Evangelical People's Party
Evangelische Volkspartij |
|
---|---|
Leader | Cathy Ubels (1982-1989) |
Founded | March 1981 |
Dissolved | 9 March 1991 |
Split from | Christian Democratic Appeal |
Merged into | GreenLeft |
Ideology | Christian left |
Colours | Purple |
The Evangelical People's Party (Dutch: Evangelische Volkspartij, EVP) was a minor progressive Protestantpolitical party in the Netherlands. It is one of the predecessor parties of the modern-day GreenLeft.
The EVP was founded in March 1981 by members of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), which were united in the group "Not by Bread Alone" (Niet bij Brood Alleen) and members of the Evangelical Progressive Party, which had previously left the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party. Both groups were opposed to the formation of the CDA and its conservative course.
After winning one seat in the 1982 general election - it was unable to do so in 1981 - the party joined the opposition. The party became divided between a left wing and a centrist wing. The left wing wanted to co-operate with the Political Party of Radicals (which had split from the Catholic People's Party in 1968) and its left-wing allies, the Pacifist Socialist Party and the destalinized Communist Party of the Netherlands. The EVP was more reserved towards the CPN. The centrist wing wanted to co-operate with the Labour Party and the CDA. Although some members were willing to co-operate, the party congress rejected the co-operation with the CPN, the PSP and the PPR in the 1984 European Parliament elections.