChristian democracy
Social conservatism
HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
80 political parties
Official languages
  • French
  • English
  • Spanish
Chairman
Andrés Pastrana Arango
SubsidiariesYouth of the Centrist Democrat International
AffiliationsChristian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA)
European People's Party (EPP)
National Democratic Institute (NDI)
Websiteidc-cdi.com
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It is the primary international political group dedicated to promoting Christian democracy. Although it attracts parties from around the globe, its members are drawn principally from Europe and Latin America. Some are also members of the conservative International Democrat Union (IDU), although the CDI is closer to the European-conservative political centre and more communitarian than the IDU.

Overview

The CDI was formed in 1961 in Santiago, Chile, as the Christian Democrat World Union, building on the legacy of other Christian democrat internationals which were an alternative to the socialist internationals who tried to create a Christian-inspired third way. In 1999, it was renamed the Centrist Democrat International due to the participation of groups from other religions such as the Islamic National Awakening Party (PKB) of Indonesia.

The September 2001 leadership conference in Mexico City changed the organization's name to Centrist Democrat International, retaining its original CDI acronym. References to religion were not allowed in many Asian and African countries, and the CDI would not have been able to extend into Asia and Africa without a name change.[2]

The CDI's European division is the European People's Party, the largest European political party. Its American equivalent is the Christian Democrat Organization of America. The Democratic Party of the United States maintains links with the CDI through the National Democratic Institute.

Timeline
  • December 1925: The first international gathering of Catholic-Christian democratic parties takes place in Paris, establishing 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 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 establishes the Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América (ODCA), although the name is not formalized until their second meeting in July 1949.
  • 3 June 1947: European Christian Democrats form the Nouvelles Équipes Internationales (NEI) in Chaudfontaine, Belgium, prompted by the Swiss a year before restarting the SIPDIC. The NEI, open to non-Catholic parties who subscribed to the principles of social democracy, sees European integration as the best way to prevent the spread of communism into western Europe and encourages exile groups from Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia to attend. The NEI plays a significant role in preparations for the Hague Congress and the 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. By 1955, it begins working with underground operatives in the Soviet bloc while trying to coordinate efforts between European and Latin American Christian Democratic parties.
  • May and July 1956: The ODCA, NEI, and CDUCE meet for the first time in Paris at a gathering 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 informally referred to the CDI as the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International.

CDI member parties are generally members of the ODCA or the European People's Party (EPP, the successor of NEI).

Executive committee

The CDI executive committee consists of the president, executive secretary, and vice-presidents. The president is Andrés Pastrana Arango of Colombia and the executive secretary is MEP Antonio López-Istúriz of Spain.

Members of the executive committee are:

Member parties
Country Party Abbr Government Period of membership
 Albania Democratic Party of Albania PD Opposition
 Algeria National Rally for Democracy RND Junior party in coalition
 Angola National Union for the Total Independence of Angola UNITA Opposition
 Argentina Christian Democratic Party PDC extraparliamentary opposition
 Armenia Rule of Law OEK extraparliamentary opposition
Republican Party of Armenia RPA Opposition
 Aruba Aruban People's Party AVP/PPA Opposition
 Belgium Christian Democratic and Flemish CD&V Junior party in coalition
 Botswana Botswana National Front BNF Opposition
 Brazil Brazilian Social Democracy Party PSDB Opposition
 Bulgaria GERB GERB Government
Union of Democratic Forces SDS Government
 Burkina Faso Union for the Republic UR Opposition
 Cambodia National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia FUNCINPEC Opposition
Cambodian People's Party CPP Government
 Cape Verde Movement for Democracy MPD Government
 Chile Christian Democratic Party PDC neither government nor opposition
National Renewal RN Opposition
 Republic of China Chinese Nationalist Party KMT Opposition
 Colombia Colombian Conservative Party PCC Government
Democratic Center CD Opposition
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Movement for the Liberation of the Congo MLC Opposition
 Costa Rica Social Christian Unity Party PUSC Opposition
 Croatia Croatian Democratic Union HDZ Government
 Cuba Christian Liberation Movement MCL Opposition
Christian Democratic Party of Cuba PDCC Opposition
 Curaçao National People's Party NVP/PNP Opposition
 Cyprus Democratic Rally DISY Government
 Czech Republic KDU-ČSL KDU–ČSL Junior party in coalition
 Denmark Christian Democrats KD extraparliamentary opposition
 Dominican Republic Social Christian Reformist Party PRSC Opposition
 Ecuador Christian Democratic Union UDC Opposition
 El Salvador Christian Democratic Party PDC Opposition
 France The Republicans LR Opposition
 Gabon Gabonese Democratic Party PDG Government
 Germany Christian Democratic Union CDU Opposition
 Greece New Democracy ND Government
 Guinea-Bissau Party for Social Renewal PRS Opposition
 Equatorial Guinea Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea APGE Opposition
 Hungary Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance FIDESZ Government
Christian Democratic People's Party KDNP Government
 Indonesia National Awakening Party[3] PKB Government
 Italy Union of the Centre UdC support to the government in the Senate
 Ivory Coast Rally of the Republicans[4] RDR Government
 Kenya Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya WDM-K Opposition
 Lebanon Lebanese Forces LF - Chrisitan Resistance Opposition
Kataeb Phalange Opposition
 Madagascar MMM - Malagasy Miara-Miainga MMM Opposition
 Malawi Malawi Congress Party MCP Government
 Mali Union for the Republic and Democracy URD Opposition
 Malta Nationalist Party PN Opposition
 Mauritania Union for Democracy and Progress UDP junior party in coalition
Equity Party El Insaf in government
 Mexico National Action Party PAN Opposition
 Morocco Istiqlal Party Junior party in coalition
 Mozambique Democratic Movement of Mozambique MDM Opposition
 Netherlands Christian Democratic Appeal CDA junior party in coalition
 Panama People's Party PP extraparliamentary opposition
 Paraguay Christian Democratic Party PDC Opposition
 Peru Christian People's Party PPC extraparliamentary opposition
 Philippines Fight of Democratic Filipinos LDP Junior party in coalition
Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats Lakas senior party in coalition
 Portugal Social Democratic Party PSD Opposition
 Romania Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party PNȚ-CD Extra-parliamentary
National Liberal Party PNL senior party in coalition
People's Movement Party PMP Extraparliamentary support
Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania RMDSZ Junior party in coalition Since 2018[5]
 San Marino Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party PDCS Opposition
 São Tomé and Príncipe Independent Democratic Action ADI Government
 Senegal Centrist Union of Senegal UCS Junior party in government
Bloc des centristes Gaïndé BCG Opposition
 Slovenia New Slovenia NSi Opposition
Slovenian Democratic Party SDS Opposition
 Spain People's Party PP Opposition
 Sweden Christian Democrats KD Government
 Ukraine Christian Democratic Union KhDS Opposition
 Uruguay National Party PN Government
 Venezuela Christian Social Party 'Copei' COPEI Opposition
Justice First PJ Extra-parliamentary

Former members

Observer parties

The CDI has 9 observers, including:

See also

Notes
  1. Durand, Jean-Dominique, ed. (2015-01-01). Christian Democrat Internationalism. Peter Lang. p. 71. doi:10.3726/978-3-0352-6492-0. ISBN 978-3-0352-9924-3.
  2. Wilfried Martens (2008). Europe: I Struggle, I Overcome. Springer / Centre for European Studies. p. 220. ISBN 9783540892892.
  3. Safitri, Eva. "PKB Resmi Jadi Anggota Koalisi Partai Demokratis Internasional". detiknews.
  4. Parties, Centrist Democrat International, idc-cdi.com, retrieved 31 August 2016.
  5. "Conference of Centrist Democrat International held in Budapest". Daily News Hungary. 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  6. "The Heritage Party Has Become an Observer Member of Centrist Democrat International". www.heritage.am.
  7. "parties". IDC-CDI. Retrieved 15 August 2020.

Further reading
  • Papini, Roberto (1997). The Christian Democrat International. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
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