Christian Democratic and Flemish facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christian Democratic and Flemish Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams
Abbreviation	CD&V
President	Sammy Mahdi
Founded	1968; 57 years ago (1968) (CVP) 2001; 24 years ago (2001) (CD&V)
Preceded by	Christian Social Party
Headquarters	Wetstraat 89 1040 Brussels
Membership (2017)	48,791
Ideology	Christian democracy
Political position	Centre to centre-right
European affiliation	European People's Party
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
European Parliament group	European People's Party
Francophone counterpart	Les Engagés (traditionally)
Germanophone counterpart	Christian Social Party
Colours	Orange
Chamber of Representatives	12 / 87 (Flemish seats)
Senate	5 / 35 (Flemish seats)
Flemish Parliament	19 / 124
Brussels Parliament	1 / 17 (Flemish seats)
European Parliament	2 / 12 (Flemish seats)
Flemish Provincial Councils	40 / 175
Website
www.cdenv.be

Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) is a political party in Belgium. It is mainly active in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The party is known for its Christian-democratic ideas. This means it believes in values like fairness and helping others.

The CD&V has strong connections to groups like trade unions (for workers) and associations for business owners and farmers. For a long time, until 2001, the party was called the Christian People's Party (CVP). The CD&V was once the biggest political party in Flanders. It has been part of most Belgian governments. Many Belgian Prime Ministers and Flemish Ministers-President have come from this party. A famous CD&V politician is Herman Van Rompuy. He was the president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014. The CD&V is also a member of the European People's Party, a big group of similar parties in Europe.

History of the CD&V

How the Party Started

The CD&V's roots go way back to the 1800s. It began as the Catholic Party. Over time, new members who believed in Christian democracy helped the party focus more on social issues. After World War II, it became the Christian Social Party (PSC-CVP).

Splitting into Two Parties

In 1968, the party split into two separate groups. One was for French-speakers (PSC, now called Les Engagés). The other was for Dutch-speakers, which was the Christian People's Party (CVP). In 2001, the CVP changed its name to CD&V.

Years in Power and Opposition

The party was in power almost all the time from its start until 1999. There was only a short break from 1954 to 1958. In 1999, another party became the largest. This led to a new government without the CD&V. This also happened in the Flemish government.

However, in 2004, the CD&V became the largest party in the Flemish Parliament again. Yves Leterme became the Flemish minister-president. After winning local elections in 2006, the party also became the biggest in the Belgian Parliament in 2007. Yves Leterme then led the federal government in 2008. Later, Herman Van Rompuy became Prime Minister before moving to a big role in Europe.

In 2009, the CD&V stayed the largest party in Flanders. Kris Peeters continued as the Flemish minister-president. In 2010, the party lost some votes in the federal elections. This was partly because a new Flemish-nationalist party gained popularity. Despite this, the CD&V was still part of the federal government formed in 2011. In 2012, the CD&V remained a strong party at the local level. They were part of the ruling groups in all five Flemish provinces. They also led almost half of the local towns and cities.

What CD&V Believes In (Ideology)

The CD&V follows the idea of Christian democracy. This means they believe in values like fairness, helping others, and looking out for the community. They see themselves as a broad movement that focuses on "solidarity and justice."

The party's main goal is to make sure that government policies help people in Flanders have a good quality of life. They want to do this by investing in education and supporting families. The CD&V also wants to make changes to the Belgian government system. They aim to give Flemish voters more say and create a single police system in Brussels.

Important People in CD&V Today

CD&V members hold important positions in different levels of government.

European Politics

CD&V has members in the European Parliament. These members work on important topics like jobs, social issues, and women's rights.

Belgian Federal Politics

CD&V members are also part of the Belgian federal government. They hold roles like Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior. The current party president, Sammy Mahdi, is a Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.

Regional Politics

The party has many members in the Flemish Parliament. They work on issues important to Flanders. Some members are also mayors of towns and cities. CD&V members also serve in the Flemish Government, holding positions related to economy, health, and youth. They also have a member in the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.

How CD&V Has Done in Elections

The CD&V has taken part in many elections over the years. The graph below shows how their support has changed in federal elections for the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.

Party Presidents

The president is the leader of the party. Here are the presidents of the CVP and later the CD&V:

CVP

• 1968–1972 Robert Vandekerckhove
• 1972–1979 Wilfried Martens
• 1979–1982 Leo Tindemans
• 1982–1988 Frank Swaelen
• 1988–1993 Herman Van Rompuy
• 1993–1996 Johan Van Hecke
• 1996–1999 Marc Van Peel
• 1999–2001 Stefaan De Clerck

CD&V

• 2001–2003 Stefaan De Clerck
• 2003–2004 Yves Leterme
• 2004–2007 Jo Vandeurzen
• 2007–2008 Etienne Schouppe
• 2008–2008 Wouter Beke
• 2008–2010 Marianne Thyssen
• 2010–2019 Wouter Beke
• 2019 Cindy Franssen & Griet Smaers (temporary leaders)
• 2019–2022 Joachim Coens
• 2022–present Sammy Mahdi

The party changed its name from CVP to CD&V on September 29, 2001.

See also

• Christene Volkspartij
• Graves de communi re