# Centrist Democrat International

The Centrist Democrat International (CDI; Spanish: Internacional Demócrata de Centro, IDC) is a political international inspired by the values of Christian democracy. 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 promoting Christian democracy. Although it attracts parties from around the globe, its members are drawn principally from Europe and Latin America. Although in recent years, the Centrist Democrat International has expanded its presence in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. This has led to the development of the IDC.Africa, the Centrist Democrat International's regional organization in Africa.

## Overview

The IDC-CDI was formed in 1961 in Santiago, Chile, as the Christian Democrat World Union, building on the legacy of other Christian democrat internationals which were an alternative to the socialist internationals who tried to create a Christian-inspired third way. In 1999, it was renamed the Centrist Democrat International due to the participation of groups from other religions such as the Islamic National Awakening Party (PKB) of Indonesia.
The September 2001 leadership conference in Mexico City changed the organization's name to Centrist Democrat International, retaining its original CDI acronym. References to religion were not allowed in many Asian and African countries, and the IDC-CDI would not have been able to extend into Asia and Africa without a name change.
The IDC-CDI's European division is the European People's Party, the largest European political party. Its American equivalent is the Christian Democrat Organization of America. The Democratic Party of the United States maintains links with the IDC-CDI through the National Democratic Institute.

## Timeline

* December 1925: The first international gathering of Catholic-Christian democratic parties takes place in Paris, establishing the International Secretariat of Democratic Parties of Christian Inspiration (SIPDIC). Member parties were from Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, and Lithuania.
* 1939 to 1945: World War II suspends the SIPDIC.
* 23 April 1947: Political leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay meet in Montevideo to create an international organization of Christian democratic parties. Representatives from Bolivia and Peru participate via diplomatic correspondence. The Declaration of Montevideo establishes the Organización Demócrata Cristiana de América (ODCA), although the name is not formalized until their second meeting in July 1949.
* 3 June 1947: European Christian Democrats form the Nouvelles Équipes Internationales (NEI) in Chaudfontaine, Belgium, prompted by the Swiss a year before restarting the SIPDIC. The NEI, open to non-Catholic parties who subscribed to the principles of social democracy, sees European integration as the best way to prevent the spread of communism into western Europe and encourages exile groups from Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia to attend. The NEI plays a significant role in preparations for the Hague Congress and the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community.
* 26 July 1950: The Christian Democratic Union of Central Europe (CDUCE) is formed in New York City to assist Christian democratic parties in exile by organizing forces in opposition to communism. By 1955, it begins working with underground operatives in the Soviet bloc while trying to coordinate efforts between European and Latin American Christian Democratic parties.
* May and July 1956: The ODCA, NEI, and CDUCE meet for the first time in Paris at a gathering of 33 delegations from 28 countries to discuss the creation of a global Christian democratic organization.
* 1960: The three regional Christian democratic organizations establish the Christian Democratic International Information and Documentation Centre (CDI-IDC) in Rome to provide political analyses for Christian democratic parties around the world.
* 1961: The World Union of Christian Democrats (WUCD) is established in Santiago.
* 1982: The WUCD changes its name to the Christian Democrat International (CDI).
* 1999: The CDI changes its name to the Centrist Democrat International due to the increasing membership of non-Christian political parties. Since October 2000, some have informally referred to the CDI as the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International.
CDI member parties are generally members of the ODCA or the European People's Party (EPP, the successor of NEI).

## Executive committee

The IDC-CDI executive committee consists of the president, secretary-general, and vice-presidents. The president is Andrés Pastrana Arango of Colombia and the Secretary-General is MEP Antonio López-Istúriz of Spain.
Members of the executive committee are:
* Andrés Pastrana Arango (Colombia) – President
* Antonio López-Istúriz (Spain) – Secretary-General
* César Maia (Brazil) – Vice-President
* Lourdes Flores Nano (Peru) – Vice-President
* Mariana Gómez del Campo (Mexico) – Vice-President
* Andrés Hernández (Cuba) – Vice-President
* Janez Janša (Slovenia) – Vice-President
* Viktor Orbán (Hungary) – Vice-President
* Andrej Plenković (Croatia) – Vice-President
* Elmar Brok (Germany) – Vice-President
* Suos Yara (Cambodia) – Vice-President
* Muhaimin Iskandar (Indonesia) – Vice-President
* Juan Edgardo Angara (Philippines) – Vice-President
* Amine Gemayel (Lebanon) – Vice-President
* Adalberto Costa Jr. (Angola) – Vice-President
* Anne Désirée Ouloto (Ivory Coast) – Vice-President
* Nizar Baraka (Morocco) – Vice-President
* Pier Ferdinando Casini (Italy) – Honorary President
* José María Aznar (Spain) – Honorary President
* Ofelia Acevedo (Cuba) – Honorary Vice-President
* Mario David (Portugal) – Honorary Vice-President
* Ulisses Correia e Silva (Cape Verde) – Vice-President ex-officio
* Manfred Weber (Germany) – Vice-President ex officio
* Riccardo Pozzi (Italy) – Treasurer

## Member parties

| Country | Party | Abbr | Government | Lower Chamber | Upper Chamber |
| Albania | Democratic Party of Albania | PD | Opposition | 46 / 140 (33%) | |
| Algeria | National Rally for Democracy | RND | Junior party in coalition | 58 / 407 (14%) | 21 / 144 (15%) |
| Angola | National Union for the Total Independence of Angola | UNITA | Opposition | 90 / 220 (41%) | |
| Argentina | Christian Democratic Party | PDC | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 257 (0%) | 0 / 72 (0%) |
| Armenia | Rule of Law | OEK | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 107 (0%) | |
| Armenia | Republican Party of Armenia | RPA | Opposition | 4 / 107 (4%) | |
| Aruba | Aruban People's Party | AVP/PPA | Opposition | 7 / 21 (33%) | |
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh Nationalist Party | BNP | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 350 | |
| Belgium | Christian Democratic and Flemish | CD&V | Junior party in coalition | 12 / 150 (8%) | 5 / 60 (8%) |
| Botswana | Botswana National Front | BNF | Government | 23 / 65 (35%) | |
| Brazil | Brazilian Social Democracy Party | PSDB | Opposition | 14 / 513 (3%) | 2 / 81 (2%) |
| Burkina Faso | Union for the Republic | UR | Opposition | 0 / 127 (0%) | |
| Cambodia | National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia | FUNCINPEC | neither government nor opposition | 5 / 125 (4%) | 2 / 62 (3%) |
| Cambodia | Cambodian People's Party | CPP | Government | 120 / 125 (96%) | 58 / 62 (94%) |
| Cape Verde | Movement for Democracy | MPD | Government | 38 / 72 (53%) | |
| Chile | Christian Democratic Party | PDC | neither government nor opposition | 8 / 155 (5%) | 3 / 43 (7%) |
| Chile | National Renewal | RN | Opposition | 23 / 155 (15%) | 11 / 50 (22%) |
| Republic of China | Kuomintang | KMT | Opposition | 38 / 113 (34%) | |
| Colombia | Colombian Conservative Party | PCC | Government | 25 / 188 (13%) | 15 / 108 (14%) |
| Colombia | New Democratic Force | NFD | Opposition | 0 / 187 | 0 / 108 |
| Colombia | Democratic Center | CD | Opposition | 15 / 188 (8%) | 13 / 108 (12%) |
| Colombia | Colombia Justa Libres | CJL | Opposition | 0 / 188 | 1 / 108 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Movement for the Liberation of the Congo | MLC | Opposition | 22 / 500 (4%) | 14 / 108 (13%) |
| Costa Rica | Social Christian Unity Party | PUSC | Opposition | 9 / 57 (16%) | |
| Croatia | Croatian Democratic Union | HDZ | Government | 55 / 151 (36%) | |
| Cuba | Christian Liberation Movement | MCL | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 470 (0%) | |
| Cuba | Christian Democratic Party of Cuba | PDCC | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 470 (0%) | |
| Curaçao | National People's Party | NVP/PNP | Opposition | 4 / 21 (19%) | |
| Cyprus | Democratic Rally | DISY | Opposition | 17 / 56 (30%) | |
| Czech Republic | KDU-ČSL | KDU–ČSL | Junior party in coalition | 22 / 200 (11%) | 12 / 81 (15%) |
| Dominican Republic | Social Christian Reformist Party | PRSC | Opposition | 5 / 190 (3%) | 5 / 32 (16%) |
| Dominican Republic | Dominicans for Change | DxC | junior party in coalition | 2 / 190 | 1 / 32 |
| El Salvador | Christian Democratic Party | PDC | Opposition | 1 / 84 (1%) | |
| France | The Republicans | LR | Opposition | 61 / 577 (11%) | 148 / 348 (43%) |
| Gabon | Gabonese Democratic Party | PDG | Opposition | 98 / 143 (69%) | |
| Georgia | European Georgia — Movement for Liberty | | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 150 | |
| Germany | Christian Democratic Union | CDU | Opposition | 152 / 736 (21%) | 22 / 69 (32%) |
| Greece | New Democracy | ND | Government | 158 / 300 (53%) | |
| Guinea | Parti de l'espoir pour le développement national | PEDN | extraparliamentary opposition | | |
| Guinea-Bissau | Party for Social Renewal | PRS | Opposition | 12 / 102 (12%) | |
| Equatorial Guinea | Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea | APGE | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 100 (0%) | 0 / 70 (0%) |
| Hungary | Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance | FIDESZ | Government | 116 / 199 (58%) | |
| Hungary | Christian Democratic People's Party | KDNP | Government | 19 / 199 (10%) | |
| Indonesia | National Awakening Party | PKB | Government | 58 / 575 (10%) | |
| Ireland | Fine Gael | FG | Government | 32 / 160 (20%) | 16 / 60 (27%) |
| Italy | Union of the Centre | UDC | Junior party in coalition | 1 / 400 (0.3%) | 1 / 200 (0.5%) |
| Italy | Associative Movement of Italians Abroad | MAIE | Junior party in coalition | 1 / 400 | 1 / 400 |
| Ivory Coast | Rally of the Republicans | RDR | Government | 127 / 255 (50%) | |
| Kenya | Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya | WDM-K | Opposition | 25 / 349 (7%) | 3 / 67 (4%) |
| Lebanon | Kataeb | Phalange | Opposition | 4 / 128 (3%) | |
| Madagascar | Malagasy Miara-Miainga | MMM | Opposition | | |
| Malawi | Malawi Congress Party | MCP | Government | 55 / 193 (28%) | |
| Mali | Union for the Republic and Democracy | URD | extraparliamentary opposition | 19 / 147 (13%) | |
| Malta | Nationalist Party | PN | Opposition | 35 / 79 (44%) | |
| Mauritania | Union for Democracy and Progress | UDP | junior party in coalition | 10 / 176 (6%) | |
| Mauritania | Equity Party | El Insaf | in government | 107 / 176 (61%) | |
| Mauritius | Parti Mauricien Social Democrate | PMSD | Opposition | 1 / 66 | |
| Mexico | National Action Party | PAN | Opposition | 114 / 500 (23%) | 18 / 128 (14%) |
| Morocco | Istiqlal Party | | Junior party in coalition | 81 / 395 (21%) | 24 / 120 (20%) |
| Mozambique | Democratic Movement of Mozambique | MDM | Opposition | 6 / 250 (2%) | |
| Panama | People's Party | PP | extraparliamentary opposition | 2 / 71 (3%) | |
| Paraguay | Christian Democratic Party | PDC | Opposition | 0 / 80 (0%) | 0 / 45 (0%) |
| Peru | Christian People's Party | PPC | extraparliamentary opposition | 0 / 130 (0%) | |
| Philippines | Fight of Democratic Filipinos | LDP | Junior party in coalition | 1 / 316 (0.3%) | 0 / 24 (0%) |
| Philippines | Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats | Lakas | senior party in coalition | 100 / 316 (32%) | 1 / 24 (4%) |
| Portugal | Social Democratic Party | PSD | Government | 78 / 230 (34%) | |
| Romania | National Liberal Party | PNL | senior party in coalition | 79 / 330 (24%) | 36 / 136 (26%) |
| Romania | Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania | RMDSZ | Junior party in coalition | 20 / 330 (6%) | 9 / 136 (7%) |
| San Marino | Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party | PDCS | Government | 22 / 60 (37%) | |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Independent Democratic Action | ADI | Government | 30 / 55 (55%) | |
| Senegal | Centrist Union of Senegal | UCS | Junior party in government | | |
| Senegal | Bloc des centristes Gaïndé | BCG | Opposition | | |
| Serbia | Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians | VMSZ | In coalition | 6 / 250 | |
| Slovenia | New Slovenia | NSi | Opposition | 8 / 90 (9%) | |
| Slovenia | Slovenian Democratic Party | SDS | Opposition | 27 / 90 (30%) | |
| Spain | People's Party | PP | Opposition | 137 / 350 (39%) | 140 / 266 (53%) |
| Sweden | Christian Democrats | KD | Government | 19 / 349 (5%) | |
| Ukraine | Party of Hungarians of Ukraine | KMKSZ | Extraparliamentary | 0 / 450 | |
| Venezuela | Christian Social Party 'Copei' | COPEI | Opposition | 1 / 277 (0.4%) | |
| Venezuela | Justice First | PJ | Extra-parliamentary | 0 / 277 (0%) | |

## Former members

* Andorra – Andorran Democratic Centre
* Andorra – New Centre (Catalan: Nou Centre, NC) (until 2011)
* Argentina – Justicialist Party (Spanish: Partido Justicialista, PJ) (until 2020s)
* Belgium – Humanist Democratic Centre
* Ecuador – Christian Democratic Union
* Estonia – Pro Patria Union
* France – Union for a Popular Movement
* Hungary – Hungarian Democratic Forum
* Italy – Union of Democrats for Europe
* Nicaragua – Conservative Party
* North Macedonia – Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – People's Party
* Panama – Panameñista Party
* Slovakia – Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party
* Spain – Democratic Union of Catalonia
* Switzerland – Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
* Ukraine – Batkivshchyna

## Observer parties

The IDC-CDI has 21 observers, including:
* Armenia – Heritage (Armenian: Ժառանգություն)
* Azerbaijan – New Azerbaijan Party (Azerbaijani: Yeni Azərbaycan Partiyası, YAP)
* Belarus – Belarusian Christian Democracy (Belarusian: Беларуская хрысьціянская дэмакратыя, BKhD)
* Belarus - BPF Party (Belarusian: Партыя БНФ)
* Bolivia - Christian Democratic Party (Bolivia) (Spanish: Partido Demócrata Cristiano, PDC)
* Bonaire - Bonaire Patriotic Union (Papiamentu: Union Patriótiko Boneriano, UPB; Dutch: Patriottische Unie van Bonaire)
* Brazil – Brazilian Social Democracy Party (Brazilian Portuguese: Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, PSDB)
* Costa Rica - Social Christian Unity Party (Spanish: Partido Unidad Social Cristiana, PUSC)
* Equatorial Guinea – Popular Union of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish: Partido Unión Popular, PUP)
* Equatorial Guinea – Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (Spanish: Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial, PDGE)
* Honduras - Christian Democratic Party of Honduras (Spanish: Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Honduras, PDC)
* Honduras – National Party of Honduras (Spanish: Partido Nacional de Honduras, PNH)
* Kosovo - Democratic League of Kosovo (Albanian: Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës, LDK)
* Lithuania - Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (Lithuanian: Tėvynės sąjunga – Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai, TS-LKD)
* Mauritania - Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal (French: Parti républicain démocratique et social, PRDS)
* Mozambique – Mozambican National Resistance (Portuguese: Resistência Nacional Moçambicana, RENAMO)
* Slovakia – Christian Democratic Movement (Slovak: Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie, KDH)
* Trinidad and Tobago - United National Congress
* Uganda - Democratic Party (Uganda) (Swahili: Chama cha Kidemokrasia, DP)
* Uruguay - Christian Democratic Party of Uruguay (Spanish: Partido Demócrata Cristiano del Uruguay)
* Uruguay - Partido Nacional