List of political parties in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Puerto Rico

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This article lists political parties in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico has a hybrid 'first past the post' electoral system, in which a voter can vote by party, by candidate or both. To qualify as an official political party (and thus be able to appear on the printed state electoral ballot) a party must meet the criteria set forth by the Puerto Rico Electoral Law. These criteria categorizes political parties as follows:

• Principal Party - one that obtained at least 3% of the straight-ticket party votes cast in the prior general election, or 7% of the party-label votes for the governor & resident commissioner, or 5% of the gubernatorial candidate votes.
• Principal Party of the Majority - one that obtained the majority of governor candidate votes cast in the prior general election.
• Party by Petition - one that has submitted the minimum number of signatures required for new registration (currently 5 percent of the total of all votes cast for governor in the prior general election)

Political parties meeting the stated criteria are certified and inscribed by the State Elections Commission.

Registered parties

Present

As of May 15, 2009, Puerto Rico has three registered electoral parties:

Name (in English)	Name (in Spanish)	Initials	Current leader	Ideology
New Progressive Party	Partido Nuevo Progresista	PNP	Luis Fortuño	pro-statehood
Popular Democratic Party	Partido Popular Democrático	PPD	Alejandro García Padilla	pro-commonwealth, Pro-Autonomous entity different to a federated state or a mere territory. Estado Libre Asociado in Spanish
Puerto Rican Independence Party	Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño	PIP	Edwin Irrizary Mora	pro-independence

Unregistered parties

As of January 2, 2009, the following parties are unregistered since they did not meet the minimal vote percentage in the November 4, 2008 election to stay registered as per the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico law, and have not met the requirements to re-apply for recognition:

Name (in English)	Name (in Spanish)	Initials	Current leader	Ideology
Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party	Partido Puertorriqueños por Puerto Rico	PPR	Rogelio Figueroa	Social, Environmental and economic reform

Past

Name (in English)	Name (in Spanish)	Abbreviation	Existed
Federal Party	Partido Federal	-	1900s
Christian Action Party	Partido Acción Cristiana	PAC	1960s
Liberal Party of Puerto Rico	Partido Liberal de Puerto Rico	-	1930s-1940s
Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico	Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico	PNPR	1920s-Present, no longer electoral.
Puerto Rican Communist Party	Partido Comunista Puertorriqueño	PCP	1930s-1990s
Puerto Rican Renewal Party	Partido Renovación Puertorriqueño	PRP	1980s
Puerto Rican Socialist Party	Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño	PSP	1970s-1990s
Republican Party	Partido Estadista Republicano	PER	1900s-1930s
Socialist Party	Partido Socialista de Puerto Rico	PSPR	1900s-1950s
Union Party	Partido Unión	-	1900s-1930s
Republican Union	Unión Republicana	-	1930s-1960s

Unregistered parties

A number of unregistered political parties and organizations exist in Puerto Rico outside of the electoral arena. These organizations span the entire political spectrum:

• Movimiento Socialista de Trabajadores (Socialist Workers Movement) - Socialist Revolutionary organization, with strong bases in the trade union and student movement. Bandera Roja - Periodical, in Spanish
• Hostosian National Independence Movement (MINH) - (Umbrella organization in favor of pro independence and nationalist movements) - Movimiento Independentista Nacional Hostosiano
• Pro ELA - In favor of a freely associated republic status.
• United Statehooders - Estadistas Unidos.
• Socialist Front - An umbrella of socialist organizations.
• Puerto Rican Nationalist Party
• Republican Party of Puerto Rico - The Republican Party of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Partido Republicano) is an affiliate of the national Republican Party in Puerto Rico.
• Democratic Party of Puerto Rico - The Democratic Party of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Partido Demócrata) is an affiliate of the national Democratic Party in Puerto Rico.
• Movimiento Unión Soberanista - in favor of a sovereign Puerto Rico

See also

• Politics of Puerto Rico
• List of political parties by country
• List of political parties in the United States
• Puerto Rican Independence Movement
• Political party strength in Puerto Rico

External links

Party sites

• New Progressive Party (PNP)
• Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico (PRPR)
• Commonwealth Elections Commission of Puerto Rico (see: General Information)
• Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico (PPD)
• Socialist Workers Movement (MST)
• Republican Party of Puerto Rico

Miscellaneous links

• CIA World Factbook: Puerto Rico
• Elections in Puerto Rico
• Puertorican Politics Portal