Confessionalism (politics)
Encyclopedia
Confessionalism is a system of government that refers to de jure
mix of religion and politics. It can mean distributing political and institutional power proportionally among religious communities.
may use government to favour itself at the expense of other groups, or even to oppress rival groups. Also, as demographics change, the positions and power held by a particular group may no longer appropriately reflect the size of that group.
Debate over confessionalism raises similar issues to those facing consociationalism
, of which confessionalism is one kind.
(e.g. in the Ottoman Parliament
) and went on in several post-Ottoman countries with reserved seats
for non-Muslim (Christian) minorities (Syria, Jordan
), or for all religious communities including Muslim subgroups and Christian churches (Lebanon). A similar system prevails in Iran for the Armenian, Assyrian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities.
are apportioned amongst different religious groups according to a political agreement, as the relative demographic
weight of those groups is unknown.
the term "confessionalism" refers to any political ideology based on religion.
Dutch parties usually labelled as confessionalist are the ChristianUnion
and the Reformed Political Party
, both exclusively Protestant, less often the Christian Democratic Appeal
which has also several Muslims among its elected officials.
There are also minor Dutch Muslim parties, e.g. the Dutch Muslim Party that has many common programmatical aims with the ChristianUnion and the local (The Hague
) party Islam Democrats . In January 2008, the creation of an Islamic Democratic Party was announced, but it appeared after a few days it was a hoax, its programme was actually an adaptated copy of the programme of the Protestant fundamentalist Reformed Political Party. The only Muslim parties with political representation in the Netherlands are Islam Democrats and its splinter group Party of Unity, each with one councillor in the The Hague municipal council.
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
mix of religion and politics. It can mean distributing political and institutional power proportionally among religious communities.
Debate
Proponents of confessionalism cite it as an effective way to secure the peaceful co-existence of diverse religious and ethnic communities by empowering each according to its "weight" in the region. However, critics point out that such a system may actually deepen conflict between ethnic groups. They argue that whichever group holds the most political powerPolitical power
Political power is a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth. There are many ways to obtain possession of such power. At the nation-state level political legitimacy for political power is held by the...
may use government to favour itself at the expense of other groups, or even to oppress rival groups. Also, as demographics change, the positions and power held by a particular group may no longer appropriately reflect the size of that group.
Debate over confessionalism raises similar issues to those facing consociationalism
Consociationalism
Consociationalism is a form of government involving guaranteed group representation, and is often suggested for managing conflict in deeply divided societies...
, of which confessionalism is one kind.
The Levant
The repartition of assembly seats on a confessional base in the Middle East was inaugurated by the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(e.g. in the Ottoman Parliament
Parliament of the Ottoman Empire
The Parliament of the Ottoman Empire was the first attempt at representative democracy at the imperial level in the Ottoman Empire. It was composed of two houses, the lower Chamber of Deputies and the upper "Committee of Leaders". It was first constituted in 1876, and initially lasted until 1878,...
) and went on in several post-Ottoman countries with reserved seats
Reserved political positions
Several politico-constitutional arrangements use reserved political positions, especially when endeavoring to ensure the rights of minorities or preserving a political balance of power...
for non-Muslim (Christian) minorities (Syria, Jordan
Parliament of Jordan
The Parliament of Jordan is the bicameral Jordanian National Assembly: "Majlis al-Umma". Established by the 1952 Constitution, the legislature consists of two houses: the Assembly of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies .The Assembly of Senators has 60 members, all of whom are directly appointed...
), or for all religious communities including Muslim subgroups and Christian churches (Lebanon). A similar system prevails in Iran for the Armenian, Assyrian, Jewish and Zoroastrian minorities.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, all posts in government and seats in the legislatureLegislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
are apportioned amongst different religious groups according to a political agreement, as the relative demographic
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
weight of those groups is unknown.
Netherlands
In the politics of the NetherlandsPolitics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
the term "confessionalism" refers to any political ideology based on religion.
Dutch parties usually labelled as confessionalist are the ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
and the Reformed Political Party
Reformed Political Party
The Reformed Political Party is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The term Reformed is not a reference to political reform, but is a synonym for Calvinist. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands in its current form, and for its entire existence has been in opposition...
, both exclusively Protestant, less often the Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
which has also several Muslims among its elected officials.
There are also minor Dutch Muslim parties, e.g. the Dutch Muslim Party that has many common programmatical aims with the ChristianUnion and the local (The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
) party Islam Democrats . In January 2008, the creation of an Islamic Democratic Party was announced, but it appeared after a few days it was a hoax, its programme was actually an adaptated copy of the programme of the Protestant fundamentalist Reformed Political Party. The only Muslim parties with political representation in the Netherlands are Islam Democrats and its splinter group Party of Unity, each with one councillor in the The Hague municipal council.