Union of Democrats

The Union of Democrats (: Unie van Democraten, UVD) is a social liberal party in Lindenholt. The party is currently in a coalition government together with the Liberal People's Party and Green Progressives under prime minister Jasper Tulpen.

The party was founded in 1964 after 24 of the 47 LVP members of parliament resigned from their party in protest of the party leadership's increasingly right wing course. The LVP's 1963 party congress had seen a majority of members support an economically liberal and socially conservative course that was more in line with the ruling Christian democratic parties. While the MPs that split off from the party did not necessarily disagree with the centre-right economic stance, their protest to retain the LVP's social liberal stance eventually led to the creation of the Union of Democrats. Because of this exodus, the Radelaer-cabinet (GSP, KU and LVP) lost their majority in the States General and elections were to be held later that year.

The party's first leader was Adriaan van Kreugel, a political science professor at Artwingen University. His campaign for the 1964 election focussed on mobilising social liberal and progressive groups such as university students and graduates. The media called out the party as being "elitist", which prompted party leadership to emphasise that having received a university education should not be considered elitist, but rather be achievable for anyone; this helped the UVD to outperform the LVP in the elections. Main issues for the party were the abolition of the Senate of the States General, fully democratically elected district governments and municipal mayors, extra funding for education and the standardisation and eventual abolition of university tuition. In addition to this the party also held views that contradicted its centre-right fiscal stance, such as the creation of a "youth pension", that would be given to any young adult (18-24).

At present the party is the second largest in parliament and the second largest in total members (number one being the LVP and VOA respectively). The Union of Democrats is still seen as a party for the highly educated, especially by those on the right. In reality the party has found broad support in those in favour of a mixed economic system, Lindian VU membership, high education and innovation expenditures, the legalisation of same-sex marriage, euthanasia and prostitution. In addition the party has increasingly profiled itself as one supporting a transition from fossil energy to sustainable energy.