Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie

Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie Christian Democratic Movement
Party leader	Alojz Hlina
founding	1990
Headquarters	Bajkalská 25 SK-82101 Bratislava
Alignment	Christian Democracy , Political Catholicism , Conservatism , Economic Liberalism
Colours)	White, blue, red (Slovak tricolor )
Parliament seats	4 of 150 4/150 ( National Council , 2016 )
MEPs	2/14
European party	European People's Party (EPP)
EP Group	Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats)
Website	www.kdh.sk

The Christian Democratic Movement ( Slovak Kresťanskodemokratické hnutie , KDH ) is a Christian democratic and conservative Slovak party. Alojz Hlina has been the party chairman since 2016 . So far she has been involved in a Slovak government six times (1990–91, 1991–92, 1994, 1998–2002, 2002–2006, 2010–12).

Since the parliamentary elections in 2016 , in which the KDH failed for the first time since the first free election in 1990 because of the 5 percent hurdle, it has been an extra-parliamentary opposition party.

classification

Scholars and historians of various stripes such as Roland Schönfeld (2000), Rüdiger Kipke (2002), Wolfgang Ismayr (2002), Radoslav Štefančík (2008), Hendrik Meyer and Olaf Wientzek (2008) locate the KDH as “Catholic-conservative” . Hannes Hofbauer and David X. Noack (2012) describe the party as “ value conservative ” .

Program

Origins

The KDH developed from the beginning as a party that seemed to be built on the ideas of Christianity and national identity . She stood behind the striving for an independent Slovakia, but the partition of Czechoslovakia should be carried out as part of the process of integration into the EU . As early as October 1990, party leader Ján Čarnogurský spoke about having one's own chair in the European Union and one's own star on the flag. The orientation of the KDH to national interests also included the approval of the Danube dam project Gabčíkovo power plant and the Mochovce nuclear power plant . The stowage project led to an international dispute between Slovakia and Hungary in the first half of the 1990s , which the International Court of Justice in The Hague had to resolve.

European and Security Policy

In Slovakia's EU accession process, the KDH's rhetoric towards the EU was moderate. Following the accession of the EU country, the KDH, however, expressed rapidly to their negative attitude towards further integration of Europe and the EU accession Turkey . In the process of European integration, it underlines the maintenance of the sovereignty of the national parliaments. It opposes any form of political centralization in the EU. She publicly rejected the treaty on the constitution of the European Union and welcomed the French and Dutch no to the EU constitution. According to official party opinion, the EU states should not resume ratification of the European Treaty. According to the 2006 election manifesto of the KDH, the right to make decisions in tax policy independently of the European Union should be enforced through a declaration of tax sovereignty. In doing so, the KDH took a stand against attempts by some EU countries to harmonize tax rates across the EU. The competences in social and pension policy, as well as in health care policy, should remain at the level of the nation-state. The sovereignty of the nation states should also be retained for decisions on asylum policy. For the security of its citizens, according to the KDH, the state should continue to have strong competencies and be able to make decisions itself. In terms of security policy, the KDH supports the country's membership in NATO, but in 2006 it was strictly against the continued stationing of Slovak troops in Iraq.

Social policy

The KDH emphasizes the role of the Catholic Church in the history of Slovakia and criticizes the values ​​of political liberalism . She is clearly against abortion and the equal rights of homosexual partnerships. At the same time, it reacts negatively to the proposals of the Liberals and Social Democrats to separate the church from the state. The main successes of the KDH policy on religious issues since 1998 include the equal financing of church schools compared to state schools, the adoption of a bilateral state basic treaty between Slovakia and the Holy See and the establishment of the Catholic University of Ružomberok (2000). In 2004, facultative religious education was introduced at all primary schools, beginning with the first grade. On June 4, 2014, the KDH, with the support of the left-wing populist ruling party SMER-SD, implemented a constitutional amendment that codified marriage as a connection between man and woman. In 2006 the KDH advocated that the state should limit the demand for prostitution . As a measure to reduce prostitution, she proposed publicizing the identity of prostitutes' clients.

Economic policy

In questions of economic policy, it emphasizes its liberal character, although it describes itself as a party with a social economic program. Both the former ministers and parliamentarians of the KDH supported all major economic reforms of the Dzurindas government , including tax reform, health care reform and reform of the pension system. The 2002 election program included the proposal to introduce a tax rate of 15 percent, the same for all . In the 2006 election program there was an attempt to lower the general tax rate of 19 percent by one percent. The party's priority was clearly aimed at lowering compulsory taxes.

Spin-offs

In 2008, Vladimír Palko , František Mikloško , Pavol Minárik and Rudolf Bauer left the KDH out of disappointment with the course of the party leader Pavol Hrušovský, who was in office from 2000 to 2009, and founded the Conservative Democratic Party on the 12th, which in their opinion was too far oriented towards the social democratic SMER-SD Slovakia (KDS).

Ján Čarnogurský from the KDH was Prime Minister of Slovakia from April 1991 to June 1992.

List of party leaders

No.	image	Surname	Term of office
1.		Ján Čarnogurský	1990-2000
2.		Pavol Hrušovský	2000-2009
3.		Ján Figeľ	2009-2016
4th		Alojz Hlina	since 2016

Election results of the KDH

Parliamentary elections in Slovakia

choice	Share of the vote	Parliament seats	space	position
Parliamentary election 1990	19.2%	31/150	2.	Participation in the government (1990–91 as the government of Vladimír Mečiar I. 1991–92 as the government of Ján Čarnogurský )
Parliamentary election 1992	8.9%	18/150	3.	opposition
				Government participation (March – December 1994)
Parliamentary election 1994	10.1%	17/150	4th	opposition
1998 general election	26.3% (as party alliance SDK )	42/150	2. (as party alliance SDK)	Government participation
General election 2002	8.3%	15/150	5.	Government participation
General election 2006	8.3%	14/150	6th	opposition
General election 2010	8.5%	15/150	4th	Government participation
General election 2012	8.8%	16/150	2.	opposition
General election 2016	4.9%	0/150	9.	No entry into parliament

European elections in Slovakia

choice	Share of the vote	Parliament seats	space
2004 European elections	16.2%	3/14	4th
European elections 2009	10.9%	2/14	4th
European elections 2014	13.2%	2/13	2.
European elections 2019	9.7%	2/14	4th

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Roland Schönfeld: Slovakia: From the Middle Ages to the Present. Verlag Friedrich Pustet / Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft, Regensburg 2000, ISBN 3-7917-1723-5 , p. 224.
2. ^ Rüdiger Kipke: The Political Systems of the Czech Republic and Slovakia: An Introduction. Westdeutscher Verlag, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 978-3-531-13525-0 , p. 122.
3. ↑ Wolfgang Ismayr: The political systems of Eastern Europe in comparison. In: Wolfgang Ismayr (Ed.): The political systems of Eastern Europe. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2002, ISBN 978-3-322-96397-0 , pp. 9-68, here p. 56.
4. ^ Radoslav Štefančík: Christian-Democratic Parties in Slovakia. University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Trnava 2008, ISBN 978-80-8105-016-9 , p. 85.
5. ↑ Hendrik Meyer, Olaf Wientzek: Neoliberal specter or role model of Central Europe? The Slovak welfare system. In: Klaus Schubert, Simon Hegelich , Ursula Bazant (eds.): European welfare systems. A manual. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-531-15784-9 , pp. 549-568, here p. 561.
6. ^ Hannes Hofbauer, David X. Noack: Slovakia. The arduous way to the west. Promedia, Vienna 2012, ISBN 978-3-85371-349-5 , pp. 128-130 u. 170-173.
7. ↑ ^{a b} Radoslav Štefančík: Christian-Democratic Parties in Slovakia. University of Saints Cyril and Method in Trnava, Trnava 2008, p. 107.
8. ^ ^{A b c} Radoslav Štefančík: Christian-Democratic Parties in Slovakia. University of Saints Cyril and Method in Trnava, Trnava 2008, p. 108.
9. ^ Radoslav Štefančík: Christian-Democratic Parties in Slovakia. University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Trnava 2008, p. 109.
10. ^ Radoslav Štefančík: Christian-Democratic Parties in Slovakia. University of Saints Cyril and Method in Trnava, Trnava 2008, p. 107f.
11. ↑ Marriage for straight people only. In: TAZ , June 5, 2015, accessed November 15, 2015, 11:06 am.
12. ↑ Ľudia ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Konzervatívni Demokratiei Slovenska . Retrieved December 8, 2014. 

literature

R. Štefančík: Christian Democratic Parties in Slovakia. UCM; Trnava 2008, ISBN 978-80-8105-016-9