Christian Unity Party
{{Infobox political party
|country=Norway
|name = Christian Unity Party
|native_name = Kristent Samlingsparti
|logo = Christian Unity Party logo.png
|leader = Morten Selven
|foundation = 26 September 1998
|dissolved = 10 January 2015
|merged = The Christians
|ideology = Christian conservatism
Christian fundamentalism
|position = Right-wing to far-right
|merger = New Future Coalition Party
Christian Conservative Party
|colours = Blue
|colorcode = {{party color|Christian Unity Party}}
|website = [http://www.kristentsamlingsparti.no/ www.kristentsamlingsparti.no]
}}
The Christian Unity Party ({{langx|no|Kristent Samlingsparti}}, KSP) was a Christian conservativeAllern, Elin Haugsgjerd (2010). [https://books.google.com/books?id=SZdHAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA184 Political Parties and Interest Groups in Norway]. p. 184. ECPR Press. {{ISBN|9780955820366}}.[http://www.nettavisen.no/nyheter/de-kristne-strst-av-minipartiene/3675589.html "De Kristne størst av minipartiene"]. Nettavisen. 10.09.13. and fundamentalistBrekke, Torkel (2011). [https://books.google.com/books?id=JGooYIEd9h4C&pg=PA140 Fundamentalism: Prophecy and Protest in an Age of Globalization]. pp. 140-141. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9781139504294}}.[http://www.klassekampen.no/60520/article/item/null/en-fundamental-protest "En fundamental protest"]. Klassekampen. 06.08.2012. political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. The party's ideology is based on literal interpretation of the Bible, traditional values, and opposition to reforms in the Church of Norway.
History and ideology
The Christian Unity Party was founded on 26 September 1998 with the merging of the New Future Coalition Party and the Christian Conservative Party.[http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/samles-i-nytt-kristent-parti/a/27234/ Samles i nytt kristent parti]. Verdens Gang. 29.08.1998.[http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/1998/09/27/132424.html "Nytt parti opprettet"]. Dagbladet. 27.09.1998. The party won a single representative in the municipal council of Kautokeino Municipality in the 1999 local elections.[http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=1132 KS stiller lister i hele Norge] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714115559/http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=1132 |date=2014-07-14 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nrk.no/nordnytt/guovdageaidnu---kautokeino-kommune-1.200933|title = Guovdageaidnu - Kautokeino kommune|date = 28 May 2003}}
The party's first years were marked by internal strife, mainly due to conflict over whether women should be allowed to hold posts in the party. Party leader Ivar Kristianslund was against women holding posts, but gained little support for this position and founded a fundamentalist splinter party after a court ruled in 2001 that Ørnulf Nandrup was the legitimate new leader of the party.{{cite web |url=http://www.nsd.uib.no/polsys/index.cfm?urlname=parti&lan=&MenuItem=N1_3&ChildItem=&State=collapse&UttakNr=87&DokNr=5133&Dokumenttype=3&Partikode=217 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521032130/http://www.nsd.uib.no/polsys/index.cfm?urlname=parti&lan=&MenuItem=N1_3&ChildItem=&State=collapse&UttakNr=87&DokNr=5133&Dokumenttype=3&Partikode=217 |archive-date=2014-05-21 |title=Norsk samfunnsvitenskapelig datatjeneste (NSD)}}{{cite web |url=http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=1538 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2014-05-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020301165741/http://idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=1538 |archivedate=2002-03-01 }} During Kristianslund's leadership the party's ideology maintained that the Constitution of Norway was a gift from God to the Norwegian nation, stressed the divine right of the King of Norway, and wanted to abolish parliamentarism and restore Norway's original political system as of 1814.[http://www.nsd.uib.no/polsys/index.cfm?urlname=&lan=&MenuItem=N1_3&ChildItem=&State=collapse&UttakNr=87&Aar=2001&Dokumenttype=2&DokNr=3484&Kapittel=002016000000000000&Partikode=217&Lokalnamn= Fra Kristent Samlingspartis valgprogram 2001] The party had around 1,000 members before the split.[http://www.aftenbladet.no/nyheter/innenriks/Nytt-parti-for-menn-2711579.html "Nytt parti for menn"]. Stavanger Aftenblad. 02.11.2001.
After this the party has said that its ideology is very different from what it was in its early days, but the party still maintains strongly conservative Christian policies, holding the Bible as the highest authority of society.[https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/37904/Eskatologiske_forestillinger_i_Kristent_Samlingsparti.pdf Eskatologiske forestillinger i Kristent Samlingsparti], p. 58 The party focuses on moral Christian values such as the traditional family and protection of the weak, and the party opposes abortion, same-sex marriage and immigration, especially from Islamic countries. The party supports economic liberalism, which it believes is most in accordance with the Bible. In foreign policy it is opposed to Norway joining the European Union, wants Norway to withdraw from the European Economic Area and the Schengen Agreement, and instead maintains strong support for the United States, NATO and Israel.[http://www.nsd.uib.no/polsys/index.cfm?urlname=&lan=&MenuItem=&ChildItem=&State=collapse&UttakNr=82&Partikode=217&DokNr=9191&Aar=2009&DokumentType=2 Program - Kristent Samlingsparti]
In the 2009 election campaign, pastor Jan-Aage Torp, the top candidate for Oslo, produced a graphic anti-abortion video that was shown three nights in a row on the TV 2 evening news, due to its controversial nature.{{cite web |url=http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=16459 |title=IDAG.NO - Norge IDAG |accessdate=2015-05-29 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405042848/http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=16459 |archivedate=2015-04-05 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/stortingsvalget-2009/gravide-trenger-ikke-abort-propaganda/a/563666/|title = - Gravide trenger ikke abort-propaganda}} The party has also received attention as segments of the party have appeared as members of radical anti-Islam groups.http://www.dagen.no/Innenriks/Frykter_antiislamisme_kan_inspirere_til_vold-2241 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}
Ahead of the 2015 local elections the party announced that it would suspend all its activities after agreeing to cooperate with The Christians Party following 67% of its members voting to join the larger party.[http://www.kristentsamlingsparti.no/ "Kristent Samlingsparti (KSP) går inn i Partiet de Kristne(PDK)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821163230/http://www.kristentsamlingsparti.no/ |date=2013-08-21 }}. Kristent Samlingsparti. retrieved May 2015.
Elections
=Parliamentary election results=
| class=wikitable |
| Year
! # of ! % of ! # of ! +/– |
|---|
| 2001
| 6,742 | 0.3 | {{Composition bar|0|169|hex=Darkred}} | {{steady}} 0 |
| 2005
| 3,911 | 0.1 | {{Composition bar|0|169|hex=Darkred}} | {{steady}} 0 |
| 2009
| 4,936 | 0.2 | {{Composition bar|0|169|hex=Darkred}} | {{steady}} 0 |
| 2013
| 1,722 | 0.1 | {{Composition bar|0|169|hex=Darkred}} | {{steady}} 0 |
Party leaders
- Ivar Kristianslund (1998–2001)
- Ørnulf Nandrup (2001–2010) The Christian Leaders
- Morten Selven (2010–2015)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{in lang|no}} [http://www.kristentsamlingsparti.no/ Kristent Samlingsparti (Christian Unity Party)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821163230/http://www.kristentsamlingsparti.no/ |date=2013-08-21 }} - Official website
{{Norwegian political parties}}
Category:Christian democratic parties in Norway
Category:Political parties established in 1998
Category:Conservative parties in Norway
Category:Protestant political parties