The Party for Democracy (, PPD), also known as For Democracy () is a

centre-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commo ...

political party in Chile. It states to stand in the traditions of liberal

progressivism Progressivism is a Left-right political spectrum, left-leaning political philosophy and Reformism, reform political movement, movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has unive ...

.Party for Democracy. Declaration of Principles (1993), p. 6. ""The PPD is a progressive party, where you find the tradition of the democratic socialism and the liberal progressivism, by what you feel to own their historic struggles for democracy and social justice in Chile and in the world. " It was founded in December 1987 by Ricardo Lagos, who aimed at forming a legal social-democratic party, as the

Socialist Party of Chile The Socialist Party of Chile (, or PS) is a centre-left to Left-wing politics, left-wing political party founded in 1933. Its historic leader was President of Chile Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a 1973 Chilean coup d'état, coup d'état by ...

(PS) remained illegal at the time. The PPD continued to function after the defeat of Pinochet. Until 1997, double membership of PPD and the PS was allowed. The party nominated, as part of the ''Concertación'' ( Coalition of Parties for Democracy), in the 1999/2000 presidential elections, Ricardo Lagos Escobar, the main leader of the party. He would later win 48.0% of the vote in the first round and was ultimately elected with 51.3% in the second round. At the 2001 legislative election, the party ran as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy and won 20 out of 120 seats in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

and 3 out of 38 elected seats in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. This changed at the 2005 elections to 21 and 3. In the 2009 elections, it won 18 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 4 in the Senate.

Ideology

The party's ideology can be variously defined as liberal, progressive, liberal-progressive, and social-democrat. In the first few years of the party, it had difficulty establishing a well-defined ideology, due to the political diversity of its founders, who ranged from communist militants to members of the National Party. Eventually it converged on a combination of

social democracy Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

and

social liberalism Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...

(called progressive liberalism in the early years of the party). Currently, according to its "Declaration of Principles," the PPD describes itself as "a left stpolitical party, democratic, progressive and n favor ofparity". In 2007, a large part of the party's social-liberal wing broke off to form ChilePrimero, which would eventually become the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

History

The Party for Democracy (PPD) was founded on 15 December 1987 as an instrumental political organization whose primary objective was to finish with the military regime and achieve again democracy in Chile by peaceful, political means, taking advantage of the opportunity to mobilize the Chileans who represented the plebiscite by means of which the dictator

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...

sought to extend its mandate. Its founder, Ricardo Lagos, later

President of Chile The president of Chile (), officially the president of the Republic of Chile (), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both Government of Chile, government administration and s ...

(2000-2006), said in the ceremony of constitution of the party that the only requirements to integrate the ranks of the PPD were: ''"to be against the institutional system of the regime of the dictator Pinochet because it does not lead to democracy, and in addition want to defeat it by political means"''. People were admitted to the party of various ideologies including socialism, radicalism, social democrats, liberal progressives, left-wing Christians, Mapucists, communists, and young people up to the national student movement of the 1980s opponents of Augusto Pinochet, among them the Movement G-80. The PPD vigorously pushed to ensure that the "No" option won the 1988 plebiscite, which restored free elections to the nation. Participated in the formation of the '' Concertación'', political alliance that has dominated the Chilean government since the end of the military government until 2010, when Sebastián Piñera representing the Coalition for change came to power.

Election results

Due to its membership in the Concert of Parties for Democracy, the party has endorsed the candidates of other parties on several occasions, as well as due to the fact that

presidential elections in Chile Presidential may refer to: * Presidential (song), "Presidential" (song), a 2005 song by YoungBloodZ * Presidential Airways (charter), an American charter airline based in Florida * Presidential Airways (scheduled), an American passenger airline ac ...

are held using a

two-round system The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

Presidential elections

References

External links