International Democrat Union


The International Democrat Union is an international alliance of centre-right and conservative political parties. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the IDU consists of 73 full and associate members from 63 different countries. It is chaired by Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada.
The IDU provides a forum in which political parties holding similar beliefs can come together and exchange views on matters of policy and organisational interest. From this, they act cooperatively, establish contacts, and present a unified voice toward the promotion of centre-right policies around the globe. The IDU has some overlap of member parties with the Centrist Democrat International, but the CDI is more centrist and communitarian than the IDU.
The group was founded in 1983 as the umbrella organisation for the European Democrat Union, Caribbean Democrat Union, and the Asia Pacific Democrat Union. Created at the instigation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and US Vice President George H. W. Bush, the organisation was founded at a joint meeting of the EDU and APDU in London, England, UK.
The IDU has several regional affiliates: the Democrat Union of Africa, the Union of Latin American Parties, the Asia Pacific Democrat Union, the Caribbean Democrat Union, the European People's Party, and the European Conservatives and Reformists Party. It also has an affiliated youth wing in the International Young Democrat Union, and an affiliated women's wing in the International Women's Democrat Union.

Founding

IDU was founded in London on June 24, 1983.
The founding declaration was signed by 19 persons:
PersonPartyCountry
Alois MockAustrian People's PartyAustria
Margaret ThatcherConservative PartyUnited Kingdom
Helmut KohlChristian Democratic Union of GermanyGermany
Franz Josef StraussChristian Social Union in BavariaGermany
Jacques ChiracRally for the RepublicFrance
Andrew PeacockLiberal Party of AustraliaAustralia
Evangelos Averoff-TossizzaNew DemocracyGreece
Fraga IribarnePeople's AllianceSpain
Oscar AlzagaPeople's Democratic PartySpain
Susanne WoodNew Zealand National PartyNew Zealand
Glafcos CleridesDemocratic RallyCyprus
Ilkka SuominenNational Coalition PartyFinland
Lucas PiresCDS – People's PartyPortugal
Liberal Democratic PartyJapan
Ulf AdelsohnModerate PartySweden
Erik NielsenProgressive Conservative Party of CanadaCanada
Poul SchlüterConservative People's PartyDenmark
Jo BenkowConservative PartyNorway
Frank FahrenkopfRepublican PartyUnited States

Member parties

Full members

Associate members

Chairpersons