ChristenUnie
Leader	André Rouvoet
Founded	January 2002
Headquarters	Partij Bureau ChristenUnie Puntenburgerlaan 91, Amersfoort
Political Ideology	Orthodox Protestantism
International Affiliation	none
European Affiliation	European Christian Political Movement
European Parliament Group	Independence and Democracy
Colours	Blue
Website	www.christenunie.nl
See also	Politics of the Netherlands Political parties Elections Image File history File links Christenunie_logo. ... André Rouvoet is the political leader of the ChristenUnie, a Dutch political party. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) is an European political association for reflection and working on Christian-democratic politics in Europe from an explicit Christian Social view. ... IND/DEM logo The Independence and Democracy (IND/DEM) group, formed July 20, 2004 is a euro-sceptic political group with 36 MEPs in the European Parliament. ... For other uses, see Blue (disambiguation). ... The Politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. ... This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. ... Elections in the Netherlands gives information on election and election results in the Netherlands. ...

The ChristianUnion (in Dutch: ChristenUnie, CU) is a relatively young Dutch orthodox Protestant political party. It combines a conservative point of view on ethical issues, with more centre left ideas on economic, migration, social and environmental issues. Until the last elections on November 22, 2006, the CU was in opposition against the cabinet Balkenende II. Led by Andre Rouvoet, the CU's strength grew from three to six seats. Now, many consider the CU to be a serious candidate to help form of a new cabinet. Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... // Political scientists have developed concepts of different ideal types of political parties in order to better compare them with each other. ... Social conservatism is a belief in traditional or natural law-based morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society, often through civil law or regulation. ... The term centre-left has two distinct meanings in politics: Centre-left can be used to describe and denote political parties or organisations that stretch from the centre to the left or are moderately left-wing, as opposed to extreme left wing beliefs such as communism. ... 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 second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on May 27, 2003. ... Mr André Rouvoet (Hilversum, January 4, 1962) is the political leader of the ChristenUnie, a Dutch Christian-social political party. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ...

Party history

Before 2000

The Netherlands

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Netherlands Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands. ... The Politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. ...

Kingdom of the Netherlands Constitution Monarchy Queen Beatrix Cabinet (list) Present cabinet Coalition: CDA, VVD Prime Minister (list) Jan Peter Balkenende Parliament First Chamber (list) Second Chamber (list) Political parties Politicians Elections: 2006 Council of State Supreme Court Provinces Municipalities EU Politics Foreign relations Terminology

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The Netherlands has a long tradition of small orthodox Protestant parties in parliament. The Reformed Political Party (SGP) entered parliament in the 1922 election as a split of from the Anti Revolutionary Party, the Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij (HGS) entered parliament in the 1925 election, a split from the Christian Historical Union. The SGP did survive the war years, but HGS was unable to obtain seats in the 1946 elections. In the 1963 election the Reformed Political Alliance (GPV) entered parliament, although it was founded in 1948 as a split from the Anti Revolutionary Party over a religious issue within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. In the 1981 election, the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) entered parliament. It had split from the ARP over the formation of the Christian Democratic Appeal. The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Queen Beatrix (I) of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938), 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 second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende has been in office in the Netherlands from May 27, 2003. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch christian-democratic political party. ... The Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) is a Dutch liberal political party. ... 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. ... 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. ... The Political Reformed Party (in Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox protestant Dutch political party. ... Introduction The 1922 elections were the first elections under universal suffrage National summary Parties Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij) Agrarians League (Plattelandersbond) Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie) Communist Party of Holland (Communistische Partij Holland), continuation of Social Democratic Party Freedom League, merger of Liberal Union, League of Free... The Anti Revolutionary Party (in Dutch: Anti Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. ... The Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij (in English: Reformed Reformed State Party (see below), HGS) was a dutch orthodox protestant political party during the interbellum. ... National summary Parties Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij) Agrarians League (Plattelandersbond) Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie) Communist Party of Holland (Communistische Partij Holland), continuation of Social Democratic Party Freedom League (Vrijheidsbond) Freethinking Democratic League (Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond) Political Reformed Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij), offshoot of the Anti Revolutionary... The Christian-Historical Union (CHU) was a Dutch Protestant political party. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Introduction After the German occupation, the party system changed by mergers and reorganisations National summary Parties Anti Revolutionary Party (Anti-Revolutionaire Partij) Christian Historical Union (Christelijke-Historische Unie) Communist Party of the Netherlands (Communistische Partij Nederland), a continuation of the Communist Party of Holland Freedom party (Partij voor de Vrijheid... 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... The Reformed Political Alliance (in Dutch: Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV) was a dutch orthodox protestant political party. ... The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, in short Gereformeerde kerk) was the second largest protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004. ... 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 Reformatorisch Politieke Federatie was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch christian-democratic political party. ...

The RPF explicitly stated in its manifesto of principles that it sought to unite all orthodox reformed parties in the Netherlands. The other two were less positive about cooperation however. The GPV which was only open to specific current in reformed Protestantism, namely the Reformed Churches (liberated) did not want to cooperate with non-'liberated' reformeds: it had rejected the entry of the group that was to become the RPF in the 1970s on religious grounds. The Reformed Political Party had rejected cooperation with these parties because they had female members while the SGP methodically rejected female suffrage. The Political Reformed Party (in Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox protestant Dutch political party. ...

In 1984 however the three parties cooperated in the European elections and presented a common list in order to enter the European Parliament. In the 1989 general election they formed a electoral alliance in order to improve their seats. In 1995 informal talks were opended between the three parties. The GPV had opened itself to non-liberated members, but the SGP not to women. The disscussion with the SGP were broken off and the GPV and RPF continued together. For a long time the GPV was not willing to enter a large internal debate with the RPF which also performed better electorally; it had won three seats in the 1998 elections while the GPV received only two. Since 1998 the two parliamentary parties cooperated with each other, held common meetings and appointed common spokespersons. In 1999 a group called "Transformatie" (Transformation) was set up by young people from both parties in reaction to the slow cooperation process: they tried to intensify the debate about cooperation. In the same year the cooperation-talks were formalized and intensified, leading to the foundation of the ChristianUnion. Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European... 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... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Elections in the Netherlands for the Tweede Kamer of Parliament During the 1998 election the purple coalition, with social-democrats, democrats and liberals fortified its majority. ...

2000-now

The ChristianUnion was founded in January 2000 as an alliance between the two orthodox reformed parties Reformed Political Alliance and the Reformatory Political Federation. In 2000 their youth organizations, GPJC and RPFJ fused entirely, as an example for their mother organizations. In 2001 they formed a common parliamentary party in both the lower and higher house. In 2002 the alliance entered the elections for the first time. The party got four seat, that is one seat less than the 1998 election when they campaigned separately. It had polled much better, with some polling stations predicting seven or eight seats. The party's leader Kars Veling stepped down. He was good at keeping the peace internally in a party still somewhat divided amongst the old GPV-RPF line, but not someone who was an appealing candidate for the general population. With preference votes a woman, Tineke Huizinga was elected into parliament for the CU, she was the first women to enter parliament for an orthodox Protestant party. In the 2003 the party lost an additional seat, and was left with three seats. This was probably because supporters of the party voted for the Christian-democratic CDA, that was in a heavy competition with the social-democratic PvdA, to become largest party. It was heavily involved the formation of Balkenende II, but the refusal of the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) prevented the formation of a CDA/VVD/CU/SGP cabinet and instead allowed the progressive liberal D66 to become part of the governing alliance. In 2004 the two organizations RPF and GPV officially ceased to exist, making the fusion into CU final. The Reformed Political Alliance (in Dutch: Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond, GPV) was a dutch orthodox protestant political party. ... The Reformatory Political Federation (Reformatorisch Politieke Federatie; RPF) was a minor Protestant Christian political party in the Netherlands. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ... Elections in the Netherlands for the Tweede Kamer of Parliament Introduction The Dutch general election of 2002, held on May 15, 2002 was completely focused on the assassination of populist leader Pim Fortuyn, who questioned all forms of policies undertaken by the “purple cabinet” of Wim Kok. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... 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. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on May 27, 2003. ... The Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) is a Dutch liberal political party. ... Democraten 66 (D66), is a social liberal party in the Netherlands. ...

Ideology and issues

The CU is an orthodox reformed party. It believes that the state is the sword maiden of God. It bases its politics directly on the Bible. It however sees separate duties for the state and the church in public life: the church should spread the Word of God, while the state should merely uphold public morality. The state should respect the religion of its citizens. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ...

Its orthodox reformed ideals are reflected in its political program. Christian principles like neighbourly love and stewardship for the Earth however have given the CU's political program a centre-left orientation. Some of its practical policies include: Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck // Etymology In the 1400, charity meant the state of love or simple affection which one was in or out of regarding ones fellows; an occasion or body of people seeking to embody that state; the... In general stewardship is responsibility for taking good care of resources entrusted to one. ...

• Facilitation by government of an one-earner model, allowing one parent, usually the wife, to stay home and take care of the kids.
• Society should cherish its collective moments of rest, and leave the Sunday a day of rest.
• Abortion and euthanasia should be reduced and eventually replaced by adoption and palliative care.
• The Dutch policy of toleration of soft drugs should be abandoned.
• Combating pornography and prostitution.
• Allow civil servant to refuse to perform gay marriage.
• Defending the freedom of education (that is to found religious schools), because of sphere sovereignty.
• The Netherlands should remain an independent political entity within the European Union.
• Public services like education, health care and social security should be small scaled and qualitatively good.
• Increased budgets for development cooperation in order to address the poverty in the global south.
• A less restrictive and more human policy towards asylum seekers, especially those who are pursued for their religious beliefs.
• Limiting the use of genetic manipulation.
• A relatively green environmental policy. Because of it promised to invest the most in green energy it was called most "green" party by the Dutch branch of Greenpeace.^[1]

Representation

In this table the election results of the CU in Tweede Kamer, Eerste Kamer and European elections is represented, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader. It also listed whether the CU was in government at the time. For further information the membership and the party chair of the CU is listed There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

*: elected on combined SGP/CU-lists (estimate). The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ... Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Elections in the Netherlands for the Tweede Kamer of Parliament Introduction The Dutch general election of 2002, held on May 15, 2002 was completely focused on the assassination of populist leader Pim Fortuyn, who questioned all forms of policies undertaken by the “purple cabinet” of Wim Kok. ... 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. ... André Rouvoet is the political leader of the ChristenUnie, a Dutch political party. ... The Political Reformed Party (in Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox protestant Dutch political party. ...

Members of the Lower House of Parliament

After the 2003 elections the party has three representatives in the lower house of parliament: The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ...

• André Rouvoet, fractievoorzitter
• Arie Slob
• Tineke Huizinga-Heringa

André Rouvoet is the political leader of the ChristenUnie, a Dutch political party. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

Members of the Higher House of Parliament

After the 2003 Lower House elections the party has two representatives in the Lower House: The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ...

• Egbert Schuurman, fractievoorzitter
• Eimert van Middelkoop

There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

Members of the European Parliament

After the 2004 European Parliament elections the party has one representative in the European Parliament: Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The debating chamber, or hemicycle, in Strasbourg The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European...

• Johannes Blokland, fractievoorzitter of the combined ChristenUnie-SGP parliamentary party.

Johannes Blokland (born 5 March 1943 in Oegstgeest, South Holland) is a Dutch politician and Member of the European Parliament. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Christian Union-Politically Reformed Party (Dutch: ChristenUnie - Dutch conservative christian parties who have seats in the European Parliament. ...

Muncipal and provincial government

Provincial government

The ChristenUnie has 29 members of provincial legislatives. It does not cooperate in any provincial executives. There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

The following table below shows the election results of the 2003 provincial election in each province. It shows the areas where the CU is strong. Namely Groningen and Flevoland, traditional conservative Protestant provinces. The party is especially weak in the catholic provinces Limburg and North Brabant and the secular North Holland province.

• result of combined ChristianUnion/SGP lists; ** members of the CU (estimate) in combined ChristianUnion/SGP parliamentary parties; *** did not enter.

The flag of Groningen Groningen is the northeast province of the Netherlands with a typical dialect (Gronings) with regional nuances. ... Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ... Capital Assen Queens Commissioner A.L. (Relus) ter Beek Religion (1999) Protestant 35% Catholic 8% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,642 km² (7th) 38 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 483,173 (10th) 183/km² (12th) Inclusion 1796 Anthem Mijn Drenthe Official website www. ... Flag of Overijssel Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. ... Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. ... Capital Arnhem Queens Commissioner Clemens Cornielje Religion (1999) Protestant 31% Catholic 29% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   4,975 km² (1st) 161 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 1,970,865 (4th) 393/km² (6th) Inclusion {{{inclusion}}} Anthem Ons Gelderland ISO NL-GE Official website www. ... Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands, and is located in the center of the country. ... Capital Haarlem Queens Commissioner Mr. ... South Holland (Dutch Zuid-Holland) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country on the North Sea coast. ... Capital Middelburg Queens Commissioner drs. ... North Brabant (Dutch: Noord-Brabant) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River (Maas) in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west. ... Capital Maastricht Queens Commissioner L.J.P.M. (Leon) Frissen Religion (1999) Roman Catholic 80% Protestant 3% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,153 km² (9th) 56 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 1,135,962 (6th) 528/km² (4th) Inclusion 1839 Anthem In t Bronsgroen Eikenhout ISO NL-LI Official website...

Municipal government

Eight of the 414 mayors of the Netherlands are members of the CU. CU tends to have mayors in smaller rural districts in the so-called "Bible belt". This includes cities like Tholen, Staphorst and Elburg. The party cooperates in several local executives, both in the more conservative Bible Belt area, and in several larger cities like Leiden or Utrecht where the CU is a small party but needed to form a majority. It has 71 aldermen. It has 398 members of local legislatives. There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... A map showing where the Political Reformed Party received a significant amount of votes in 2003, and therefore shows the extent of the Dutch Bible Belt. ... Tholen ( (help· info)) is a municipality and a city in the southwest of the Netherlands. ... Staphorst is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. ... Elburg is a municipality and a city in eastern Netherlands. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Leyden redirects here. ... Utrecht ( (help· info)) is a municipality and the capital city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

Electorate

The CU was supported by orthodox Reformed of many denominations, such as the Christian Reformed Churches, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, the Reformed Churches (liberated) and the Dutch Reformed Church. But also members of newer churches such as the Evangelical Church and the Pentecostal community supported this party. The electorate is concencentrated in smaller rural districts in the so-called "Bible belt" an area of more conservative Christian municipalities that goes from Overijssel, through the Veluwe and the Biesbos to Zeeland. The Christian Reformed Churches (Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken) are a protestant church in the Netherlands with about 75,000 members. ... The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, in short Gereformeerde kerk) was the second largest protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004. ... The Dutch Reformed village church of St. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to religious practices and traditions which are found in conservative, almost always Protestant, Christianity. ... The Pentecostal movement within Evangelical Christianity places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as shown in the Biblical account of the Day of Pentecost. ... A map showing where the Political Reformed Party received a significant amount of votes in 2003, and therefore shows the extent of the Dutch Bible Belt. ... Flag of Overijssel Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. ... A forest on the Veluwe The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. ... Air view over the Biesbosch area (8). ... Capital Middelburg Queens Commissioner drs. ...

Organization

Organizational structure

The highest organ of the CU is the Union Congress , it is formed by delegates from the municipal branches. It appoints the party board and decides the order of the First Chamber, Second Chamber, European Parliament candidates list and has the last say over the party program. A member congress has an important role in the formation of the CU's political direction.

Members

The CU currently has 25,000 members. They are organized in over 200 municipal branches.

Linked organisations

The youth organisation of the party is PerspectieF it was formed as a fusion between the two youth organizations of the CU's predecessors the GPJC and RPFJ. The party publishes the HandSchrift (HandWriting) six times a year. The party's scientific institute is the Mr. Groen van Prinsterer Foundation, which publishes the DenkWijzer (ThoughtWiser). The women's organization is Inclusief. PerspectieF, ChristenUnie-jongeren is the youth organisation of the ChristenUnie and was founded on 23 September 2000 as a merger between the RPF-jongeren and GPJC, the youth organisations of the Reformatorisch Politieke Federatie and the Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond. ...

International organisations

Internationally the CU is a member of the European Christian Political Movement. Its MEPs are seated in the Independence and Democracy group. The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM) is an European political association for reflection and working on Christian-democratic politics in Europe from an explicit Christian Social view. ... IND/DEM logo The Independence and Democracy (IND/DEM) group, formed July 20, 2004 is a euro-sceptic political group with 36 MEPs in the European Parliament. ...

Pillarized organisations

The CU still has ideological strong links with so-called pillarized organizations. Together with orthodox religious schools, papers like the Nederlands Dagblad and the Reformatorisch Dagblad, the Protestant broadcaster Evangelische Omroep, several reformed churches they form an orthodox reformed pillar. Pillarization is a term used to describe the way their dutch and belgians dealt with the multicultural societies. ... A parochial school is a type of private school which engages in religious education in addition to conventional education. ... The Nederlands Dagblad (The Netherlands Daily) is a Dutch newspaper with a daily circulation of about 30,000 issues. ... The Reformatorisch Dagblad is a Dutch protestant newspaper with a circulation of around 60,000. ... The Evangelische Omroep (EO, English:Evangelical Broadcast) is one of the public broadcast associations in the Netherlands. ...

Relationships to other parties

The party has never been in government. It has good relations with the orthodox reformed SGP with which it forms one European parliamentary party ChristenUnie-SGP and the Christian-Democratic CDA, with which the ChristenUnie-SGP had an electoral alliance for the 2004 European Parliament elections. As a critical but constructive opposition party against the Second Balkenende cabinet the CU has gained sympathy from the leftwing parties in parliament, the PvdA, the SP and the GreenLeft, with which it cooperates in several local governments after the 2006 municipal elections. The Political Reformed Party (in Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) is an orthodox protestant Dutch political party. ... Christian Union-Politically Reformed Party (Dutch: ChristenUnie - Dutch conservative christian parties who have seats in the European Parliament. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch christian-democratic political party. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Elections to the European Parliament were held from June 10, 2004 to June 13, 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on May 27, 2003. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... The Socialist Party (SP, Dutch: Socialistische Partij) is a Dutch socialist political party. ... GroenLinks (GL, English: GreenLeft) is a Dutch Green political party. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Posters of political parties of the 2006 municipal elections in Delft The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on March 7, 2006. ...

International Comparison

The Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland and its ally the Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland are the closest to the ChristianUnion as orthodox Protestant parties that are conservative in social matters and critical of the European Union. Both these parties and the ChristianUnion have never been in government. The Evangelical Peoples Party of Switzerland (German: Evangelische Volkspartei der Schweiz, French: Parti Evangelique Suisse, Italian: Partito Evangelico Svizzero) is a political party from Switzerland. ... The Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (Switzerland: Eidgenössisch-Demokratische Union, Union Démocratique Fédérale, Unione Democratica Federale) is a political party in Switzerland. ...

The party is also comparable to the American Christian Right and the small Protestant parties of Scandinavia, such as the Christian Democratic Party of Norway, the Swedish 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: the party is a testimonial party. The Christian right is a term collectively referring to a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and organizations characterized by their strong support of social values they deem in line with traditional Christian values in western countries. ... The Christian Democratic Party of Norway (Kristelig Folkeparti or Kristeleg Folkeparti, KrF, litteraly Christian Peoples Party), is a Norwegian political party founded in 1933. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

External links

• Introduction (in English)
• Website of the European Christian Political Movement, of which the ChristenUnie is a member
• ChristenUnie: http://www.christenunie.nl/ (in Dutch)