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.
As of 2020, Puerto Rico has five registered electoral parties:
| Party | Initials | Current leader | Ideology | Political postion | Senate | House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor= | Popular Democratic Party Partido Popular Democrático | PPD | Jesus Manuel Ortiz | Pro-Commonwealth Liberalism[1] Social liberalism[2] | Center | |||||
| bgcolor= | New Progressive Party Partido Nuevo Progresista | PNP | Jenniffer González | Puerto Rico statehood[3] | Center to centre-right | |||||
| bgcolor= | Citizens' Victory Movement Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana | MVC | Manuel Natal Albelo | Progressivism[4] Anti-corruption[5] Anti-colonialism[6] | Left-wing | |||||
| bgcolor= | Puerto Rican Independence Party Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño | PIP | Rubén Berríos | Left-wing nationalism Social democracy[7] [8] Puerto Rican independence[9] | Center-left | |||||
| bgcolor= | Project Dignity Proyecto Dignidad | PD | César Vázquez Muñiz | Christian democracy[10] Anti-corruption[11] | Center-right to right-wing | |||||
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) | Abbreviation | Ideology | Existed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Party | Partido Federal | - | Pro-autonomy | 1899–1900s[13] | |
| Puerto Rican Republican Party | Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño | - | Pro-statehood | 1899–1924[14] | |
| Union Party | Partido Unión | - | Pro-independence | 1900s – 1930s | |
| Socialist Party | Partido Socialista de Puerto Rico | PSPR | Socialism, Pro-statehood | 1900s–1950s | |
| Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico | Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico | PNPR | Pro-independence | 1920s–present | |
| Republican Union | Unión Republicana | - | Pro-statehood | 1930s–1960s | |
| Puerto Rican Communist Party | Partido Comunista Puertorriqueño | PCP | Marxism–Leninism, pro-independence | 1930s–1990s | |
| Liberal Party of Puerto Rico | Partido Liberal de Puerto Rico | - | Pro-independence | 1932–1948 | |
| Puerto Rican Reformist Party | Partido Reformista Puertorriqueño | PRP | - | 1948 | |
| Transparent, Authentic and Complete Liberal Party | Partido Liberal Neto, Auténtico y Completo | - | - | 1937–1948 | |
| Republican Statehood Party | Partido Estadista Republicano | PER | Pro-statehood | 1956–1968 | |
| Christian Action Party | Partido Acción Cristiana | PAC | Christian politics | 1960s | |
| People's Party | Partido del Pueblo | PP | - | 1960s–1970s | |
| Puerto Rican Union Party | Partido Unión Puertorriqueña | PUP | - | 1969–1972 | |
| Puerto Rican Socialist Party | Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño | PSP | Socialism, pro-independence | 1970s–1990s | |
| Puerto Rican Renewal Party | Partido Renovación Puertorriqueña | PRP | Pro-statehood | 1983–1987 | |
| Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party | Partido Puertorriqueños Por Puerto Rico | PPPR | Green politics | 2007–2012 | |
| Sovereign Union Movement | Movimiento Unión Soberanista | MUS | Pro-independence | 2012 | |
| Working People's Party | Partido del Pueblo Trabajador | PPT | Left-wing populism, Democratic socialism | 2012–2016 |
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) | Leader | Platform / Ideology | Existed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unconditional Spanish Party | Partido Incondicional Español | Jose Ramon Fernandez | Conservative | 1870–1898[17] | |
| Liberal Reformist Party | Partido Liberal Reformista | Pedro Geronimo Goyco | Liberal | 1870–1898 | |
| Puerto Rican Autonomist Party | Partido Autonomista Puertorriqueño | Regional Autonomy | 1887–1898[18] | ||
| Orthodox Autonomist Party (aka, "Pure and Radical Party") | Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo (aka, Partido Puro y Radical)[19] | Jose Celso Barbosa | Regional Autonomy | 1897–1899 | |
| Puerto Rican Liberal Party | Partido Liberal Puertorriqueño | Autonomy via pact with Spain's Liberal Party | 1897–1899 |
A number of unregistered political parties and organizations exist in Puerto Rico outside of the electoral arena. These organizations span the entire political spectrum:
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.