Colorado Party (Paraguay)
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The National Republican Association (Spanish: Asociación Nacional Republicana, ANR), also known as the Colorado Party (Spanish: Partido Colorado, lit. 'Red Party'), is a conservative political party in Paraguay, founded on 11 September 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. Since 1947, the colorados, as they are known, has been dominant in Paraguayan politics (ruling as the only legal party between 1947 and 1962) and has controlled the presidency since 1948 –notwithstanding a brief interruption between 2008 and 2013– as well as having a majority in both chambers of Congress and department governorships.
National Republican Association – Colorado Party Asociación Nacional Republicana – Partido Colorado | |
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.svg) | |
| Leader | Santiago Peña |
| President | Horacio Cartes |
| Founder | Bernardino Caballero |
| Founded | 11 September 1887 |
| Headquarters | 25 de Mayo N° 842 c/ Tacuary - Asunción |
| Membership (2022) | 2,616,424[1] |
| Ideology | Conservatism[2] Paraguayan nationalism[3] Economic liberalism[4] Pro-Taiwan[5] Factions: Stronismo[6] Social democracy[7] Right-wing populism[8] Social conservatism[9][10][11] |
| Political position | Centre-right[12] Factions: Centre-left[13] to far-right[14] |
| Regional affiliation | Union of Latin American Parties[15] |
| International affiliation | International Democracy Union[16] |
| Colours | Red, white |
| Chamber of Deputies | 48 / 80 |
| Senate | 23 / 45 |
| Mercosur Parliament (Paraguay seats) | 11 / 18 |
| Governors | 15 / 17 |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
With 2.6 million members as of 2022 (although there are allegations of numerous false affiliations made by the party),[17] it is the largest political party in the country, usually ruling without the necessity of electoral alliances.
History
edit1887–1989
editThe party, though founded only in 1887 as an answer to the foundation of the Liberal Party in that same year, already informally existed from the late 1870s onward, as a political group centered around Bernardino Caballero, Cándido Bareiro and José Segundo Decoud.
It formally ruled the country from its foundation until 1904, when it was overthrown in the Revolution of 1904. It became the dominant political force in the country when it rejoined the government in 1947, following the conclusion of the 1947 civil war, during Higinio Moríñigo's rule as president. During this time, the party operated multiple paramilitary wings. From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party ruled Paraguay as a one-party state; all other political parties were illegal.[18] In 1962, all national parties were nominally legalized; the Communist Party being deemed "international" remained illegal and its adherents repressed by the Paraguayan state. In practice, however, Paraguay remained a one-party military dictatorship, with the Colorado Party serving as one of the "twin pillars" of Alfredo Stroessner's rule, who had assumed the presidency following a coup in 1954 and lasted until 1989, one of the longest in history by a non-royal leader.[19] During Stroessner's rule, all members of the armed forces and government employees were required to be members of the Colorado Party. Dissident groups within the party were purged, and two (Movimiento Popular Colorado and Asociación Nacional Republicana en el Exilio y la Resistencia) acted as opposition groups in exile until the 1980s. In 1987, there was a rift in the party between a hardliner faction supportive of Stroessner's rule and a traditionalist faction.[20] This rift was primarily over the issue of Stroessner's succession and was a large contributor to the 1989 coup d'état led by General Andrés Rodríguez, himself a traditionalist, which ousted Stroessner from power.[21]
Since 1989
editIn 2002, the National Union of Ethical Citizens split from the party.
During the 2003 Paraguayan general election, at the legislative elections the party won 35.3% of the popular vote (37 out of 80 seats) in the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay and 32.9% (16 out of 45 seats) in the Senate. Its candidate at the presidential elections on the same date, Nicanor Duarte, was elected with 37.1% of the popular vote.
On 20 April 2008, for the first time in 61 years, the Colorado Party lost the presidential elections to an opposition candidate from the centre-left, Fernando Lugo, a Roman Catholic bishop, a first on both accounts (free election of an opposition candidate and of a bishop to the office of president in Paraguay). The Colorado Party was represented in these elections by Blanca Ovelar, the first woman to run for the presidency. Fernando Lugo, who had renounced the cloth before the elections so that he could become eligible under Paraguayan law, was formally released from his vows by the Vatican before his inauguration as president on 15 August 2008.
According to Antonio Soljancic, a social scientist at the Autonomous University of Asunción, "in order to get a job, you have to show you are a party member. The problem Paraguay has is that, although Stroessner disappeared from the political map, he left a legacy that no one has tried to bury".[22]
Electoral history
editPresidential elections
editNote: From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party was the sole legal party. Free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Federico Chávez | 224,788 | 100% | Elected (sole legal party) 
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| 1954 | Alfredo Stroessner | 236,191 | 100% | Elected (sole legal party)
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| 1958 | 295,414 | 100% | Elected (sole legal party)
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| 1963 | 569,551 | 92.3% | Elected
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| 1968 | 465,535 | 71.6% | Elected
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| 1973 | 681,306 | 84.7% | Elected
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| 1978 | 905,461 | 90.8% | Elected
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| 1983 | 944,637 | 91.0% | Elected
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| 1988 | 1,187,738 | 89.6% | Elected
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| 1989 | Andrés Rodríguez | 882,957 | 76.59% | Elected
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| 1993 | Juan Carlos Wasmosy | 449,505 | 41.78% | Elected
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| 1998 | Raúl Cubas Grau | 887,196 | 55.35% | Elected
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| 2003 | Nicanor Duarte | 574,232 | 38.30% | Elected
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| 2008 | Blanca Ovelar | 573,995 | 31.75% | Lost 
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| 2013 | Horacio Cartes | 1,104,169 | 48.48% | Elected
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| 2018 | Mario Abdo Benítez | 1,206,067 | 48.96% | Elected
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| 2023 | Santiago Peña | 1,292,079 | 43.94% | Elected
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Vice presidential election
edit| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Félix Argaña | 587,498 | 48.8% | Lost
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Chamber of Deputies elections
editNote: From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party was the sole legal party. Free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 60 / 60
|
 60
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| 1963 | 569,551 | 92.3% | 40 / 60
|
 20
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| 1968 | 465,535 | 71.6% | 40 / 60
|
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| 1973 | 681,306 | 84.7% | 40 / 60
|
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| 1978 | 905,461 | 90.7% | 40 / 60
|
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| 1983 | 944,637 | 91.0% | 40 / 60
|
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| 1988 | 1,187,738 | 89.6% | 40 / 60
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| 1989 | 845,820 | 74.5% | 40 / 72
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| 1993 | 488,342 | 43.4% | 38 / 80
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2
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| 1998 | 857,473 | 53.8% | 45 / 80
|
7
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| 2003 | 520,761 | 35.3% | 37 / 80
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8
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| 2008 | 582,932 | 32.96% | 30 / 80
|
7
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| 2013 | 919,625 | 40.99% | 44 / 80
|
14
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| 2018 | 927,183 | 39.10% | 42 / 80
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2
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| 2023 | 1,345,730 | 47.43% | 48 / 80
|
6
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Senate elections
editNote: free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 20 / 30
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20
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| 1973 | 681,306 | 84.7% | 20 / 30
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| 1978 | 20 / 30
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| 1983 | 20 / 30
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| 1988 | 20 / 30
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| 1993 | 498,586 | 44.0% | 20 / 45
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| 1998 | 813,287 | 51.7% | 24 / 45
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4
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| 2003 | 508,506 | 34.4% | 16 / 45
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8
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| 2008 | 509,907 | 29.07% | 15 / 45
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1
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| 2013 | 865,206 | 38.50% | 19 / 45
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4
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| 2018 | 766,841 | 32.52% | 17 / 45
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2
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| 2023 | 1,317,463 | 45.72% | 23 / 45
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6
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "ANR vuelve a habilitar su padrón con 2.616.424 afiliados que pueden votar". 4 October 2022.
- ^ Ramirez, Jose (18 March 2021). "Sobre «Mapa Genético ANR», de Carola González Alsina. Tercera parte".
- ^ ""La ANR se sustenta en el nacionalismo y el patriotismo", expresa Darío Filártiga". www.lanacion.com.py (in Spanish). 11 September 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ Jorge González-Gallarza (6 July 2023). "Paraguay Athwart consevatism". europeanconservative.com. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Paraguay's Taiwan ties safe as ruling party retains presidency". 1 May 2023 – via The Guardian.
- ^ "Paraguay elige el continuismo del conservador Partido Colorado dando la presidencia a Santiago Peña". es.euronews.com. 1 May 2023.
- ^ "Oposición opera maquiavélicamente para derrocarlo, denuncia Nicanor - Política - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py.
- ^ "El Partido Colorado de Paraguay consolida su poder hegemónico". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 1 May 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "Pueblo de Dios se inscribe en la ANR". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). 2 October 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ |Sarah Patricia Cerna Villagra y Rodrigo Manuel Ibarrola (31 August 2020). "Paraguay: el arraigo político y económico de la derecha". Reflexión Política (in Spanish). 22 (45): 116–131. doi:10.29375/01240781.3920. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ "El comentario homofobo de un ministro paraguayo: "No quiero ninguno con tendencia homosexual"". www.pagina12.com.ar (in Spanish). 29 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Paraguay's Colorados back in office; opposition admits defeat; observers praise election process". MercoPress.
- ^ "Nicanor quiere un partido con orientación socialista". Última Hora. 28 April 2007.
- ^ "El futuro gabinete de Peña confirma un Paraguay hundido en la ultraderecha". www.tiempoar.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Partidos Miembros". Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Members". February 2018.
- ^ According to multiple sources:
- "Me afiliaron sin mi consentimiento" [I was affiliated without my consent]. El Surtidor (in Spanish). 30 March 2021.
- "Tribunal hace lugar a un hábeas data contra ANR por afiliación ilegal" [Court grants habeas data petition against ANR for illegal affiliation]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 3 March 2023.
- "ANR reactivó su web: sepa qué hacer si sigue figurando como afiliado" [ANR reactivated its website: find out what to do if you are still listed as an affiliate]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 30 July 2021.
- "Urgen una ley de protección de datos tras afiliaciones falsas a la ANR" [Data protection law urgently needed after false affiliations with the ANR]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 31 July 2021.
- "Investigarán a partidos políticos por producción de documentos falsos" [Political parties to be investigated for producing false documents]. Paraguay.com (in Spanish). 20 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Paraguay: Opposition Parties". Library of Congress Country Studies. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009.
- ^ "Paraguay: The Twin Pillars of the Stroessner Regime". Library of Congress Country Studies. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009.
- ^ Smith, James F. (4 February 1989). "Military Coup Topples Paraguay's Stroessner : Incoming President Promises Democracy, Respect for Rights". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Paraguay: Potential Successors to Stroessner" (PDF).
- ^ "Horacio Cartes: Millionaire. Criminal. Business titan. Homophobe. The next president of Paraguay?". The Independent. 19 April 2013.
External links
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