International Democrat Union

The International Democrat Union (IDU) is an international organisation of over 80 conservative and Christian democrat parties, founded in 1983 by Margaret Thatcher, George Bush senior, and a host of other conservative luminaries.

"It is the communist Internationale in reverse - and future historians may well conclude that it ultimately had even more impact. Since 1983, the IDU has provided a little-noticed forum for free-market parties to exchange vote-getting strategies, revolutionary policies and organisational know-how." [1]

The IDU originally had two main sub-networks: The Pacific Democrat Union and the European Democrat Union.

Associated Organisations

• Americas Democrat Union
• Asia Pacific Democrat Union
• African Dialogue Group / Democrat Union of Africa
• Caribbean Democrat Union
• European Democrat Union
• International Women's Democrat Union
• International Young Democrat Union

Officers

Chairman

The Hon John Howard MP, Australia,Liberal Party

Assistant Chairmen

• Goran Lennmarker MP (Chairman of the IDU Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs) Sweden Moderate party
• Michael Trend MP United Kingdom Conservative Party (via IDU)

Vice Chairmen

• William Hague MP Vice Chairman, nominated Deputy Chairman United Kingdom Conservative Party (via IDU)
• Jose Maria Aznar MP Spain Popular Party
• Judy Kirk New Zealand National Party
• Woong Kyu Cho Korea Grand National Party
• Francisco Flores El Salvador National Republican Alliance
• Yegor Gaidar Russia Union of Right Forces
• Robert Hill Australia Liberal Party
• Peter Hintze MdB Germany Christian Democrat Union
• Thomas A Hockin Canada Progressive Conservative Party
• Carlos Holguin Colombia Conservative Party
• Ville Itala MP Finland National Coalition Party
• Kostas Karamanlis MP Greece New Democracy Party
• Vaclav Klaus MP Czech Republic Civic Democratic Party
• Helen C. C. Lin Republic of China Kuomintang
• Ricardo Maduro Honduras National Party
• Keith Mitchell Grenada New National Party
• Jan Petersen MP Norway Conservative Party
• Jorge Quiroga Bolivia Nationalist Democratic Action
• Edmund Stoiber MP Germany Christian Social Union

Treasurer

• James B. Irwin United States of America, Republican Party

Political Auditor

• Dieter Schmidt, Germany, Christian Social Union

Executive Secretary

• Richard Normington, United Kingdom Conservative Party

Secretary

• Susan Wright

Contact details

P.O. Box 1536 Vika
N-0117 Oslo, Norway
Tel: +47 2282 9000
Fax: +47 2282 9080
Email: emoen AT idu.org
Web: http://www.idu.org

References

• Tim Evans, quoted in John Wojdylo, Sunrise of the Autocrats, Sydney Morning Herald Web diaries, accessed January 2004.