National Unity Front

This is article about a Bolivian political party. For a Polish communist political organization, see Front of National Unity. For the Burmese political alliance, see National United Front.
National Unity Front
Frente de Unidad Nacional
Leader Samuel Doria Medina
Founded December 12, 2003 (2003-12-12)
Split from Revolutionary Left Movement
Ideology Conservatism
Liberal conservatism
Political position Centre-right
Colors white, blue, yellow
Chamber of Deputies
36 / 130
Senate
9 / 36

The National Unity Front (Spanish: Frente de Unidad Nacional) is a political party in Bolivia. It was founded in late 2003 by Samuel Jorge Doria Medina Auza, who had broken with the Revolutionary Left Movement earlier that year with now right-wing politics.[1] It has thirty six members of the Chamber of Deputies in the Plurinational Legislative Assembly. Despite its substantial share of the urban vote, and sixteen former mayors, it does not control any city halls or governorships. The party is closely identified with Doria Medina's cement company Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (Soboce).[2]

In describing itself, National Unity emphasizes pro-development economic policies and support for democratic governance. Its mission statement calls for "a democratic Bolivia with solidarity, in full development, respectful of human rights, conscious of its diversity, and forging its own destiny"[3] In founding the party, cement magnate Doria Medina called for policies to favor "those entrepreneurs who generate employment and are absent from national decisionmaking."[1] The party seeks to position itself as a moderate third force in Bolivian politics.[4] Its electoral base is the urban middle class.[5]

At the legislative elections in 2005, the party won 7.8% of the popular vote and 8 out of 130 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and one out of 27 seats in the Senate. Its candidate at the presidential elections, Doria Medina, won 7.8% of the popular vote. In the 2009 elections, Medina ran again and won 5.65% of the vote. The party won three seats in the Chamber of Deputies but none in the Senate. As of 2013, Bolivia's Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified a list of 69,844 members, although the party claims to have 120,000 on its rolls.[2]

In the 2010 regional elections, UN formed alliances with Popular Consensus in Cochabamba and Chuquisaca departments (All for Cochabamba (TPC) and We Are All Chuquisaca, respectively), becoming the largest opposition grouping. Running independently, it was the third-largest party in La Paz and Oruro departments. At the municipal level, the party did not win any mayors' races, after gaining control of sixteen in 2004.[6] It obtained municipal council representation in La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba (where candidate Arturo Murillo narrowly failed to win the mayorship but TPC won five of the eleven seats equaling the governing party's share[7]), and Oruro. In El Alto, Soledad Chapetón was narrowly defeated by MAS-IPSP candidate Edgar Patana, while the party won 3 of 11 council seats.[8] As of 2013, Chapetón is the vice president of the party.[2]

In the 2014 general election, the presidential candidate was its party leader Medina, who in this election was the second-most voted with 24,23% and the party won 9 senators and 36 deputies, becoming the main opposition party to Evo Morales government.

References

  1. 1 2 Lansford, Tom (2012). Political Handbook of the World 2012. SAGE. p. 155. ISBN 9781608719952.
  2. 1 2 3 "Unidad Nacional, el desafío de ser o no un partido-empresa". La Razón. 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  3. ↑ "Sostenemos el ideal de una Bolivia democrática y solidaria, en pleno desarrollo, respetuosa de los derechos humanos, consciente de su diversidad y forjadora de su propio destino." Unidad Nacional. "Organización". Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  4. ↑ "Bolivia: Opposition acknowledges Evo Morales' victory". M24 Digital. 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  5. ↑ Bustillos Zamorano, Iván (2013-11-17). "Democracia interna en los partidos, la cuenta pendiente". La Razón. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  6. ↑ "MAS ganó en 231 alcaldías". Los Tiempos. 2010-05-16. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  7. ↑ "MAS gana alcaldía de Cochabamba y Baldivieso tiene el voto de oro". Los Tiempos. 2010-04-06. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
  8. ↑ Corte Nacional Electoral, Acto de Computo Nacional
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