The National Crusade Party (PCN, Spanish: Partido Cruzada Nacional), formerly National Crusade Movement (MCN, Spanish: Movimento Cruzada Nacional), is a far-right populist political party in Paraguay led by lawyer and ex-senator Paraguayo "Payo" Cubas.[5]
National Crusade Party Partido Cruzada Nacional | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | PCN |
| Leader | Payo Cubas |
| President | Hermes Chamorro Garcete[citation needed] |
| Founded | 2018[1] (MCN) February 2020 (PCN) |
| Headquarters | Teniente Moreno 371 c/ Teniente Bernal, barrio Fátima, Asunción[2] |
| Ideology | Paraguayan nationalism Right-wing populism Anti-corruption Anti-establishment Anti-Brazilian sentiment |
| Political position | Far-right[3][4] |
| National affiliation | Concertación (2022) |
| Colours | Black Yellow |
| Chamber of Deputies | 4 / 80 |
| Chamber of Senators | 2 / 45 |
| Website | |
| Facebook page | |
Party leader Payo Cubas is a prominent political and media personality known for his provocative publicity stunts. A lawyer, he served one term in Congress from 1993 to 1998 as a member of the center-left National Encounter Party. In 2018, Cubas was elected to the Senate as a sole member of the National Crusade Movement but was suspended for outbursts and physical altercations with Senate colleagues.[6]
History
editFollowing the results of the 2018 elections, the party elected its representative, Paraguayo "Payo" Cubas, to the Senate.[7][8] In November 2019, he was expelled from the Senate on charges of abuse of power and hooliganism.[9]
In February 2020, the National Crusade Movement was renamed to the National Crusade Party.[10]
In 2020, the party suffered a split after some members of the MCN accused the leader of the party, Cubas, and his wife, Yolanda Paredes, of authoritarianism.[11]
After the party's failure in the 2021 municipal elections, Paraguayo Cubas, the president of the party, announced his resignation.[12]
On the eve of the 2023 general election, the Cubas party participated in the creation of the Concertación coalition,[13] but soon left it before the election of a single opposition candidate, deciding to participate in the elections independently.[5][14] In the 2023 elections, Cubas was considered an outsider or spoiler candidate for the Concertación, who would gain support among the anti-systemic electorate, advocating the death penalty for corruption.[6][15]
In the general election, despite Cubas losing the presidential election (winning almost 23% of the vote), the party became the third largest political force in both Chambers of Congress (after the Colorado Party and the PLRA), winning four seats in the Chamber of Deputies and five seats in the Senate.[16] Among the Senators-elect are Cubas's wife Yolanda Paredes and plastic artist Rafael "Mbururú" Esquivel, the latter arrested over child sexual abuse charges at the time of the election.[17]
Electoral results
editPresident
edit| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Paraguayo Cubas | 692,663 | 22.92% | Lost 
|
Senate
edit| Election | Votes | % | Position | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 58,409 | 2.48% |  7th
|
1 / 45
|
New | Opposition |
| 2023 | 331.657 | 11.00% | 3rd
|
5 / 45
|
6
|
Opposition |
Chamber of Deputies
edit| Election | Votes | % | Position | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 33,417 | 1.41% | 7th
|
1 / 80
|
New | Opposition |
| 2023 | 233,812 | 8.24% | 3rd
|
4 / 80
|
3
|
Opposition |
References
edit- ^ https://tsje.gov.py/static/ups/partidos/estatutos/estatuto-cruzada-nacional-2021(1).pdf Estatuto
- ^ https://tsje.gov.py/partidos/ver/53-partido-cruzada-nacional.html Partido Cruzada Nacional
- ^ Politi, Daniel (5 May 2023). "Paraguay far-right populist presidential candidate arrested". AP News. Buenos Aires. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ Nickson, Andrew (May 2023). "Opinión | Tenemos que hablar del Partido Colorado" [Opinion | We need to talk about the Colorado Party]. Nueva Sociedad (in Spanish).
...Paraguayo «Payo» Cubas, polémico ex-senador y candidato populista de extrema derecha... [...Paraguayan "Payo" Cubas, controversial former senator and far-right populist candidate...]
- ^ a b "Cruzada Nacional, de Paraguayo Cubas, sale de la Concertación - Política - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Meet the Candidates: Paraguay". Americas Quarterly. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "El polémico Paraguayo Cubas gana una banca en el Senado" [The controversial Paraguayo Cubas wins a seat in the Senate]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Payo agradece victoria y promete paredón a corruptos" [Payo tranks victory and promises firing squad to corrupt ones]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Senado expulsa a Paraguayo Cubas". Última Hora (in Spanish). 28 November 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Cruzada Nacional pide ser partido - Política - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "División en Cruzada Nacional por "autoritarismo" - ABC en el Este - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Ante fracaso electoral, Payo anuncia su renuncia como titular del Partido Cruzada Nacional - Nacionales - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Opositores fijan comicios para elegir chapa presidencial". ultimahora.com (in European Spanish). 22 April 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Cubas inscribe su chapa tras salir de la Concertación". Última Hora (in Spanish). 18 August 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "2023 Elections in Latin America: A Preview". AS/COA. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "El Partido Colorado tendrá 49 representantes en Cámara de Diputados". La Nación (Paraguay) (in Spanish). 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Un candidato paraguayo que fue electo senador está preso e imputado por abuso sexual a una menor" (in Spanish). Infobae. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.