National Party (Uruguay)

History

The identity of the National Party dates back to 10 August 1836, when the then president Manuel Oribe decreed the use of the white banner with the inscription "Defenders of the Laws", in the battle of Carpintería, Oribe faced the revolutionary army of Fructuoso Rivera and colored badges were used to distinguish between the parties. For this reason, the National Party is also known as the "White Party."

On 7 July 1872, the first Program of Principles was approved, in which respect for freedoms, the maintenance of peace as the supreme good for the Nation, the representation of minorities, the decentralization of the country, the strengthening of justice, and the promotio of education and instruction.

In March 2020, National Party's Luis Lacalle Pou was sworn as the new President of Uruguay, meaning Uruguay got the first conservative government after 15 years of left-wing leadership under the Broad Front coalition.

Ideology and factions

Positioned on the center-right of the political spectrum, the Uruguay National Party encompasses both conservative and liberal tendencies. Ideologically, it describes himself as liberal, nationalist, pan-americanist and humanist. Additionally, in the party there is a lack of internal agreement on social issues such as the legalisation of abortion, euthanasia, the age of criminal responsibility and same-sex marriage. However, over time, several sectors and the party's youth wing have demonstrated a favorable position on LGBT rights.

Throughout its history, the National Party has had a strong base of votes in the interior of the country and support from rural voters, due to its historical policy of decentralization of power, compared to the capital's centralist and unitary policy of the Colorado Party.

The National Party is composed of numerous sectors that encompass different ideologies that range from the center-right to the right-wing. The three main factions are the centrist and Christian democratic National Alliance, the economic liberal and conservative Herrerism, and the social-liberal Wilsonist Current.

The conservative wing is the most influential. It dates back to Luis Alberto de Herrera in the early 20th century, and has reproduced a family line of leaders that continued with former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, and has returned to dominate the party, renewing itself generationally through the leadership of his son, Luis Lacalle Pou.

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Note

Under the electoral system in place at the time called Ley de Lemas system, each political party could have as many as three presidential candidates. The combined result of the votes for a party's candidates determined which party would control the executive branch, and whichever of the winning party's candidates finished in first place would be declared President this system was used form the 1942 election until the 1994 election until in 1996, a referendum amended the constitution to restrict each party to a single presidential candidate, effective from the 1999 elections.

Parliamentary elections

National Council of Administration and National Council of Government elections

Note

The National Council of Administration ruling alongside the President of the Republic between 1918 and 1933 and it was re-established as National Council of Government was the ruling body in Uruguay between 1952 and 1967.

References

References

1. Martínez, Magdalena. (2019-11-25). "Luis Lacalle Pou, el peso de un apellido". El País.
2. "Declaración de Princípios del Partido Nacional".
3. (15 June 2014). "El perfil ideológico del Partido Blanco". República.com.
4. (28 September 2020). "Uruguay: El presidente Lacalle Pou y su partido, fortalecidos tras las elecciones locales".
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6. "Países y Partidos Miembros de la COPPPAL".
7. "Partidos | ODCA.cl".
8. (2012-01-06). "Nuestro Partido > Declaración de Principios".
9. (2019-11-25). "El centroderecha acaricia el poder en Uruguay".
10. Observador, El. "El misterio de los blancos".
11. "Aparicio Saravia".
12. ElPais. (2 August 2019). "Triunfo del Partido Nacional: después de 93 años volvió al poder".
13. "Identidad e historia del Partido Nacional: para construir futuro, recordar quiénes somos y de dónde venimos".
14. "Portal FACTUM {{!}} Uruguay".
15. "Uruguay ushers in first conservative government in 15 years".
16. Serna, Miguel. (2020-12-29). "La ola conservadora en Uruguay: claves de la derrota electoral de la izquierda en 2019". Cahiers des Amériques latines.
17. (2009-03-25). "No al matrimonio homosexual y sí a la unión concubinaria".
18. (6 October 2020). "Debate interno en el Partido Nacional por despliegue de banderas de la diversidad en sede".
19. Supervielle, Daniel. (2024-02-17). "Tras el renacer de los colorados".
20. Silva, Joaquín. (2023-05-23). "Wilsonismo y Herrerismo, la discusión por las etiquetas que divide las aguas en el Partido Nacional".