International Democracy Union

The International Democracy Union (IDU; known as the International Democrat Union until September 2023)[3] is an international alliance of centre-right political parties.[4][5] Headquartered in Munich, Germany,[6] the IDU consists of 84 full and associate members from 65 countries.[7] It is chaired by Stephen Harper, former prime minister of Canada. It has two affiliated international organizations (International Young Democrat Union and International Women's Democracy 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).

International Democracy Union
AbbreviationIDU
Formation24 June 1983 (1983-06-24)
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 Party of Canada)
Deputy Chairman
Brian Loughnane (Liberal Party of Australia)
Websiteidu.org
Formerly called
International Democrat Union (until 2023)
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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] center-right policies around the globe".[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

Founding

The IDU was founded in London on 24 June 1983.[11] According to Richard V. Allen, to be admitted as a member, a party must qualify as a "mainstream conservative" party influenced by classical liberalism.[12]

The founding declaration was signed by 19 persons:[13]

PersonPartyCountry
Alois MockAustrian People's Party Austria
Margaret ThatcherConservative Party United Kingdom
Helmut KohlChristian Democratic Union of Germany West Germany
Franz Josef StraussChristian Social Union in Bavaria
Jacques ChiracRally for the Republic France
Andrew PeacockLiberal Party of Australia Australia
Evangelos Averoff-TossizzaNew Democracy Greece
Manuel FragaPeople's Alliance Spain
Oscar AlzagaPeople's Democratic Party
Susanne WoodNew Zealand National Party New Zealand
Glafcos CleridesDemocratic Rally Cyprus
Ilkka SuominenNational Coalition Party Finland
Lucas PiresCDS – People's Party Portugal
Tatsuo TanakaLiberal Democratic Party Japan
Ulf AdelsohnModerate Party Sweden
Erik NielsenProgressive Conservative Party of Canada Canada
Poul SchlüterConservative People's Party Denmark
Jo BenkowConservative Party Norway
Frank FahrenkopfRepublican Party United States

Member parties

Full members
Country Party Abbreviation Government Lower Chamber Upper Chamber
 Albania Democratic Party of Albania PD Opposition
59 / 140 (42%)
 Argentina Republican Proposal PRO Government
37 / 257 (14%)
6 / 72 (8%)
 Australia Liberal Party of Australia LIB Opposition
40 / 151 (26%)
25 / 76 (33%)
 Austria Austrian People's Party ÖVP Government
71 / 183 (39%)
25 / 61 (41%)
 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan National Independence Party AMIP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 125 (0%)
 Bolivia Social Democratic Movement MDS Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 130 (0%)
0 / 36 (0%)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Party of Democratic Progress PDP Opposition
2 / 42 (5%)
0 / 15 (0%)
Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina HDZ Government
4 / 42 (10%)
3 / 15 (20%)
 Belgium New Flemish Alliance N-VA Opposition
24 / 150 (16%)
9 / 60 (15%)
 Brazil Brazil Union UNIÃO Independent
59 / 513 (12%)
7 / 81 (9%)
 Bulgaria GERB GERB Independent
66 / 240 (28%)
Union of Democratic Forces SDS Independent
2 / 240 (0.8%)
 Canada Conservative Party of Canada CPC / PCC Opposition
118 / 338 (35%)
15 / 105 (14%)
 Costa Rica Social Christian Unity Party PUSC Opposition
9 / 57 (16%)
 Chile Independent Democratic Union UDI Opposition
23 / 155 (15%)
9 / 50 (18%)
National Renewal RN Opposition
22 / 155 (14%)
11 / 50 (22%)
 Colombia Colombian Conservative Party PCC Independent
28 / 187 (15%)
15 / 108 (14%)
 Croatia Croatian Democratic Union HDZ Government
61 / 151 (40%)
 Cyprus Democratic Rally DISY Opposition
17 / 56 (30%)
 Czech Republic Civic Democratic Party ODS Government
34 / 200 (17%)
21 / 81 (26%)
TOP 09 TOP 09 Government
14 / 200 (7%)
4 / 81 (5%)
 Denmark Conservative People's Party DKF Opposition
10 / 179 (6%)
 Dominican Republic National Progressive Force FNP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 190 (0%)
0 / 32 (0%)
 Ecuador Social Christian Party PSC Independent
16 / 137 (12%)
 El Salvador Nationalist Republican Alliance ARENA Opposition
2 / 60 (3%)
 Estonia Isamaa Opposition
10 / 101 (10%)
 Finland National Coalition Party Kok Government
48 / 200 (24%)
 Georgia United National Movement UNM Opposition
15 / 150 (10%)
 Germany Christian Democratic Union of Germany CDU Opposition
152 / 735 (21%)
22 / 69 (32%)
Christian Social Union in Bavaria CSU Opposition
45 / 735 (6%)
4 / 69 (6%)
 Ghana New Patriotic Party NPP Government
137 / 275 (50%)
 Greece New Democracy ND Government
158 / 300 (53%)
 Grenada New National Party NNP Opposition
5 / 15 (33%)
3 / 13 (23%)
 Guatemala Unionist Party PU Opposition
2 / 160 (1%)
 Hungary Fidesz Government
116 / 199 (58%)
 Iceland Independence Party Government
17 / 63 (27%)
 Israel Likud Likud Government
32 / 120 (27%)
 Kenya Democratic Party of Kenya DP Government
1 / 349 (0.3%)
0 / 67 (0%)
 Lebanon Lebanese Forces LF Opposition
14 / 128 (11%)
 Lithuania Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats TS–LKD Government
49 / 141 (35%)
 Maldives Maldivian Democratic Party MDP Opposition
12 / 80 (15%)
 Malta Nationalist Party PN Opposition
35 / 79 (44%)
 Moldova Party of Action and Solidarity PAS Government
62 / 101 (61%)
 Mongolia Democratic Party DP Opposition
11 / 76 (14%)
 Montenegro Movement for Changes PzP Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 81 (0%)
 Morocco Istiqlal Party Government
81 / 395 (21%)
17 / 120 (14%)
 New Zealand National Party NAT Government
49 / 123 (40%)
 North Macedonia VMRO-DPMNE Opposition
36 / 120 (30%)
 Nepal Rastriya Prajatantra Party RPP Opposition
14 / 275 (5%)
0 / 59 (0%)
 Norway Conservative Party H Opposition
36 / 169 (21%)
 Panama Democratic Change CD Opposition
18 / 71 (25%)
 Paraguay Partido Colorado ANR-PC Government
48 / 80 (60%)
23 / 45 (51%)
 Peru Christian People's Party PPC Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 130 (0%)
 Portugal CDS – People's Party CDS–PP Government
2 / 230 (0.9%)
 Romania National Liberal Party PNL Government
79 / 330 (24%)
36 / 136 (26%)
 Saint Lucia United Workers Party UWP Opposition
2 / 17 (12%)
3 / 11 (27%)
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines New Democratic Party NDP Opposition
6 / 15 (40%)
 Serbia Serbian Progressive Party SNS Government
104 / 250 (42%)
 Slovenia Slovenian Democratic Party SDS Opposition
27 / 90 (30%)
 South Korea People Power Party PPP Government
113 / 300 (38%)
 Spain People's Party PP Opposition
137 / 350 (39%)
143 / 264 (54%)
 Sri Lanka United National Party UNP Government
3 / 225 (1%)
 Sweden Moderate Party M Government
68 / 349 (19%)
 Taiwan Kuomintang KMT Opposition
52 / 113 (46%)
 Tanzania Party for Democracy and Progress CHADEMA Opposition
20 / 393 (5%)
 Turks and Caicos Islands People's Democratic Movement PDM Opposition
1 / 15 (7%)
 Uganda Forum for Democratic Change FDC Opposition
32 / 529 (6%)
 Ukraine European Solidarity YeS Opposition
27 / 450 (6%)
 United Kingdom Conservative and Unionist Party CON Government
345 / 650 (53%)
277 / 786 (35%)
 United States Republican Party R / GOP Opposition
217 / 435 (50%)
49 / 100 (49%)
 Venezuela Project Venezuela PV Extraparliamentary opposition
0 / 277 (0%)

Former members

Chairmen
Chairperson Term Start Term End Political Affiliation Country
William Hague 1997 2002 Conservative Party (UK) UK
John Howard 2002 2014 Liberal Party of Australia Australia
Sir John Key 2014 2018 New Zealand National Party New Zealand
Stephen Harper 2018 incumbent Conservative Party of Canada 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. @internationaldemocracyunion (4 September 2023). "As part of celebrating 40 years of championing #democracy and #freedom, the IDU Executive approved the re-launch of our organization as the 'International Democracy Union'. While our values remain constant, this small adjustment clarifies our cause as we work to expand our network in support of democracy worldwide. Welcome to the International Democracy Union! #idu40". Retrieved 16 October 2023 – via Instagram.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Burnell, Peter J. (2006). Globalizing Democracy: Party Politics in Emerging Democracies. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-415-40184-5.
  7. International Democrat Union. "IDU Members". idu.org. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  8. IDU — History. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  9. Mohr, Alexander (2010). The German Political Foundations as Actors in Democracy Assistance. Boca Raton: Universal-Publishers. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-59942-331-9.
  10. Goldman, Ralph Morris (2002). The Future Catches Up: Transnational Parties and Democracy. London: Taylor & Francis. p. 418. ISBN 978-0-595-22888-1.
  11. "The Founding Meeting Of The Union" (PDF). International Democrat Union. 24 June 1983. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 December 2022.
  12. "By Any Other Name, Conservative". The New York Times. 27 July 1985. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
  13. "International Democrat Union, minutes of founding meeting, 1993" (PDF).
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