List of political parties in Puerto Rico
Encyclopedia
This article lists political parties in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico
has a hybrid '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. These criteria categorizes political parties as follows:
Political parties meeting the stated criteria are certified and inscribed by the State Elections Commission
.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
has a hybrid 'first past the post' electoral system, in which a voter can vote by 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...
, 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. These criteria categorizes political parties as follows:
- Principal Party - one that obtained at least 3% of the straight-ticket party votes cast in the prior general election, or 7% of the party-label votes for the governor & resident commissioner, or 5% of the gubernatorial candidate votes.
- Principal Party of the Majority - one that obtained the majority of governor candidate votes cast in the prior general election.
- Party by Petition - one that has submitted the minimum number of signatures required for new registration (currently 5 percent of the total of all votes cast for governor in the prior general election)
Political parties meeting the stated criteria are certified and inscribed by the State Elections Commission
State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico
The State Elections Commission of Puerto Rico —Spanish: Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico — is the entity that guarantees the right to vote to the citizens of Puerto Rico. It was created on December 20, 1997 by Law Number 4, as amended, known as the .-External links:* -...
.
Present
As of May 15, 2009, Puerto Rico has three registered electoral parties:| Name (in English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... ) |
Name (in Spanish 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... ) |
Initials | Current leader | Ideology |
| New Progressive Party New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state... |
Partido Nuevo Progresista | PNP | Luis Fortuño Luis Fortuño Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State... |
pro-statehood |
| Popular Democratic Party Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is a political party that supports Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and sovereignty, through the enhancement of Puerto Rico's current status as a commonwealth.... |
Partido Popular Democrático | PPD | Alejandro García Padilla Alejandro García Padilla Alejandro García Padilla is a Puerto Rican Senator, President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, and candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico as of March 2011.- Early years and studies :... |
pro-commonwealth Commonwealth Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations... , Pro-Autonomous entity different to a federated state or a mere territory. Estado Libre Asociado in Spanish |
| Puerto Rican Independence Party Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty.... |
Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño | PIP | Edwin Irrizary Mora | pro-independence Puerto Rican independence movement The Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States... |
Unregistered parties
As of January 2, 2009, the following parties are unregistered since they did not meet the minimal vote percentage in the November 4, 2008 election to stay registered as per the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico law, and have not met the requirements to re-apply for recognition:| Name (in English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... ) |
Name (in Spanish 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... ) |
Initials | Current leader | Ideology |
| Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party The Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party is a Puerto Rican political party which tenets are citizen participation, sustainable development, effective administration, and quality of life... |
Partido Puertorriqueños por Puerto Rico | PPR | Rogelio Figueroa Rogelio Figueroa Rogelio Figueroa was the 2008 gubernatorial candidate for the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico party, a registered political party in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.... |
Social, Environmental and economic reform |
Past
| Name (in English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... ) |
Name (in Spanish 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... ) |
Abbreviation | Existed |
| Federal Party Federal Party (Puerto Rico) The Federal Party was a short-lived political party in Puerto Rico.The Federal Party was founded on October 1, 1899. It was formed by Luis Muñoz Rivera and other former members of the Autonomist Party during US military rule of the island following the Spanish-American War... |
Partido Federal | ||
| 1900s | |||
| Christian Action Party | Partido Acción Cristiana | PAC | 1960s |
| Liberal Party of Puerto Rico | Partido Liberal de Puerto Rico | ||
| 1930s-1940s | |||
| Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico | Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico | PNPR | 1920s-Present, no longer electoral. |
| Puerto Rican Communist Party Puerto Rican Communist Party The Puerto Rican Communist Party is a communist party in Puerto Rico.The PCP was formed in 1934 by dissident members of the Free Federation of Workers , the union arm of the Socialist Party. Its Secretary-General was Ramón Mirabal. Its membership always remained small, but it played a major role... |
Partido Comunista Puertorriqueño | PCP | 1930s-1990s |
| Puerto Rican Renewal Party | Partido Renovación Puertorriqueño | PRP | 1980s |
| Puerto Rican Socialist Party Puerto Rican Socialist Party The Puerto Rican Socialist Party was a Marxist and pro-independence political party in Puerto Rico seeking the end of United States of America control on the Hispanic and Caribbean island... |
Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño | PSP | 1970s-1990s |
| Republican Party | Partido Estadista Republicano | PER | 1900s-1930s |
| Socialist Party Socialist Party (Puerto Rico) The Socialist Party was a political party in Puerto Rico.It was founded as the Labor Party in 1900 by Santiago Iglesias Pantín, an early leader of the Puerto Rican labor movement who was influenced by the Socialist Labor Party of America. It was formally refounded as the PS on March 21, 1915, in... |
Partido Socialista de Puerto Rico | PSPR | 1900s-1950s |
| Union Party Union of Puerto Rico The Union of Puerto Rico , also known as the Union Party, was a major political party in Puerto Rico.The UPR was founded in February 1904 by Luis Muñoz Rivera, Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón, Antonio R. Barceló, José de Diego and others after the disbanding of the Federal Party... |
Partido Unión | ||
| 1900s-1930s | |||
| Republican Union Republican Union The Republican Union was a pro-statehood political party in Puerto Rico.The Republican Union was founded in 1932 from the merging of the Pure Republican Party and the conservative wing of the Alianza... |
Unión Republicana | ||
| 1930s-1960s |
Unregistered parties
A number of unregistered political parties and organizations exist in Puerto Rico outside of the electoral arena. These organizations span the entire political spectrum:- Movimiento Socialista de Trabajadores (Socialist Workers Movement) - Socialist Revolutionary organization, with strong bases in the trade union and student movement. Bandera Roja - Periodical, in Spanish
- Hostosian National Independence MovementHostosian National Independence MovementThe Hostosian National Independence Movement is a leftist and pro-independence organization in Puerto Rico.-Formation:The MINH was formed on May 6, 2004, by a merger of the National Hostosian Congress and the New Puerto Rican Independence Movement . The two groups that formed the MINH were...
(MINH) - (Umbrella organization in favor of pro independence and nationalist movements) - Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano - Pro ELA - In favor of a freely associatedAssociated stateAn associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a nation, for which no other specific term, such as protectorate, is adopted...
republicRepublicA republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
status. - United StatehoodersEstadistas UnidosEstadistas Unidos was a non-partisan organization created by don Luis A. Ferré in January, 1967 after the Statehood Republican Party , of which he was its long-time gubernatorial candidate, met at the San Jerónimo Hilton hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico and refused to defend the statehood option in...
- Estadistas Unidos. - Socialist FrontSocialist FrontThe Socialist Front is a coalition of far-left and pro-independence political organizations in Puerto Rico. The Socialist Front also includes non-partisan activists....
- An umbrella of socialist organizations. - Puerto Rican Nationalist PartyPuerto Rican Nationalist PartyThe Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. Its main objective is to work for Puerto Rican Independence.In 1919, José Coll y Cuchí, a member of the Union Party of Puerto Rico, felt that the Union Party was not doing enough for the cause of Puerto Rican independence and he...
- Republican Party of Puerto Rico - The Republican Party of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Partido Republicano) is an affiliate of the national Republican Party in Puerto Rico.
- Democratic Party of Puerto RicoPuerto Rico Democratic PartyThe Puerto Rico Democratic Party is the local branch of the Democratic Party in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The party is divided between supporters of the current Commonwealth status and those who favor statehood for Puerto Rico....
- The Democratic Party of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Partido Demócrata) is an affiliate of the national Democratic Party in Puerto Rico. - Movimiento Unión SoberanistaMovimiento Unión SoberanistaMovimiento Unión Soberanista is a Puerto Rican political movement. The movement was founded in November 2010 in the city of Caguas, PR. They are presently attempting to get 60,000 endorsements required by the new electoral law of the Commonwealth to enroll in the State Elections Commission .The...
- in favor of a sovereign Puerto Rico
See also
- Politics of Puerto RicoPolitics of Puerto RicoThe politics of Puerto Rico take place in the framework of a republican democratic form of government that is under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States of America as an organized unincorporated territory....
- List of political parties by country
- List of political parties in the United States
- Puerto Rican Independence MovementPuerto Rican independence movementThe Puerto Rican independence movement refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at obtaining independence for the Island, first from Spain, and then from the United States...
- Political party strength in Puerto RicoPolitical party strength in Puerto RicoThe following table indicates the party of elected officials in the United States insular area of Puerto Rico after 1898:*GovernorThe table also indicates the historical party composition in the territorial or Commonwealth:*Senate*House of Representatives...
Party sites
- Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico (PRPR)
- Commonwealth Elections Commission of Puerto Rico (see: General Information)
- Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico (PPD)
- Socialist Workers Movement (MST)
- Republican Party of Puerto Rico