{{Short description|Slovak political party}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} {{citation style|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox political party | name = Christian Union | native_name = Kresťanská únia | native_name_lang = sk | logo = Logo of the Christian Union (Slovakia).png | logo_size = 225 | colorcode = {{Political party data|color}} | abbreviation = {{party shortname|Christian Union (Slovakia)}} | leader = [[Milan Krajniak]] | founder = Tomáš Černý | registered = {{Start date and age|1998|8|27|df=yes}} {{small|(Independent Forum)}} | founded = {{Start date and age|2019|2|8|df=yes}} {{small|(Christian Union)}} | headquarters = Sládkovičova 11, [[Bratislava]]-[[Old Town, Bratislava|Staré Mesto]] | ideology = [[Christian right]]<br />[[National conservatism]]<br />[[Social conservatism]] | position = [[Right-wing]] | split = [[Christian Democratic Movement]] | national = | european = [[European Christian Political Party]] | colours = {{color box|#005CA8|border=darkgray}} {{color box|{{party color|Christian Union (Slovakia)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]] | anthem = | membership_year = 2023 | membership = 65 {{increase}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 April 2024 |title=Výročná správa politickej správy Kresťanská únia za rok 2023|url=https://www.minv.sk/swift_data/source/statna_komisia_pre_volby/30_annual_report/ar2023/VS23_KU.pdf|access-date=19 August 2024 |website=[[Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic]] |language=sk |type=document}}</ref> <!-- Values obtained from Wikidata; to edit, see https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q61951420 --> | seats1_title = [[National Council of the Slovak Republic|National Council]] | seats1 = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ms-lower-house}} | seats2_title = [[European Parliament]] | seats2 = {{Political party data|seat composition bar|ep}} | website = {{Political party data|website}} | country = Slovakia }} The '''Christian Union''' ({{langx|sk|Kresťanská únia}}, '''{{party shortname|Christian Union (Slovakia)}}'''), previously '''Independent Forum''' ({{langx|sk|Nezávislé fórum|links=no}}) from 1998 to 2019, is a Slovak [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Conservatism|conservative]] political party.<ref name="postoj3">{{Cite news|last=Rábara|first=Pavol|author=|title=Nová strana Záborskej a Škripeka sa bude volať Kresťanská únia|work=Denník Postoj|url=https://www.postoj.sk/40710/nova-strana-zaborskej-a-skripeka-sa-bude-volat-krestanska-unia|issn=1336-720X|publisher=Postoy|location=Bratislava|date=2019-02-18|access-date=2019-02-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kresťanská únia|url=https://krestanskaunia.sk/|publisher=Kresťanská únia|access-date=2019-02-28|language=sk-SK}}</ref> The chairwoman of the party since 2019 was [[Anna Záborská]]. At present, it has five deputies of the [[National Council of the Slovak Republic]], elected on the candidate of the party [[Ordinary People and Independent Personalities|OĽANO]]-[[NOVA (Slovakia)|NOVA]]-KÚ-ZZ.<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=Kresťanská únia|url=https://krestanskaunia.sk|publisher=krestanskaunia.sk|language=}}</ref>
== Foundation and history ==
=== Christian Union ===
==== Transformation of NF to KÚ, elections to EP 2019 and NR SR 2020 ==== On 8 February 2019, the party was renamed (registered on 27 August 1998), when on 7 January 2019, the statute and seat of this party changed and on February 8, 2019, it was renamed to the current name Christian Union. This transformation of this entity de facto created a new party, but de jure not<ref name="postoj">{{Cite news|date=2019-02-18|title=Nová strana Záborskej a Škripeka sa bude volať Kresťanská únia|url=https://www.postoj.sk/40710/nova-strana-zaborskej-a-skripeka-sa-bude-volat-krestanska-unia|publisher=Postoy|issn=1336-720X}}</ref> This step, as the fragmentation of Christian forces and the promotion of Záborská's personal ambitions, was criticized by the chairman of [[Christian Democratic Movement|KDH]], Alojz Hlina.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-02-23|title=Čo majú spoločné pani Keltošová, pani Záborská, pán Škripek a pán Vašečka?|url=https://blog.postoj.sk/40890/co-maju-spolocne-pani-keltosova-pani-zaborska-pan-skripek-a-pan-vasecka|publisher=Postoj Media|issn=}}</ref> The founders did so so that they could avoid collecting 10,000 signatures to form a new political party.
In the [[2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia|2019 European Parliament election]], the party won 3.85% of the vote and did not win any seats.
After the elections, the need to unite Christian political forces with [[Christian Democratic Movement|KDH]] or [[KDŽP – Alliance for Slovakia|KDŽP]] was discussed. In the end, the merger did not take place in the autumn of 2019, as President Alojz Hlina offered the Christian Union only 2 seats as a KDH candidate.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-19|title=Záborská ani Vašečka sa s KDH nedohodli|url=https://www.tyzden.sk/politika/58654/zaborska-ani-vasecka-sa-s-kdh-nedohodli/|publisher=.týždeň - iný pohľad na spoločnosť|language=sk}}</ref> On the contrary, the KU came closer to the OĽANO movement, on whose candidate list [[OĽaNO]] in the parliamentary elections 19 candidates for the KÚ ran, while its chairwoman [[Anna Záborská]] ran from 4th place.<ref>{{Cite web|title=OBYČAJNÍ ĽUDIA a nezávislé osobnosti|date=22 October 2019 |url=https://www.obycajniludia.sk/aktualita/olano-sa-dohodlo-s-krestanskou-uniou-ku-na-spolocnom-postupe-vo-volbach-k-spolupraci-pozyvaju-aj-kdh/|language=sk-SK}}</ref> [[NOVA (Slovakia)|NOVA]] and Zmena Zdola did the same with [[OĽaNO]] in order to avoid an increased clause for electoral coalitions.<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=Kandidátka OĽaNO|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/438064244/Kandidatka-O%C4%BDaNO|publisher=scribd.com|language=}}</ref>
[[OĽaNO]], together with the KÚ, also offered the pre-election procedure to the [[Christian Democratic Movement|KDH]], to which it offered half the seats on the candidate and, after the elections, its own parliamentary club. [[Christian Democratic Movement|KDH]] rejected this offer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Matovič ponúkol miesto na kandidátke KDH. Hlina ho odmietol a uviedol aj dôvod|date=25 October 2019 |url=https://www.noviny.sk/politika/480382-matovic-ponukol-miesto-na-kandidatke-kdh-hlina-ho-odmietol-a-uviedol-aj-dovod|publisher=www.noviny.sk}}</ref>
==== Election period 2020–2024 ==== In the [[2020 Slovak parliamentary election|parliamentary elections in February 2020]], OĽANO-NOVA-KÚ-ZZ party became the winner of the parliamentary elections, which so far only the [[Smer-SD]] and [[HZDS]] parties have succeeded in Slovakia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=OBYČAJNÍ ĽUDIA a nezávislé osobnosti (OĽANO), NOVA, Kresťanská únia (KÚ), ZMENA ZDOLA – Wikipédia|url=https://sk.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBY%C4%8CAJN%C3%8D_%C4%BDUDIA_a_nez%C3%A1visl%C3%A9_osobnosti_(O%C4%BDANO),_NOVA,_Kres%C5%A5ansk%C3%A1_%C3%BAnia_(K%C3%9A),_ZMENA_ZDOLA|publisher=sk.m.wikipedia.org}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=April 2021}} Five members of the Christian Union were elected as deputies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bodka za voľbami.|url=https://blog.postoj.sk/54289/bodka-za-volbami|publisher=blog.postoj.sk|language=sk}}</ref>
== KÚ Politicians ==
=== Party leadership ===
* [[Milan Krajniak]] – Chairman
=== Other KÚ politicians ===
* [[Anna Záborská]] * Richard Vašečka<ref name="postoj"/> * Branislav Škripek * Ján Szőllős<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://krestanskaunia.sk/kandidat/jan-szollos/|title = RNDR. MGR. Ján Szőllős, CSC}}</ref> * Katarína Hatráková<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://krestanskaunia.sk/kandidat/katarina-hatrakova/|title=PhDr. Katarína Hatráková|access-date=2021-04-02|archive-date=2021-12-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217232528/https://krestanskaunia.sk/kandidat/katarina-hatrakova/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Radovan Marcinčin<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://krestanskaunia.sk/kandidat/radovan-marcincin/|title = MGR. Radovan Marcinčin}}</ref>
== Election results == ===National Council=== {| class=wikitable style=text-align:center |- ! Election ! Leader ! Votes ! % !Rank ! Seats ! +/– ! Status |- ! rowspan="3" | [[2020 Slovak parliamentary election|2020]] | rowspan="2" | [[Igor Matovič]]{{Efn|Igor Matovič of OĽaNO served as OĽaNO–KÚ–NOVA–ZZ electoral leader while Anna Záborská served as chairwoman of Christian Union.}} | rowspan="2" | 721,166 | rowspan="2" | 25.03 | rowspan="2" | 1st | rowspan="2" | {{composition bar|5|150|hex={{party color|Christian Union (Slovakia)}}}} | rowspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey"| |{{Yes2|OĽaNO–[[We Are Family (Slovakia)|SR]]–[[Freedom and Solidarity|SaS]]–[[For the People (Slovakia)|ZĽ]]}} {{small|(2020–2022)}} |- |{{Yes2|OĽaNO–[[We Are Family (Slovakia)|SR]]–[[For the People (Slovakia)|ZĽ]]}} {{small|(2022–2023)}} |- | colspan="7" align="left" |{{small|As a part of the [[Ordinary People and Independent Personalities|OĽaNO]]–KÚ–[[NOVA (Slovakia)|NOVA]]–[[Zmena zdola|ZZ]] list, which won 53 seats in total.}} |- ! rowspan="2" |[[2023 Slovak parliamentary election|2023]] |[[Igor Matovič]] |264,137 |8.9 |4th |{{composition bar|2|150|hex={{party color|Christian Union (Slovakia)}}}} |{{Decrease}} 3 |{{No2|Opposition}} |- | colspan="7" align=left|<small>Running in coalition with the [[Ordinary People and Independent Personalities|OĽaNO]] and [[For the People (Slovakia)|For the People]], which won 16 seats in total.</small> |} {{Notelist}}
=== European Parliament === {|class=wikitable style=text-align:center |- !Election !List leader !Votes !% !Rank !Seats !+/– !EP Group |- ![[2019 European Parliament election in Slovakia|2019]] |''Unclear'' |37,974 |3.85 |9th |{{composition bar|0|14|hex={{party color|Christian Union (Slovakia)}}}} |New |rowspan=2 |– |- ![[2024 European Parliament election in Slovakia|2024]] |[[Milan Krajniak]] |9,313 |0.63 |12th |{{composition bar|0|15|hex={{party color|Christian Union (Slovakia)}}}} |{{steady}} 0 |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://krestanskaunia.sk Official Page] * [http://ives.minv.sk/rez/registre/pages/detailps.aspx?id=153164 Christian Union in the register of parties of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic]
{{Political parties in Slovakia}} {{European Christian Political Movement}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian Union (Slovakia)}} [[Category:Christian Democratic Movement breakaway groups]] [[Category:Political parties established in 2019]] [[Category:2019 establishments in Slovakia]] [[Category:Catholic political parties]] [[Category:Christian fundamentalist organizations based in Europe]]