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National Republican Association – Colorado Party Asociación Nacional Republicana – Partido Colorado | |
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| Abbreviation | ANR-PC |
| Leader | Santiago Peña |
| President | Horacio Cartes |
| Founder | Bernardino Caballero |
| Founded | 11 September 1887; 138 years ago (1887-09-11) |
| Headquarters | 25 de Mayo N° 842 c/ Tacuary -Asunción |
| Membership(2022) | 2,616,424[1] |
| Ideology | Conservatism[2] Republicanism Paraguayan nationalism[3] Economic liberalism[4] Factions Cartismo |
| Political position | Centre-right[5] toright-wing[6] |
| Regional affiliation | Union of Latin American Parties[7] |
| International affiliation | International Democracy Union[8] |
| Colours | Red, white |
| Chamber of Deputies | 48 / 80 |
| Senate | 23 / 45 |
| Mercosur Parliament (Paraguay seats) | 11 / 18 |
| Governors | 15 / 17 |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www | |
TheNational Republican Association (Spanish:Asociación Nacional Republicana,ANR), also known as theColorado Party (Spanish:Partido Colorado,lit. 'Red Party'), is a conservativepolitical party inParaguay, founded on 11 September 1887 byBernardino Caballero. Since1947, thecolorados, as they are known, have beendominant in Paraguayan politics (ruling as the only legal party between 1947 and 1962) and have controlled thepresidency since 1948 – notwithstanding a brief interruption between2008 and2013 – as well as having a majority inboth chambers of Congress anddepartment governorships, it was one of the two traditionally dominant parties in the country, along with theAuthentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA).
The Colorado Party has historically been and continues to be the dominant political party in Paraguay. With 2.6 million members as of 2022 (although there are allegations of numerous false affiliations made by the party),[9] it is the largest political party in the country, usually ruling without the necessity of electoral alliances. Paraguay was for several decades under dictatorial rule byAlfredo Stroessner, a member of the Colorado Party, until he was ousted from power in 1989, which set off a democratization process.[10][11] Since then, there has been an expansion of civil and political liberties, as well as elections at presidential, congressional, and municipal levels.[10] However, the democratization process has been limited due to the firm control of the Colorado Party on the Paraguayan state.[11] The Colorado Party retains power through clientelistic practices,[11] and corruption is widespread in Paraguay.[11]
The party, though founded only in 1887 as an answer to the foundation of theLiberal Party in that same year, already informally existed from the late 1870s onward, as a political group centered aroundBernardino Caballero,Cándido Bareiro andJosé Segundo Decoud.
It formally ruled the country from its foundation until 1904, when it was overthrown in theRevolution of 1904. It became the dominant political force in the country when it rejoined the government in 1947, following the conclusion of the1947 civil war, duringHiginio Moríñigo's rule as president. During this time, the party operatedmultiple paramilitary wings. From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party ruledParaguay as aone-party state; all other political parties were illegal.[12] In 1962, all national parties were nominally legalized; the Communist Party being deemed "international" remained illegal and its adherents repressed by the Paraguayan state. In practice, however, Paraguay remained a one-party military dictatorship, with the Colorado Party serving as one of the "twin pillars" ofAlfredo Stroessner's rule, who had assumed the presidency following a coup in 1954 and lasted until 1989, one of thelongest in history by a non-royal leader.[13] During Stroessner's rule, all members of the armed forces and government employees were required to be members of the Colorado Party. Dissident groups within the party were purged, and two (Movimiento Popular Colorado andAsociación Nacional Republicana en el Exilio y la Resistencia) acted as opposition groups in exile until the 1980s. In 1987, there was a rift in the party between a hardliner faction supportive ofStroessner's rule and a traditionalist faction.[14] This rift was primarily over the issue of Stroessner's succession and was a large contributor to the1989 coup d'état led by GeneralAndrés Rodríguez, himself a traditionalist, which ousted Stroessner from power.[15]
In 2002, theNational Union of Ethical Citizens split from the party.
During the2003 Paraguayan general election, at the legislative elections the party won 35.3% of the popular vote (37 out of 80 seats) in theChamber of Deputies of Paraguay and 32.9% (16 out of 45 seats) in the Senate. Its candidate at the presidential elections on the same date,Nicanor Duarte, was elected with 37.1% of the popular vote.
On 20 April 2008, for the first time in 61 years, the Colorado Party lost the presidential elections to an opposition candidate from thecentre-left,Fernando Lugo, aRoman Catholic bishop, a first on both accounts (free election of an opposition candidate and of a bishop to the office of president in Paraguay). The Colorado Party was represented in these elections byBlanca Ovelar, the first woman to run for the presidency. Fernando Lugo, who had renounced the cloth before the elections so that he could become eligible under Paraguayan law, was formally released from his vows by the Vatican before his inauguration as president on 15 August 2008.
According to Antonio Soljancic, a social scientist at the Autonomous University ofAsunción, "in order to get a job, you have to show you are a party member. The problem Paraguay has is that, although Stroessner disappeared from the political map, he left a legacy that no one has tried to bury".[16]
The party has notably promotedParaguay's close relationship with Taiwan, promising to retain Paraguay's status as the only Latin American country to recognize theRepublic of China as the sole legitimate government of China.[17]
Note: From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party was thesole legal party. Free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Federico Chávez | 224,788 | 100% | Elected (sole legal party) Y |
| 1954 | Alfredo Stroessner | 236,191 | 100% | Elected (sole legal party)Y |
| 1958 | 295,414 | 100% | Elected (sole legal party)Y | |
| 1963 | 569,551 | 92.3% | ElectedY | |
| 1968 | 465,535 | 71.6% | ElectedY | |
| 1973 | 681,306 | 84.7% | ElectedY | |
| 1978 | 905,461 | 90.8% | ElectedY | |
| 1983 | 944,637 | 91.0% | ElectedY | |
| 1988 | 1,187,738 | 89.6% | ElectedY | |
| 1989 | Andrés Rodríguez | 882,957 | 76.59% | ElectedY |
| 1993 | Juan Carlos Wasmosy | 449,505 | 41.78% | ElectedY |
| 1998 | Raúl Cubas Grau | 887,196 | 55.35% | ElectedY |
| 2003 | Nicanor Duarte | 574,232 | 38.30% | ElectedY |
| 2008 | Blanca Ovelar | 573,995 | 31.75% | Lost N |
| 2013 | Horacio Cartes | 1,104,169 | 48.48% | ElectedY |
| 2018 | Mario Abdo Benítez | 1,206,067 | 48.96% | ElectedY |
| 2023 | Santiago Peña | 1,292,079 | 43.94% | ElectedY |
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Félix Argaña | 587,498 | 48.8% | LostN |
Note: From 1947 until 1962, the Colorado Party was the sole legal party. Free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 60 / 60 |  60 | ||
| 1963 | 569,551 | 92.3% | 40 / 60 |  20 |
| 1968 | 465,535 | 71.6% | 40 / 60 |  |
| 1973 | 681,306 | 84.7% | 40 / 60 | |
| 1978 | 905,461 | 90.7% | 40 / 60 | |
| 1983 | 944,637 | 91.0% | 40 / 60 | |
| 1988 | 1,187,738 | 89.6% | 40 / 60 | |
| 1989 | 845,820 | 74.5% | 40 / 72 | |
| 1993 | 488,342 | 43.4% | 38 / 80 | 2 |
| 1998 | 857,473 | 53.8% | 45 / 80 | 7 |
| 2003 | 520,761 | 35.3% | 37 / 80 | 8 |
| 2008 | 582,932 | 32.96% | 30 / 80 | 7 |
| 2013 | 919,625 | 40.99% | 44 / 80 | 14 |
| 2018 | 927,183 | 39.10% | 42 / 80 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1,345,730 | 47.43% | 48 / 80 | 6 |
Note: free and fair elections did not take place until 1993.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 20 / 30 | 20 | ||
| 1973 | 681,306 | 84.7% | 20 / 30 | |
| 1978 | 20 / 30 | | ||
| 1983 | 20 / 30 | | ||
| 1988 | 20 / 30 | | ||
| 1993 | 498,586 | 44.0% | 20 / 45 | |
| 1998 | 813,287 | 51.7% | 24 / 45 | 4 |
| 2003 | 508,506 | 34.4% | 16 / 45 | 8 |
| 2008 | 509,907 | 29.07% | 15 / 45 | 1 |
| 2013 | 865,206 | 38.50% | 19 / 45 | 4 |
| 2018 | 766,841 | 32.52% | 17 / 45 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1,317,463 | 45.72% | 23 / 45 | 6 |
| Represented inCongress | |
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| Unrepresented | |
| Defunct | |
| Alliances | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
