List of political parties in Puerto Rico explained

This article lists political parties in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico has a 'first past the post' electoral system, in which a voter can vote by party, by candidate or both. To qualify as an official political party (and thus be able to appear on the printed state electoral ballot), a party must meet the criteria set forth by the Puerto Rico Electoral Law.

This list sorts political parties either alphabetically or by date of founding.

Registered parties

Present

As of 2020, Puerto Rico has five registered electoral parties:

PartyInitialsCurrent leaderIdeologyPolitical postionSenateHouse
bgcolor=Popular Democratic Party
Partido Popular Democrático
PPDJesus Manuel OrtizPro-Commonwealth
Liberalism[1]
Social liberalism[2]
Center
bgcolor=New Progressive Party
Partido Nuevo Progresista
PNPJenniffer GonzálezPuerto Rico statehood[3] Center to centre-right
bgcolor=Citizens' Victory Movement
Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana
MVCManuel Natal AlbeloProgressivism[4]
Anti-corruption[5]
Anti-colonialism[6]
Left-wing
bgcolor=Puerto Rican Independence Party
Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño
PIPRubén BerríosLeft-wing nationalism Social democracy[7] [8]
Puerto Rican independence[9]
Center-left
bgcolor=Project Dignity
Proyecto Dignidad
PDCésar Vázquez MuñizChristian democracy[10]
Anti-corruption[11]
Center-right to right-wing

Past – under U.S. sovereignty

The existing parties in Puerto Rico at the time of change of sovereignty in 1898 reinvented themselves into parties with by-laws, platforms and ideologies consistent with the new political reality brought about by the change of sovereignty. The Barbosistas, followers of Jose Celso Barbosa and mostly aligned with Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo, formed the Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño, while the Muñocistas, followers of Luis Muñoz Rivera and mostly aligned with Partido Liberal Puertorriqueño, formed Partido Federal.[12]

Name (in English)Name (in Spanish)AbbreviationIdeologyExisted
Federal PartyPartido Federal-Pro-autonomy1899–1900s[13]
Puerto Rican Republican PartyPartido Republicano Puertorriqueño-Pro-statehood1899–1924[14]
Union PartyPartido Unión-Pro-independence1900s – 1930s
Socialist PartyPartido Socialista de Puerto RicoPSPRSocialism, Pro-statehood1900s–1950s
Nationalist Party of Puerto RicoPartido Nacionalista de Puerto RicoPNPRPro-independence1920s–present
Republican UnionUnión Republicana-Pro-statehood1930s–1960s
Puerto Rican Communist PartyPartido Comunista PuertorriqueñoPCPMarxism–Leninism, pro-independence1930s–1990s
Liberal Party of Puerto RicoPartido Liberal de Puerto Rico-Pro-independence1932–1948
Puerto Rican Reformist PartyPartido Reformista PuertorriqueñoPRP-1948
Transparent, Authentic and Complete Liberal PartyPartido Liberal Neto, Auténtico y Completo--1937–1948
Republican Statehood PartyPartido Estadista RepublicanoPERPro-statehood1956–1968
Christian Action PartyPartido Acción CristianaPACChristian politics1960s
People's Party Partido del PuebloPP-1960s–1970s
Puerto Rican Union PartyPartido Unión PuertorriqueñaPUP-1969–1972
Puerto Rican Socialist PartyPartido Socialista PuertorriqueñoPSPSocialism, pro-independence1970s–1990s
Puerto Rican Renewal PartyPartido Renovación PuertorriqueñaPRPPro-statehood1983–1987
Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico PartyPartido Puertorriqueños Por Puerto RicoPPPRGreen politics2007–2012
Sovereign Union MovementMovimiento Unión SoberanistaMUSPro-independence2012
Working People's PartyPartido del Pueblo TrabajadorPPTLeft-wing populism, Democratic socialism2012–2016

Past – under Spain sovereignty

There were no political parties in Puerto Rico until 1870.[15] Bolivar Pagan states the following were the political parties in Puerto Rico during the years of Spanish sovereignty.[16]

Name (in English)Name (in Spanish)LeaderPlatform / IdeologyExisted
Unconditional Spanish PartyPartido Incondicional EspañolJose Ramon FernandezConservative 1870–1898[17]
Liberal Reformist PartyPartido Liberal ReformistaPedro Geronimo Goyco Liberal 1870–1898
Puerto Rican Autonomist PartyPartido Autonomista PuertorriqueñoRegional Autonomy1887–1898[18]
Orthodox Autonomist Party
(aka, "Pure and Radical Party")
Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo
(aka, Partido Puro y Radical)[19]
Jose Celso BarbosaRegional Autonomy1897–1899
Puerto Rican Liberal PartyPartido Liberal PuertorriqueñoAutonomy via pact with Spain's Liberal Party1897–1899

Unregistered parties

A number of unregistered political parties and organizations exist in Puerto Rico outside of the electoral arena. These organizations span the entire political spectrum:

Affiliates of federal-level United States parties

Unlike the political parties listed above, which are eligible for registration with the Comisión Estatal de Elecciones (CEE) upon fulfilling CEE requirements, the following parties exist as affiliates of American parties and participate in the U.S. primaries of the corresponding American parties at the federal level. Also, unlike the Puerto Rican political parties above, all of which are based in Puerto Rico, these parties are headquartered in mainland United States.

See also

External links

Party sites

Miscellaneous links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rivas-Rodríguez. Maggie. Zamora. Emilio. Beyond the Latino World War II Hero: The Social and Political Legacy of a Generation. 2010. University of Texas Press. Austin, TX. 9780292774520. 117. 25 January 2018.
  2. Web site: Low turnout in Puerto Rico status referendum, 97% of votes for US statehood. Nationalia. 25 January 2018. 12 June 2017.
  3. http://blancopeck.net/DISSERTATION.doc Party Identification in Puerto Rico.
  4. Web site: Victoria Cuidadana. 2021-06-07. en.
  5. Web site: Victoria Cuidadana. 2021-06-07. en.
  6. Web site: Victoria Cuidadana. 2021-06-07. en.
  7. Book: Lester McGrath-Andino. Intifada: Church–State Conflict in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Gastón Espinosa. Virgilio P. Elizondo. Jesse Miranda. Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States. https://books.google.com/books?id=eRTGXR2UVzMC&pg=PA266. 2005. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-516228-8. 266.
  8. Book: Alfredo Lopez. Dona Licha's Island: Modern Colonialism in Puerto Rico. registration. 1987. South End Press. 978-0-89608-257-1. 127.
  9. https://books.google.com/books?id=eelxKbo2UDUC&pg=PA21 National Performances: The Politics of Class, Race, and Space in Puerto Rican Chicago.
  10. Web site: Declaración de Principios. 2021-01-17. Proyecto Dignidad. es.
  11. Web site: Implementar un Gobierno de Integridad, Confiabilidad y Honestidad.. 2021-01-17. Proyecto Dignidad. es.
  12. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p. 15.
  13. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p. 15.
  14. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p. 15.
  15. See, Socorro Giron. Ramon Marin y su Tiempo. In, Ramon Marin's Las Fiestas Populares de Ponce. Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1994. p. 16.
  16. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. pp. 11–15.
  17. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p. 11.
  18. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p. 44.
  19. Bolivar Pagan. Historia de los Partidos Políticos Puertorriqueños (1898–1956). San Juan, Puerto Rico: Litografía Real Hermanos, Inc. 1959. Tomo I. p. 15.