The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch Christian-democratic political party. The party is currently the biggest coalition partner in the fourth Balkenende cabinet. Christian democracy is a diverse political ideology and movement. ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the current Dutch coalition cabinet. ...

History

History before 1977

Since 1880 the sizeable Catholic and Protestant parties had worked together in the so-called coalition. They shared a common interest in public funding of religious schools. In 1888 they formed the first Christian-Democratic government, led by the Anti-Revolutionary Aeneas baron Mackay. The cooperation was not without problems and in 1894 the conservative, anti-papists left the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party, to found the Christian Historical Union. Main issues' dividing the Protestants and Catholics was the position of the Dutch Representation at the Holy See and the future of the Dutch Indies. Since 1918 the three parties had a majority in both houses of parliament, and at least two of three parties were represented in the cabinet. This majority lasted until 1967. After the war the three Christian-Democratic parties were the Catholic People's Party (KVP), the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party (ARP), and the Protestant Christian Historical Union (CHU). The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (in Dutch: Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; in Papiamentu: Statuut pa e Reino di Hulanda) describes the political relationship between the three different countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands: the Netherlands in Europe and the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba... The Netherlands has been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands (born January 31, 1938 as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) has been the queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ... The cabinet of the Netherlands or council of ministers plans and implements government policy. ... This is a list of cabinets of the Netherlands Note: first party mentioned provided prime minister. ... The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the current Dutch coalition cabinet. ... The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... 3 November 1877: Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello (liberal) 19 August 1879: Theo graaf van Lynden van Sandenburg (conservative-protestant) 22 April 1883: Jan Heemskerk Abrahamzoon (conservative) 20 April 1888: Aeneas baron Mackay (ARP) 21 August 1891: Gijsbert van Tienhoven (liberal) 8 May 1894: Joan Röell (old liberal) 26... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ... The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ... The Historic composition of the Eerste Kamer gives an overview of the composition of the Higher House of the Dutch parliament. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Template:List of cabinets of the Netherlands. ... This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. ... Elections in the Netherlands gives information on election and election results in the Netherlands. ... Dutch Tweede Kamer seats as of 2006 The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. ... In the Netherlands, the Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body to the government which consists of members of the royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political, commercial, diplomatic, or military experience. ... Hoge Raad der Nederlanden is the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, situated in The Hague. ... The modern day Netherlands are divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch), listed below with their capital city: Map of the Netherlands, with provinces and capital cities See also the ranked list of Dutch provinces // Structure A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the... All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 458 (2006); among these we can distinguish: those comprising one main city, town or village with the same name as the municipality, and possibly some additional villages; for example Utrecht, comprising the city Utrecht and the villages De Meern... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... The Netherlands abandoned its traditional policy of neutrality after World War II. The Dutch have since become engaged participants in international affairs. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... This article gives an overview of liberalism in the Netherlands. ... This article gives an overview of socialism in the Netherlands, including communism and social democracy. ... This article gives an overview of christian democracy in the Netherlands, which is also called confessional politics, including political catholicism and Protestantism. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Æneas baron Mackay Jr. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Anti-Catholicism is opposition to the Roman Catholic Church or to Catholics, often employing mischaracterizations, stereotypes and negative prejudices. ... The Anti Revolutionary Party (in Dutch: Anti Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. ... The Christian-Historical Union (CHU) was a Dutch Protestant political party. ... The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands Indië) was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Company, which came under administration of the Netherlands during the 19th century (see Indonesia). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The Katholieke Volkspartij (in English: Catholic Peoples Party; abbreviated as KVP) was a Catholic Christian-democratic Dutch political party. ... The Anti Revolutionary Party (in Dutch: Anti Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. ... The Christian-Historical Union (CHU) was a Dutch Protestant political party. ...

In the sixties, the Dutch society became more secularized and the pillars faded, and voters began to move away from the three Christian-Democratic parties. In 1963 the three parties held 51% of the vote, in 1972 they held only 32%. This decline forced the three parties to work closer together. In 1967 the Group of Eighteen was formed: it was a think-tank of six prominent politicians per party that planned the future cooperation of the three parties. In 1968 the three political leaders of the parties (Norbert Schmelzer (KVP), Barend Biesheuvel (ARP) and Jur Mellema (CHU) made a public appearance, stating that the three parties would continue to work together. This caused progressive forces within the three parties, especially the ARP and KVP to regret their political affiliation. In 1968 they founded the Political Parties of Radicals, a leftwing party that sought cooperation with the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA). Locally and provincially however the three parties had long cooperated well, in some areas they formed one Christian-Democratic parliamentary party and proposed one list of candidates. In 1971 the three parties presented a common political program, which lay the foundation for the Biesheuvel cabinets. Pillarisation (Verzuiling in Dutch, Pilarisation in French) is a term used to describe the way the Dutch and Belgians used to deal with their multicultural (but not multiethnic) societies. ... National summary Parties Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij) Catholic Peoples Party (Katholieke Volkspartij) Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) FarmersParty (Boerenpartij) Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) Pacifist Socialist Party (Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij) Peoples Party for Freedom and... National summary Parties Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij) Catholic Peoples Party (Katholieke Volkspartij) Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Democratic Socialist 1970 (Democratisch Socialisten 1970) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Farmers Party (Boerenpartij) Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) Pacifist Socialist... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Barend Willem Biesheuvel (April 5, 1920_April 29, 2001) was a Dutch politician, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1971 until 1973, as a member of the Protestant ARP party. ... The Political Party of Radicals (PPR) was dutch leftwing political party. ... The Labour Party (in Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) is a Dutch social-democratic political party. ... National summary Parties Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij) Catholic Peoples Party (Katholieke Volkspartij) Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Ducth Middle Class Party (Nederlandse Middenstandspartij) Democratic Socialist 1970 (Democratisch Socialisten 1970), secession of the Labour Party Democrats 66 (Democraten 66... The Netherlands cabinet Biesheuvel-1 (1971-1972) was a coalition between the protestants (ARP), (CHU), the Roman-catholics (KVP), the conservative-liberals VVD and the moderate social-democrats (DS70). ...

After the disastrous elections of 1972 the cooperation was given new momentum. Piet Steenkamp, a member of the lower house of parliament for the KVP was appointed chairman of a council which was to lay the foundation for a federation of the three parties, and provide a common manifesto of principles. In 1973 this federation was officially formed, with Steenkamp as chairperson. The cooperation was frustrated by the formation of the cabinet Den Uyl, established by the leader of the social-democratic PvdA and prime minister of the Netherlands Joop den Uyl. Den Uyl refused to allow members of the CHU in the cabinet that he would lead. This led to a situation where the CHU, ARP and KVP formed a federation and had one parliamentary party in both houses of parliament, but only the KVP and ARP supplied ministers and junior ministers. The cabinet Den Uyl was riddled with political and personal conflicts. Another issue that split the three parties was the place the Bible would take in the new party. Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Netherlands cabinet Den Uyl was a left-wing coalition of PvdA, PPR, D66, KVP and ARP. The last two political parties were actually right-wing, but left-wing elements within these parties supported cabinet den Uyl to create a left-wing majority. ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dr. Johannes Marten Joop den Uyl (August 9, 1919 - December 24, 1987) was a Dutch politician, prime minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977, as a member of the socialist PvdA party. ... A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ...

1977-1994

In 1977 the parties presented a common list at the parliamentary elections. The KVP minister of Justice, Dries van Agt, was the top candidate. In the election campaign he made clear the CDA was a centrist party, that would not lean to the left or to the right. The three parties were able to stabilize their proportion of the vote. The election result forced Van Agt to start talks with Den Uyl. The animosity between Van Agt, who had been vice-prime-minister in the cabinet Den Uyl, and Den Uyl, frustrated the talks. After more than 300 days of negotiations, they finally officially failed, and Van Agt was able to negotiate a cabinet with the conservative liberal VVD. The Cabinet Van Agt-I had a very narrow majority. The unexpected cabinet with the VVD led to split within the newly founded CDA between more progressive and more conservative members. The progressives remained within the party, and were known as loyalists. On October 11, 1980, the three original parties ceased to exist and the CDA was founded as a unitary party. After the elections of 1981, the VVD and the CDA had lost their majority, and the CDA was forced to cooperate with the PvdA. Van Agt became prime-minister and Den Uyl became vice-prime-minister. The cabinet was troubled by ideological and personal conflicts, and fell after one year. National summary Parties Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl), merger of Catholic Peoples Party, Anti Revolutionary Party and Christian Historical Union Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Democratic Socialist 1970 (Democratisch Socialisten 1970) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Farmers Party (Boerenpartij) Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid... The Justice Minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... Andreas Antonius Maria Dries van Agt (born February 2, 1931) is a Dutch politician and served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1977 to 1982. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... The Netherlands cabinet Van Agt-1 (1977-1981) was a right-wing coalition of the CDA and the VVD. The labour party was the largest party after the elections, but the demands of labour party leader Joop den Uyl were to much for christian-democrat Dries van Agt, who formed... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... National summary Parties Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) Pacifist Socialist Party (Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij) Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) Political Party Radicals (Politieke... The Netherlands cabinet Van Agt-2 (1981-1982) was a coalition between the christian democrats (CDA), the labour party (PVDA) and the left-wing liberals D66. ...

After the 1982 elections, a CDA/VVD cabinet was supported by a majority in parliament. The new CDA-leader, Ruud Lubbers, set an ambitious reform program in motion, which included budget cuts, reform of the old age and disability pensions and liberalization of public services. Lubbers won the 1986 and 1989 elections, he was not only supported by Christians, but also by non-religious people. In 1989 however, although the CDA had won the elections, they were unable to get a majority with their coalition partner, the VVD. The CDA was forced to cooperate with the PvdA. In the third cabinet Lubbers, the ambitious reform project was continued, with some adaptations and protests from the PvdA. National summary Parties Center Party (Centrumpartij) Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Evangelical Peoples Party (Evangelische Volkspartij), secession of former Anti Revolutionary Party Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) Pacifist Socialist Party (Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij) People... The Netherlands cabinet Lubbers-1 (1982-1986) was formed by the right-wing political parties CDA and VVD. The aim of the cabinet was cuting government spending and privatizations. ... Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers or Ruud Lubbers (born May 7, 1939) was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from 2001 until February 20, 2005, when he resigned because of continuous press attention about an allegation of sexual harassment. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability. ... In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. ... National summary Parties Center Party (Centrumpartij) Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Evangelical Peoples Party (Evangelische Volkspartij), secession of former Anti Revolutionary Party Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) Pacifist Socialist Party (Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij) People... National summary Parties Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Green Left (GroenLinks), merger of Political Party Radicals, Pacifist Socialist Party, Communist Party of the Netherlands and Evangelical Peoples Party Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) List Janmaat-Center Democrats (Lijst Janmaat-Centrumdemocraten), secession of... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Netherlands cabinet Lubbers-3 (1989-1994) was formed by a coalition of the christian-democrats, CDA and the labour party, PVDA. Coal of the cabinet was to come to social renewing. ...

1994-present

The 1994 elections proved fatal for the CDA: personal conflicts between prime-minister Lubbers, and Lijsttrekker Eelco Brinkman, a lack of support for the reforms in the old age and disability pensions, and the perceived arrogance of the CDA, caused a dramatic defeat. A new government was formed, for the first time since 1918 without christian-democratic ministers. The CDA was confined to opposition. The party was marred by subsequent internal battles over leadership. The party also reflected on its principals: the party began to orient itself more on communitarian ideals. National summary Parties Center Party (Centrumpartij) Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland) Democrats 66 (Democraten 66) Evangelical Peoples Party (Evangelische Volkspartij), secession of former Anti Revolutionary Party Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid) Pacifist Socialist Party (Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij) People... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Communitarianism as a group of related but distinct philosophies began in the late 20th century, opposing radical individualism, and other similar philosophies while advocating phenomena such as civil society. ...

During the tumultuous 2002 elections, which saw the murder of Pim Fortuyn, many people sought refuge with the CDA, hoping that this party could bring some stability to Dutch politics. The CDA led the Balkenende coalition, with the VVD and the LPF. This cabinet fell due to internal struggles within the LPF. After the 2003 elections, the Christian Democrats were forced to begin cabinet negotiations with the PvdA. Personal animosity between Balkenende and the leader of the PvdA, Bos, frustrated these negotiations. Balkenende consequently formed a coalition with the conservative and progressive liberals. The coalition proposed an ambitious program of reforms, including more restrictive migration laws, democratization of political institutions and reforms of the system of social security and labour laws. Elections in the Netherlands for the Tweede Kamer of Parliament // The Dutch general election of 2002, held on May 15, 2002 was the most dramatic in Dutch history, not just in terms of the electoral results. ... Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus (Pim) Fortuyn (pronounced ; officially spelt Fortuijn), (February 19, 1948 – May 6, 2002), was a controversial, openly gay, charismatic[1] right-wing politician in the Netherlands who formed his own party Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn or LPF). ... The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from July 22, 2002 until October 16 of the same year. ... Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn) is a political party in the Netherlands. ... Introduction The Dutch general election of 2003 held on January 22, 2003 was held after the fall of the first Balkenende cabinet on October 16, 2002. ... Drs. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... Democraten 66 (D66), is a social liberal party in the Netherlands. ... mtDNA-based chart of large human migrations. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Democratization (British English: Democratisation) is the transition from an authoritarian or a semi-authoritarian political system to a democratic political system. ... Social security primarily refers to a field of social welfare service concerned with social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment, families with children and others. ...

After the 2006 elections the CDA changed their course radically: they formed a new cabinet still lead by Balkenende, but now with the social-democratic PvdA and the social-christian ChristianUnion. The cabinet's policy is oriented at investing in society. Dutch Tweede Kamer seats as of 2006 The 2006 Dutch general elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 22, 2006, and followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. ... The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the current Dutch coalition cabinet. ... The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. ...

Ideology and issues

The CDA is a Christian-democratic party, but the Bible is only seen as a source of inspiration for individual members of parliament. The party also has Jewish, Islamic and Hindu members of parliament, and it favours the integration of Muslim minorities into Dutch culture and opposes radical Islam [1]. Christian democracy is a diverse political ideology and movement. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ...

The party has four main ideals: shared responsibility, stewardship, justice and solidarity. Shared responsibility refers to the way society should be organized: not one organization should control all society, instead the state, the market, and social institutions, like churches and unions should work together. This is called sphere sovereignty, a core concept of Protestant political philosophy. Furthermore, this refers to the way the state should be organized. Not one level of the state should have total control, instead responsibility should be shared between local, provincial, national and European government. This is called subsidiarity in Catholic political thought. With stewardship the christian-democrats refer to the way we should treat our planet: the Earth is a gift from God. Therefore we should try to preserve our environment. Stewardship is a concept in theology. ... This article is about the concept of justice. ... Solidarity (Polish: ; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union Solidarity — Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy Solidarność) is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the then Lenin Shipyards, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa. ... A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. ... Look up Market in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A social institution is any institution in a socity that works to socialize the groups or people in it. ... It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ... A trade union or labor union is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ... In Neo-Calvinism, the idea of sphere sovereignty insists that created boundaries should be affirmed and respected. ... All provinces of the Netherlands are divided into municipalities (gemeenten), together 458 (2006); among these we can distinguish: those comprising one main city, town or village with the same name as the municipality, and possibly some additional villages; for example Utrecht, comprising the city Utrecht and the villages De Meern... The modern day Netherlands are divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch), listed below with their capital city: Map of the Netherlands, with provinces and capital cities See also the ranked list of Dutch provinces // Structure A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the... Motto (Latin) United in diversity Anthem Ode to Joy(orchestral) Commission seat Brussels Official languages 23 Bulgarian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French German Greek Hungarian Irish Italian Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Polish Portuguese Romanian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Member states 27 Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia... Subsidiarity is the idea that matters should be handled by the smallest (or, the lowest) competent authority. ...

Practically, this means the CDA is a centrist party, with conservative leanings. In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... This article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ...

• The state deficit should be repaid in one generation, to cope with the effects of the aging population.
• The toleration of soft drugs should come to an end, furthermore the practices of prostitution, abortion and euthanasia should be more limited.
• The party is a staunch proponent of European integration. The party however is not in favour of the accession of Turkey to the European Union.
• The party wants to make schools and hospitals more responsible for their own policy, instead of being regulated by the government.

The population of the Netherlands is concentrated on a limited territory. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... The drug policy of the Netherlands is based on 2 principles: Drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal matter A distinction between hard drugs and soft drugs exists It is a pragmatic policy. ... Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands. ... Euthanasia (from Greek: ευθανασία -ευ, eu, good, θάνατος, thanatos, death) is the practice of terminating the life of a person or animal in a presumably painless or minimally painful way, usually by lethal injection. ... European integration is the process of political and economic (and in some cases social and cultural) integration of European states into a tighter bloc. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

Representation

Leadership

Chairperson of the Lower House parliamentary party:

2007-now Pieter van Geel

2002-2007 drs. M.J.M. (Maxime) Verhagen

2001-2002 mr.dr. J.P. (Jan Peter) Balkenende

1997-2001 mr. J.G. (Jaap) de Hoop Scheffer

1994-1997 drs. E. (Enneus) Heerma

1989-1994 mr.dr. L.C. (Elco) Brinkman

1982-1989 dr. B. (Bert) De Vries

1978-1982 drs. R.F.M. (Ruud) Lubbers

1977-1978 mr. W. (Willem) Aantjes

Lijsttrekker Petrus Leonardus Bastiaan Antonius van Geel (Valkenswaard, April 8, 1956) is a Dutch politician for the the CDA, for whom he is currently fractievoorzitter. ... Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen (Maastricht, 14 September 1956) is a Dutch politician. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956), has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (right) and Jan Peter Balkenende Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (left) and Colin Powell Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (legally Jakob Gijsbert de Hoop Scheffer) (born April 3, 1948) is a Dutch politician who is the 11th NATO Secretary General. ... Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers or Ruud Lubbers (born May 7, 1939) was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from 2001 until February 20, 2005, when he resigned because of continuous press attention about an allegation of sexual harassment. ... Willem Aantjes (Bleskensgraaf, 16 January 1923) is a Dutch politician and a prominent member of the CDA party. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

2006 mr.dr. J.P. (Jan Peter) Balkenende

2003 mr.dr. J.P. (Jan Peter) Balkenende

2002 mr.dr. J.P. (Jan Peter) Balkenende

1998 mr. J.G. (Jaap) De Hoop-Scheffer

1994 mr.dr. L.C. (Elco) Brinkman

1989 drs. R.F.M. (Ruud) Lubbers

1986 drs. R.F.M. (Ruud) Lubbers

1982 drs. R.F.M. (Ruud) Lubbers

1981 mr. A.A.M. (Dries) Van Agt

1977 mr. A.A.M. (Dries) Van Agt

Andreas Antonius Maria Dries van Agt (born February 2, 1931) is a Dutch politician and served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1977 to 1982. ...

Members of the Lower House of Parliament

2006 - 41

2003 - 44

2002 - 43

1998 - 29

1994 - 34

1989 - 54

1986 - 54

1982 - 45

1981 - 44

1977 - 48

1972 - 49 (KVP 27, ARP 14, CHU 7)

1971 - 58 (KVP 35, ARP 13, CHU 10)

1967 - 70 (KVP 43, ARP 15, CHU 12)

1963 - 76 (KVP 50, ARP 13, CHU 13)

1959 - 75 (KVP 49, ARP 14, CHU 12)

1956 - 77 (KVP 49, ARP 15, CHU 13)

Members of the Upper House of Parliament

2007 - 21

2003 - 23

1999 - 20

1995 - 19

1991 - 27

1987 - 26

1983 - 26

1979 - 27

1975 - 24

Members of the European Parliament

2004 - 7

1999 - 9

1994 - 10

1989 - 10

1984 - 8

1979 – 10

Local and provincial government

By far, the CDA has the most members of municipal and provincial councils in the Netherlands. Furthermore, it cooperates in most municipal and provincial governments. 135 out of the 414 Dutch mayors are member of the CDA.

Electorate

The CDA is mainly supported by religious voters, both Catholics and Protestants. These tend to live in rural areas and tend to be elderly. In some periods, however, the CDA has functioned as a centre party, attracting people from all classes and religions. Rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Sheep eating grass in rural Australia Rural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. ... Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ...

Organization

Organization

The CDA has 69 560 members in 520 municipals branches. Its current chairperson is Peter van Heeswijk.

Linked organizations

The youth party of the CDA is the Christian-Democratic Youth Appeal (CDJA, Christen-Democratische Jongeren Appèl ). The CDA publishes the CDA-magazine monthly, and its scientific bureau publishes the Christian Democratic Explorations (Christen-Democratische Verkenningen).

As an effect of pillarization, the CDA still has many personal and ideological ties with religious organizations, such as the broad casting foundations KRO and NCRV, the paper Trouw, the employers organizations NCW and the union CNV. Pillarization is a term used to describe the way their dutch and belgians dealt with the multicultural societies. ... Kro (sometimes referred to as the Warlord Kro) is a is a Marvel Comics supervillain. ... NCRV or Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging (Dutch Christian Radio Association) is a radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting over Nederland 1. ... Trouw is a Dutch newspaper. ... VNO-NCW (known in English as the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers) is a Dutch employers federation. ... Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond (CNV, Christian National Trade Union) is a federation of trade unions of the Netherlands. ...

International organizations

The CDA is a member of the European People’s Party and the Christian-Democratic International The European Peoples Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats is a group in the European Parliament. ... The Christian Democrat and Peoples Parties International (IDC-CDI) is the global political international dedicated to the promotion of christian democracy. ...

International comparison

As a large Christian-democratic party the CDA is comparable to other European Christian-democratic parties as the German CDU. It is the Netherlands' largest rightwing party, but is more centrist than the British Conservatives. In American politics, the CDA is comparable to centrist Republicans and more conservative Democrats. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU - Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands) is the largest conservative political party in Germany. ... The new logo of the Conservative Party The Conservative Party is the largest centre right political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

External links

• Christian Democratic Appeal Party website