Democratic Unification Party
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Unification Party (in Spanish
: Partido Unificación Democrática) (PUD) is a left-wing political party
in Honduras
. PUD was founded on 29 September 1992 by the merger of four leftist clandestine or semiclandestine political parties, in the context of the changed political situation in Central America
at that period, following the end of the Cold War
. The PUD was legally recognised in 1993/4 and has fought various elections since 1997, gaining around 1-3% of the vote.
at that period, following the end of the Cold War
.
In Decree No. 189-93 of the National Congress (the Honduran parliament) of 1 October 1993, the state of Honduras legally recognised the PUD. That act was a follow-up of the Esquipulas Accords
, by which the Central American governments agreed to give the revolutionary groups in the region possibilities to organize legally and participate in the political process.
Decree No. 92-94 of the National Election Tribunal of 28 January 1994, gave the PUD recognition as the fifth legally recognized political party in Honduras
.
The colours of PUD are red and yellow. Red symbolizes the blood of the martyrs of the struggle and yellow symbolizes the new dawn of Honduras
. The banner of PUD is yellow with the letter "UD" in red. The slogan of PUD is UD marca la differencia ("UD [can be interpreted as usted, you] makes a difference").
PUD defines itself as a patriotic, democratic, popular and revolutionary party. The five pillars of PUD are Ethics, Democracy, Criticism, Proposal and Struggle.
The maximum authority of PUD is the National Assembly, which elects the Junta Directiva Nacional. In the departments of the country Department Assemblies are held, which each elects a Junta Directiva Departamental, and likewise on municipal level Municipal Assemblies are held which each elects a Junta Directa Municipal. Under the JDMs are the base units of the party, Colectivos de Base.
The current president of PUD is Matías Funes.
Within PUD there are two currents recognized by the National Election Tribunal, Pueblo Unido and Convergencia Popular.
The youth of PUD is called Juventud del Partido Unificación Democrática (JUD). JUD consists of three components, Fuerza Universitaria Revolucionaria (FUR), Federación Nacional de Estudiantes de Secundaria de Honduras (FENAESH) and a movement of Barrio youths.
In the 2001 elections PUD again put forward Funes for president; he received 24,075 votes (1.11%). In the congressional election the PUD received 92,818 votes (4.46%), and in the municipal elections, 48,951 votes (2.26%). In total five congressional deputies, one member of PARLACEN and 26 municipal councillors were elected on behalf of UD.
In the 27 November 2005 elections, PUD candidate Juan Ángel Almendares Bonilla
won 27,731 votes (1.5%) in the presidential elections. The party received an unknown number of votes in the parliamentary elections and an unknown number of votes in the municipal elections. In total five congressional deputies, an unknown number of members of PARLACEN, one mayor and an unknown number of municipal councillors were elected on behalf of UD.
The PUD was supportive of President Manuel Zelaya
in the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis
and the People's Weekly World
reported that he was likely to back the PUD's Presidential candidate, Cesar Ham
, in the November 2009 election.
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Partido Unificación Democrática) (PUD) is a left-wing political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. PUD was founded on 29 September 1992 by the merger of four leftist clandestine or semiclandestine political parties, in the context of the changed political situation in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
at that period, following the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. The PUD was legally recognised in 1993/4 and has fought various elections since 1997, gaining around 1-3% of the vote.
Background
PUD was founded on 29 September 1992, by the merger of four leftist clandestine or semiclandestine political parties, namely Partido para la transformación de Honduras (PTH), Partido Revolucionario Hondureño (PRH), Partido Morazanísta de Liberación Nacional (PMLN) and Partido Renovación Patriótica (PRP). The background of the formation of PUD was the changed political situation in Central AmericaCentral America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
at that period, following the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
In Decree No. 189-93 of the National Congress (the Honduran parliament) of 1 October 1993, the state of Honduras legally recognised the PUD. That act was a follow-up of the Esquipulas Accords
Esquipulas Peace Agreement
The Esquipulas Peace Agreement was an initiative in the mid-1980s to settle the military conflicts that had plagued Central America for many years, and in some cases for decades. It built upon groundwork laid by the Contadora Group from 1983 to 1985. The agreement was named for Esquipulas,...
, by which the Central American governments agreed to give the revolutionary groups in the region possibilities to organize legally and participate in the political process.
Decree No. 92-94 of the National Election Tribunal of 28 January 1994, gave the PUD recognition as the fifth legally recognized political party in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
.
Overview
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
. The banner of PUD is yellow with the letter "UD" in red. The slogan of PUD is UD marca la differencia ("UD [can be interpreted as usted, you] makes a difference").
PUD defines itself as a patriotic, democratic, popular and revolutionary party. The five pillars of PUD are Ethics, Democracy, Criticism, Proposal and Struggle.
The maximum authority of PUD is the National Assembly, which elects the Junta Directiva Nacional. In the departments of the country Department Assemblies are held, which each elects a Junta Directiva Departamental, and likewise on municipal level Municipal Assemblies are held which each elects a Junta Directa Municipal. Under the JDMs are the base units of the party, Colectivos de Base.
The current president of PUD is Matías Funes.
Within PUD there are two currents recognized by the National Election Tribunal, Pueblo Unido and Convergencia Popular.
The youth of PUD is called Juventud del Partido Unificación Democrática (JUD). JUD consists of three components, Fuerza Universitaria Revolucionaria (FUR), Federación Nacional de Estudiantes de Secundaria de Honduras (FENAESH) and a movement of Barrio youths.
Electoral record
In the 1997 elections the PUD's presidential candidate was Matias Funes; he polled 23,977 votes (1.21%) in the election. The party received 41,113 votes (2.16%) in the parliamentary elections, and 34,785 votes (1.77%) in the municipal elections. In total one congressional deputy, one member of PARLACEN (the Central American parliament), one mayor and 21 municipal councillors were elected on behalf of UD.In the 2001 elections PUD again put forward Funes for president; he received 24,075 votes (1.11%). In the congressional election the PUD received 92,818 votes (4.46%), and in the municipal elections, 48,951 votes (2.26%). In total five congressional deputies, one member of PARLACEN and 26 municipal councillors were elected on behalf of UD.
In the 27 November 2005 elections, PUD candidate Juan Ángel Almendares Bonilla
Juan Ángel Almendares Bonilla
Juan Ángel Almendares Bonilla is a Honduran physician, politician and human rights activist. He ran as part of the Democratic Unification Party in the 2005 Honduran general election, finishing in third place with 1.5% of the vote. Almendares currently serves as the co-chair of the Honduran...
won 27,731 votes (1.5%) in the presidential elections. The party received an unknown number of votes in the parliamentary elections and an unknown number of votes in the municipal elections. In total five congressional deputies, an unknown number of members of PARLACEN, one mayor and an unknown number of municipal councillors were elected on behalf of UD.
The PUD was supportive of President Manuel Zelaya
Manuel Zelaya
José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is a politician who was President of Honduras from January 27, 2006 until June 28, 2009. The eldest son of a wealthy businessman, he inherited his father's nickname "Mel," and, before entering politics, was involved in his family's logging and timber businesses.Elected...
in the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis
2009 Honduran constitutional crisis
The 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis was a political dispute over plans to rewrite the Constitution of Honduras, which culminated in a coup d'état against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by the Honduran military...
and the People's Weekly World
People's Weekly World
The People's World is a news web site associated with the Communist Party USA.The People's World / Mundo Popular, formerly the People's Weekly World / Nuestro Mundo is a national, grassroots weekly newspaper and the direct descendant of the Daily Worker, founded in 1924...
reported that he was likely to back the PUD's Presidential candidate, Cesar Ham
César Ham
César David Adolfo Ham Peña is a Honduran politician. He is a leader of the socialist Democratic Unification Party and a member of Parliament...
, in the November 2009 election.