View source for Reformatory Political Federation

{{Short description|Former political party in the Netherlands}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox political party
| country          = the Netherlands
| colorcode        = {{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}
| native_name      = Reformatorische Politieke Federatie
| logo             = Reformatorische Politieke Federatie logo (1992).svg
| foundation       = {{Start date|1975|3|15|df=y}}
| dissolved        = {{End date|2003|12|31|df=y}}
| colors           = {{color box|{{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}|border=darkgray}} [[Light blue]]<br>{{color box|#222282|border=darkgray}} [[Dark blue (color)|Dark blue]]
| merged           = [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|Christian Union]]
| membership_year  = 2000
| membership       = 12,474
| ideology         = [[Christian democracy]]
| position         = [[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]]
| religion         = {{nowrap|[[Calvinism|Orthodox Protestant]]}}<ref name="Wielenga 2024 p. 214">{{cite book | last=Wielenga | first=F. | title=A History of the Netherlands: From the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | year=2024 | isbn=978-1-350-37961-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MSTsEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT214 | access-date=2024-02-06 | page=214}}</ref>{{efn|Orthodox Protestantism is a term which is used in the Netherlands to refer to conservative forms of [[Protestantism]] in contrast to [[Progressive Christianity|liberal]] or [[Freethought|free-thinking]] forms of Protestantism. This includes conservative branches of the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] and the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (now united in the [[Protestant Church of the Netherlands]]), but also to independent forms of Reformed Protestantism, such as the [[Reformed Churches (Liberated)]] or other more conservative forms of Protestantism such as the certain branches of [[Baptists|Baptism]]}}
| youth_wing       = RPF-jongeren
}}
{{Politics of the Netherlands}}
The '''Reformatory Political Federation''' ({{langx|nl|Reformatorische Politieke Federatie}}; '''RPF''') was a minor Protestant [[Christian democracy|Christian]] political party in the [[Netherlands]].

==History==
[[File:Reformatorische Politieke Federatie logo (1978).svg|thumb|left|Logo the party used from 1978 to 1992]]
The RPF was founded on 15 March 1975<ref name="Harinck Kuiper Bak 2001 p. 286">{{cite book | last1=Harinck | first1=G. | last2=Kuiper | first2=R. | last3=Bak | first3=P. | title=De Antirevolutionaire partij 1829-1980 | publisher=Verloren | series=Passage reeks | year=2001 | isbn=978-90-6550-664-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UUMFD_4lq5kC&pg=PA286 | language=nl | access-date=2024-02-06 | page=286}}</ref> by three groups of orthodox Christians. The first group were members of the Protestant [[Anti-Revolutionary Party]], secondly the National Evangelical Union, a small party which had earlier left the ARP, and several independent electoral committees. The founders opposed the formation of the [[Christian Democratic Appeal]], because the Protestant ARP and [[Christian Historical Union]] would join the [[Catholic People's Party]]. During the period of [[pillarisation]], the Catholics and Protestants had lived in a form of cold war.

The RPF sought to unite all other orthodox Protestant Christian parties, namely the [[Reformed Political League]] (GPV) and the [[Reformed Political Party]] (SGP).

In the subsequent [[1977 Dutch general election|1977 general election]], the RPF was unable to win any seats. In 1981, it won two seats in [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]] ([[Meindert Leerling]] and [[Aad Wagenaar (politician)|Aad Wagenaar]]). In the period between 1981 and 2002, it had one to three members. It also won seats in the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]]. The party remained in opposition throughout its existence.

In 1985, one of its two members of parliament seceded from the party to form the Anti-Revolutionaries 1985, the party never got any seat.

In 1996, RPF party leader [[Leen van Dijke]] came under public criticism when the magazine ''[[Nieuwe Revu]]'' had suggested that in an interview he had declared: "Why would stealing, for example committing social welfare fraud, be less of a sin than going against the seventh commandment? Yes, why should someone in a homosexual relationship be better than a thief?" When turmoil broke out, Van Dijke explained that he had meant to convey a universally accepted vision within Christianity that trespassing one of God's commandments makes a man guilty before God, and that all breaches herein are equal. But the general public, and especially the Dutch gay movement, criticised the statement as printed in ''Nieuwe Revu'' heavily, considering it [[discrimination]]. As such, the magazine ''[[Gay Krant]]'' reported it to the Attorney General. In 1999 the Dutch high court ruled that Van Dijke's views were not discriminatory according to Dutch law.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} In 2001 he was cleared by the [[Supreme Court of the Netherlands]].<ref name="Eglinton Harinck 2014 p. 123">{{cite book | last1=Eglinton | first1=J. | last2=Harinck | first2=G. | title=Neo-Calvinism and the French Revolution | publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing | series=T & T Clark theology | year=2014 | isbn=978-0-567-65664-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2UmBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA123 | access-date=2024-02-06 | page=123}}</ref>

From 1998, the RPF and GPV began to work closely together in parliament. In 2000, the [[Christian Union (Netherlands)|Christian Union]], in which both would unite was officially founded. In 2002, it first contested in elections and won five seats.

==Linked organisations==
The party magazine was called ''RPF signal'' and the scientific foundation ''Marnix van St. Aldegonde Stichting''. The [[Evangelische Omroep]] broadcasting association had strong personal and ideological links with the RPF, but it was never officially linked to the party.

==Ideology==
The RPF believed that society should be based on [[Bible|Biblical]] norms and values. The political differences between the GPV and SGP, the two other orthodox Protestant parties, were marginal and based on [[theology|theological]] differences.

The RPF was a staunch defender of the [[Dutch monarchy]] and a strong government. It opposed [[abortion]], [[euthanasia]] and [[same-sex marriage]]. In economic and environmental issues, the RPF was in favour of strong government influence.

Internationally, the party was comparable to the American [[Christian right]] and the small Protestant parties of Scandinavia, such as the Norwegian [[Christian Democratic Party (Norway)|Christian Democratic Party]], the [[Christian Democrats (Sweden)|Swedish]] and [[Christian Democrats (Denmark)|Danish]] Christian Democrats. As a [[testimonial party]], the RPF never took part in a government coalition, instead it chose to voice its concerns over government policies, while acknowledging that the party itself was not big enough to force its opinion upon others.

== Election results ==
=== House of Representatives ===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|Election
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|Lead candidate
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|List
! colspan=2 scope="col"|Votes
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|Seats
!scope="col" rowspan=2 class="unsortable"| {{refh|multi=no}}
|-
! No.
! %
|-
! scope="row" | [[1977 Dutch general election|1977]]
| align="left" | [[Jan Rietkerk]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1977 Dutch general election|List]]
| 53,220
| 0.64
| {{Composition bar compact|0|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1981 Dutch general election|1981]]
| align="left" rowspan="4" | [[Meindert Leerling]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1981 Dutch general election|List]]
| 108,364
| 1.25
| {{Composition bar compact|2|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1982 Dutch general election|1982]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1982 Dutch general election|List]]
| 124,235 
| 1.51
| {{Composition bar compact|2|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1986 Dutch general election|1986]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1986 Dutch general election|List]]
| 83,582
| 0.91
| {{Composition bar compact|1|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1989 Dutch general election|1989]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1989 Dutch general election|List]]
| 85,231 
| 0.96
| {{Composition bar compact|1|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1994 Dutch general election|1994]]
| align="left" rowspan="2" | [[Leen van Dijke]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1994 Dutch general election|List]]
| 158,705
| 1.77
| {{Composition bar compact|3|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1998 Dutch general election|1998]]
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1998 Dutch general election|List]]
| 174,593
| 2.03
| {{Composition bar compact|3|150|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|}

=== Senate ===
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|Election
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|Lead candidate
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|List
! colspan=2 scope="col"|Votes
! rowspan=2 scope="col"|Seats
!scope="col" rowspan=2 class="unsortable"| {{refh|multi=no}}
|-
! No.
! %
|-
! scope="row" | [[1983 Dutch Senate election|1983]]
| align="left" | 
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1983 Dutch Senate election|List]]
| 
| 
| {{Composition bar compact|1|75|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1986 Dutch Senate election|1986]]
| align="left" | 
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1986 Dutch Senate election|List]]
| 
| 
| {{Composition bar compact|1|75|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1987 Dutch Senate election|1987]]
| align="left" | 
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1987 Dutch Senate election|List]]
| 
| 
| {{Composition bar compact|1|75|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1991 Dutch Senate election|1991]]
| align="left" | 
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1991 Dutch Senate election|List]]
| 
| 
| {{Composition bar compact|1|75|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|-
! scope="row" | [[1995 Dutch Senate election|1995]]
| align="left" | 
| align="left"| [[List of Reformatory Political Federation candidates in the 1995 Dutch Senate election|List]]
| 
| 
| {{Composition bar compact|1|75|hex={{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}}}}
| align="left"|
|}

==Electorate==
[[File:Ledenrpf.png|thumb|The number of the RPF membership throughout years]]
The RPF was supported by orthodox Reformed of many denominations, such as the [[Reformed Churches in the Netherlands|Reformed Churches]] and the [[Dutch Reformed Church]]. Furtherm members of newer churches (such as the [[evangelicalism|Evangelical]] Church and the [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] community) supported this party. The electorate was concentrated in [[Zeeland]], the [[Veluwe]], parts of [[Overijssel]], forming what is known as the [[Bible Belt (Netherlands)|Bible Belt]].

== Party leaders ==
* [[Meindert Leerling]]: 1980 - 1994
* [[Leen van Dijke]]: 1994 - 2001

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Defunct political parties in the Netherlands}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian Union (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Confessional parties in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Defunct Christian political parties]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1975]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2001]]
[[Category:Protestant political parties]]
[[Category:Conservative parties in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:1975 establishments in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:2001 disestablishments in the Netherlands]]