The Centrist Democrat International ( es, Internacional Demócrata de Centro) is a

Christian-democratic Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

political international A political international is a transnational organization of political parties having similar ideology or political orientation (e.g. communism, socialism, and Islamism). The international works together on points of agreement to co-ordinate activ ...

. 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. It is the primary international political group dedicated to the promotion of

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

. Although it gathers parties from around the globe, its members are drawn principally from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. Some of them are also members of the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

International Democrat Union The International Democrat Union (IDU) is an international alliance of centre-right political parties. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the IDU consists of 84 full and associate members from 65 countries. It is chaired by Stephen Harper, ...

(IDU), although the CDI is closer to the continental European style conservative

political centre Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to the l ...

and more

communitarian Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...

than the IDU.

Formation

The organization was formed in 1961 in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, as the Christian Democrat World Union, building on the legacy of other Christian democrat internationals alternative to the socialist internationals who tried to create a Christian-inspired

third way The Third Way is a centrist political position that attempts to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of centre-right economic policies with centre-left social policies. The Third Way was born from a ...

. In 1982, it was renamed for the first time as the Christian Democrat International. The name was officially changed due to the participation of groups of various faiths such as the

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

PAN of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. In September 2001, the Leaders' Conference in Mexico City changed the organization's name to Centrist Democrat International, which kept the original abbreviation (CDI). In many Asian and African countries reference to religion was not allowed, and absent a name change, the CDI would not have been able to extend itself into Asia and Africa. The CDI's European division is the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...

, currently the largest European political party. It is Latin American equivalent is the

Christian Democrat Organization of America The Christian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA, Spanish: ''Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América''; Portuguese: ''Organização Democrata Cristã da América'') is an international organization made up of political parties, groups, ...

. The

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

of the United States of America maintains links with CDI through the

National Democratic Institute for International Affairs The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

. A youth organization of the CDI is currently being established, under the name of Youth of the Centrist Democrat International (YCDI).

Establishment history

* December 1925: The first international gathering of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

democratic parties takes place in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and they establish 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

suspends the operations of the SIPDIC. * 23 April 1947: Political leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay meet in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, to create an international organization of Christian democratic parties. Representatives from Bolivia and Peru participate via diplomatic correspondence. The Declaration of Montevideo established the Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América (ODCA), although the name was not formalized until their second meeting in July 1949. * 03 June 1947: European Christian Democrats formed the Nouvelles Équipes Internationales (NEI) in Chaudfontaine, Belgium, prompted by the suggestion of the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

a year before restarting the SIPDIC. The NEI was open to non-Catholic parties as long as they ascribed to the principles of

social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

. They saw

European integration European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...

as the best way to prevent the spread of communism into western Europe and thus encouraged exile groups from Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia to attend. The NEI also played a significant role in preparations for the Hague Congress and the eventual establishment of the

European Coal and Steel Community The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to regulate the coal and steel industries. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembo ...

. * 26 July 1950: The Christian Democratic Union of Central Europe (CDUCE) is formed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to assist Christian democratic parties in exile by organizing forces in opposition to communism according to a constitutional charter. By 1955, it had begun working with underground operatives in the

Soviet bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

while simultaneously trying to coordinate efforts between European and Latin American Christian Democratic parties. * May, July 1956: The ODCA, NEI, and CDUCE meet for the first time in Paris at a gathering consisting 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

. * 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 also informally referred to the CDI as the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International. Member-parties of the CDI today also tend to be members of either the ODCA or the European People's Party (EPP; successor to NEI), although it is not required. Conversely, there may also be member-parties of either the ODCA and the EPP that are not member-parties of the CDI. The CDI also maintains a relationship with the United States through the

National Democratic Institute The National Democratic Institute (NDI), or National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, is a non-profit American NGO that works with partners in developing countries to increase the effectiveness of democratic institutions. The NDI's ...

Executive committee

The CDI Executive Committee is the highest body of the organization. It consists of the president, the executive secretary, and the vice-presidents. The current president of the CDI is

Andrés Pastrana Arango Andrés Pastrana Arango (born 17 August 1954) is a Colombian politician who was the List of presidents of Colombia, 30th President of Colombia from 1998 to 2002, following in the footsteps of his father, Misael Pastrana Borrero, who was presi ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. Its Executive Secretary is MEP Antonio López-Istúriz, from Spain, who is also Secretary-General of the EPP. The members of the executive committee are: *

(Colombia) – President * Antonio López-Istúriz (Spain) – Executive Secretary * Mário David (Portugal) – Deputy Executive Secretary *

César Maia Cesar Epitácio Maia (born June 18, 1945) is a Brazilian politician, notable for having been elected three times for mayor of Rio de Janeiro. A native of Rio, born in 1945, Maia was forced to leave Brazil in exile during the 1960s on account of ...

(Brazil) – Vice-President *

Lourdes Flores Lourdes Celmira Rosario Flores Nano (born October 7, 1959) is a Peruvian lawyer and politician who served as a councilwoman of Lima, Deputy from Lima from 1990 to 1992, Democratic Constituent Congresswoman from 1992 to 1995, Congresswoman from 19 ...

(Peru) – Vice-President *

Mike Eman Michiel Godfried "Mike" Eman (born September 1, 1961) is an Aruban politician who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Aruba from 2009 to 2017. His political career began in 2001, but Eman has been involved in politics in one way or another since ...

(Aruba) – Vice-President *

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party lead ...

(Spain) – Vice-President * Juan Luis Seliman (Dominican Republic) – Vice-President * Gonzalo Arenas (Chile) – Vice-President *

Naha Mint Mouknass Naha bint Mouknass ( ar, الناهة بنت مكناس; born March 10, 1969) is a Mauritanian politician. She was the former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mauritania, serving in this capacity between 2009 and 2011. Early life a ...

(Mauritania) – Vice-President *

Abbas El Fassi Abbas El Fassi (; ar, عباس الفاسي; born 18 September 1940) was Moroccan politician and businessman, prime minister of Morocco from 19 September 2007 to 29 November 2011. El Fassi, a member of the Istiqlal Party, replaced independent ...

(Morocco) – Vice-President *

Edcel Lagman Edcel Castelar Lagman Sr. (, born May 1, 1942) is a Filipino human rights lawyer and politician from the province of Albay. He was elected as a member of the House in 1987 up to the present. He served as Minority Floor Leader of the House of Re ...

(Philippines) – Vice-President * Mikulas Dzurinda (Slovakia) – Vice-President *

Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian politician who has served as prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has presided over Fidesz since 1993, with a brief break between 20 ...

(Hungary) – Vice-President *

Elmar Brok Elmar Peter Brok (born 14 May 1946) is a German politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1980 until 2019, who is best known for his role as chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is a mem ...

(Germany) – Vice-President *

Jadranka Kosor Jadranka Kosor (; born 1 July 1953) is a Croatian politician and former journalist who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2009 to 2011, having taken office following the sudden resignation of her predecessor Ivo Sanader. Kosor was the firs ...

(Croatia) – Vice-President *

Adalberto Costa Júnior Adalberto Costa Júnior (born 8 May 1962) is an Angolan politician, current president of UNITA and a member of the National Assembly of Angola. He trained in electrotechnical engineering at the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto and in pu ...

(Angola) – Vice-President *

Andrés Pastrana Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...

(Colombia) – Vice-President *

Luís Marques Mendes Luís Manuel Gonçalves Marques Mendes, GCIH (born 5 September 1957, in Guimarães, Azurém) is a Portuguese lawyer and politician, and a former Leader of the Social Democratic Party. Background He is a son of António Marques Mendes and wife Ma ...

(Portugal) – Vice-President *

Wilfried Martens Wilfried Achiel Emma Martens (; 19 April 1936 – 9 October 2013) was a Belgian politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1979 to 1981 and from 1981 to 1992. A member of the Flemish Christian People's Party, during his premiership ...

(Belgium) – ''Ex officio'' Vice-President (as President of the EPP) * Jorge Ocejo Moreno (Mexico) – ''Ex officio'' Vice-President (as President of the ODCA) *

Carlos Veiga Carlos Alberto Wahnon de Carvalho Veiga (; born October 21, 1949 in Mindelo) is a Cape Verdean politician. He was Prime Minister of Cape Verde from April 4, 1991 to July 29, 2000. Early life and education In 1950, Veiga was born in Mindelo, São ...

(Cape Verde) – ''Ex officio'' Vice-President

Member parties

The CDI has 80 full members, including:

Observer parties

The CDI has 9 observers, including: * –

Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

( hy, Ժառանգություն, links=no) * –

New Azerbaijan Party The New Azerbaijan Party ( az, Yeni Azərbaycan Partiyası, YAP) is the ruling political party in Azerbaijan, founded on 21 November 1992 under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev. After his election as President of Azerbaijan on 3 October 1993, and ...

( az, Yeni Azərbaycan Partiyası, links=no, YAP) * –

Belarusian Christian Democracy The Belarusian Christian Democracy ( be, Беларуская хрысьціянская дэмакратыя, Bielaruskaja chryścijanskaja demakratyja; russian: Белорусская христианская демократия, Belorusskaya ...

( be, Беларуская хрысьціянская дэмакратыя, links=no, BKhD) * –

Brazilian Social Democracy Party The Brazilian Social Democracy Party ( pt, Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB), also known as the Brazilian Social Democratic Party or the Party of Brazilian Social Democracy,. is a political party in Brazil Brazil has a multi-pa ...

( pt-BR, Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, links=no, PSDB) * –

Popular Union of Equatorial Guinea The Popular Union of Equatorial Guinea () is a political party in the Equatorial Guinea. It is led by Daniel Martinez Ayecaba. The party was originally banned by the ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea, the ruling party since 1987, but wa ...

( es, Partido Unión Popular, links=no, PUP) * –

National Party of Honduras The National Party of Honduras (PNH; es, Partido Nacional de Honduras) is a conservative political party in Honduras founded on 27 February 1902, by Manuel Bonilla Chirinos. Historically it has been one of the two most influential parties in t ...

( es, Partido Nacional de Honduras, links=no, PNH) * – Fanorenana * –

Mozambican National Resistance RENAMO (from the Portuguese , ) is a Mozambican political party and militant group. The party was founded with the active sponsorship of the Rhodesian Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) in May 1977 from anti-communist dissidents opposed ...

( pt, Resistência Nacional Moçambicana, links=no, RENAMO) * –

Christian Democratic Movement The Christian Democratic Movement ( sk, Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie, KDH) is a Christian-democratic political party in Slovakia that is a member of the European People's Party (EPP) and an observer of the Centrist Democrat International. H ...

( sk, Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie, links=no, KDH)

Notes

Literature

External links

Centrist Democrat International

Youth of the Centrist Democrat International
{{Authority control Christian democratic parties Christian political organizations Political internationals Conservatism-related lists