Authentic Radical Liberal Party

The Authentic Radical Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico or PLRA) is a liberal party in Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

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The party is an observer member of Liberal International

Liberal International

Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the...

. At the last legislative elections

Elections in Paraguay

Elections in Paraguay gives information on election and election results in Paraguay.Paraguay elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people. The National Congress has two chambers...

, 27 April 2003, the party won 25.7 % of the popular vote and 21 out of 80 seats in the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay

Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay

The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of Paraguay's bicameral legislature, the National Congress. It is made up of 80 members, elected for a five year term by proportional representation. The other chamber of the National Congress is the Chamber of Senators .- External links :*...

 and 24.3 %, leading to 12 out of 45 seats in the Senate. Its candidate at the presidential elections of the same day, Julio César Franco

Julio César Franco

Julio César Ramón Franco Gómez is Paraguayan politician.Franco's profession is surgeon, with education from University of Córdoba, Argentina....

, won 24.0 % of the popular vote. The liberales, as they are known, are the leading opposition to the dominant Colorado Party

Colorado Party (Paraguay)

The National Republican Association – Colorado Party is a political party in Paraguay, founded in 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. It is usually known as the Colorado Party...

. They have taken this position since the end of the Alfredo Stroessner

Alfredo Stroessner

Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, whose name is also spelled Strössner or Strößner , was a Paraguayan military officer and dictator from 1954 to 1989...

 dictatorship in 1989. They are the political successors of the Liberal Party

Liberal Party (Paraguay)

The Liberal Party , commonly known as the Blue Party was a political party in Paraguay, ruling the country for most of the period between 1904 and 1940.-References:...

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In the presidential Elections of 2008, the party has achieved victory over the Colorado Party for the first time in 61 years through a political alliance with Fernando Lugo

Fernando Lugo

Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez is the current President of Paraguay and a former Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro.-Early life:...

 and other leftist political parties. They have gained a majority in - or at least tied with the Colorados in number of seats won in - the House of Deputies and the Senate.

See also

• List of liberal parties
• Liberal democracy
  Liberal democracy
  Liberal democracy, also known as constitutional democracy, is a common form of representative democracy. According to the principles of liberal democracy, elections should be free and fair, and the political process should be competitive...
  
  
• Liberalism and radicalism in Paraguay
  Liberalism and radicalism in Paraguay
  This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Paraguay. It is limited to liberal and radical parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ means a reference to another party in that scheme...