The Independent Republican Party ( es, Partido Republicano Independiente) was a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
, led by Juan Gualberto Gómez.Infos at habanaelegante.com /ref> It was formed around 1900, after splits in the Republican parties in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
,
Matanzas
Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...
and Las Villas. The split was caused by the opposition of the Republican parties to Gualberto Gómez's radical position against the
Platt Amendment
On March 2, 1901, the Platt Amendment was passed as part of the 1901 Army Appropriations Bill.Averhoff Purón, Mario. ''Los primeros partidos políticos''. La Habana: Instituto Cubano del Libro, 1971. p. 64
Overview
The party was able to build up an organizational network in different provinces of the island. In Havana, its members included Julián Betancourt, Alberto Barreras, E. García Enseñat y Asbert. In Oriente, it was joined by Joaquín Castillo Duany (who had been the leader of the Democratic Federal Republican Party of Santiago de Cuba) and Rafael Mandulay. In Matanzas, members included personalities such as García Pola, Manuel Sobrado and Juan Antonia Garmendia.
Ahead of the 1901 presidential elections, the party was one of the main forces campaigning for the candidature of
Bartolomé Masó
Bartolomé de Jesús Masó Márquez (21 December 1830 in Yara – 14 June 1907 in Manzanillo) was a Cuban politician and military, patriot for Cuban independence from the colonial power of Spain, and later President of the ''República en Ar ...