Editing Christian Democratic Appeal (section)

===Van Agt cabinets, 1977–1982===
[[File:Kabinetsformatie heer Steenkamp (l) en Van Agt, Bestanddeelnr 929-3857 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The CDA's founder and inaugural chairman [[Piet Steenkamp]] (left) and inaugural party leader and Prime Minister [[Dries van Agt]] (right) in 1977]]
In 1976, the three parties announced that they would field a single candidate list at the [[1977 Dutch general election|1977 general election]], after their parliamentary groups had intensified cooperation.{{sfn|Zwart|1996|pp=275-279}} KVP [[minister of Justice]] [[Dries van Agt]] was the [[lead candidate]]. The election manifesto was titled "Not by bread alone" ({{langx|nl|Niet bij brood alleen}}) and was progressive.<ref name="manifestos1977-1982" >{{Cite web|url=https://cda-digitaal.dnpp.nl/perioden/1977-1982/programmas|title=Programma's 1977 - 1982|language=nl|access-date=4 August 2024}}</ref> The list was able to get one seat more than the three parties together five years earlier. Based on the results, a cabinet of PvdA, CDA and [[Democrats 66]] (D66) was most likely and was discussed at the start of the [[1977 Dutch cabinet formation|1977 cabinet formation]]. After seven months, the negotiations finally collapsed, after it had been suspended multiple times. Soon after, Van Agt was able to form the [[first Van Agt cabinet]] with the conservative liberal [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] (VVD).

Some progressive MPs nicknamed the [[CDA loyalists|loyalists]], which included parliamentary leader [[Willem Aantjes]], did not commit to support the cabinet, but only tolerated it. Their opposition forced the cabinet to compromise on the [[Netherlands and weapons of mass destruction|placement of nuclear weapons in the Netherlands]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trouw.nl/politiek/de-kruisraket-liet-het-cda-bijna-ontploffen~b8a3dcf1/|title=De kruisraket liet het CDA bijna ontploffen|access-date=6 August 2024|first=Wilfred|last=Scholten|date=24 September 2020|language=nl|work=[[Trouw]]}}</ref> This issue would continue to divide the party until it was resolved in the 1980s and would contribute to the removal of loyalists [[Jan Nico Scholten]] and [[Stef Dijkman]] from the parliamentary group in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.parlement.com/id/vkdudb3hxls5/afsplitsing_groep_scholten_dijkman_1983|title=Afsplitsing Groep-Scholten/Dijkman (1983)|work=[[Parlement.com]]|access-date=6 August 2024|language=nl}}</ref> Nevertheless, the first Van Agt cabinet was able to complete its term.

The federation was founding member of the [[European People's Party]] on 8 July 1978.{{sfn|Gradus|Harinck|Hoentjen|Van Kessel|2012|p=63}} For the [[1979 European Parliament election in the Netherlands|1979 European Parliament election]], they had first selected [[Wim Vergeer]] (KVP), but after [[Ruud Lubbers]] (KVP) had replaced Aantjes as parliamentary leader, [[Bouke Beumer]] (ARP) was selected. CDA won ten out of 25 seats and was the largest Dutch delegation to distribute the leadership between the parties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cda-digitaal.dnpp.nl/perioden/1977-1982/europa|title=Europa 1977 - 1982|language=nl|access-date=4 August 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Fusie congres CDA in Den Haag , ondertekenen fusieprotoc zittend voorzitter Stee, Bestanddeelnr 931-0785.jpg|thumb|Outgoing CDA party chair [[Piet Steenkamp]] signing the merger during the merger convention on 11 October 1980 with to the right vice-chair [[Jim Janssen van Raaij]] and to the left [[Madeleen Leyten-de Wijkerslooth de Weerdesteyn|Madeleen Leyten]].<br/>Behind them are from right to left the party chairs: [[Piet Bukman]] (incoming CDA), [[Luck van Leeuwen]] (CHU), [[Hans de Boer]] (ARP) and [[Piet van Zeil]] (KVP).]]
On 11 October 1980, the three original parties ceased to exist and the CDA was founded as a unitary party. The differences between the groups would continue to exist for a long time within the party.{{sfn|Gradus|Harinck|Hoentjen|Van Kessel|2012|p=36}} It led to another group of members leaving the party and joining with the EPV to found the [[Evangelical People's Party (Netherlands)|Evangelical People's Party]] (EVP).<ref name="EVP"/>

For the [[1981 Dutch general election|1981 general election]], Van Agt was reelected as lead candidate.<ref name="history1977-1982"/> Its election manifesto was titled "For a meaningful existence" ({{langx|nl|Om een zinvol bestaan}}) and compared to the previous manifesto shifted responsibility from the government to society.<ref name="manifestos1977-1982"/> CDA became the largest party, despite losing a seat. Because CDA and VVD had lost their majority, the [[second Van Agt cabinet]] with PvdA and D66 was formed in the [[1981 Dutch cabinet formation|1981 cabinet formation]]. Bad relations between PvdA and CDA led to crises from the start, and the cabinet fell within a year.<ref name="history1977-1982" >{{Cite web|url=https://cda-digitaal.dnpp.nl/perioden/1977-1982/geschiedenis|title=Geschiedenis 1977 - 1982|language=nl|access-date=4 August 2024}}</ref> Van Agt led the [[rump cabinet]] [[third Van Agt cabinet|Van Agt III]] with D66 to prepare the next election.