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Partido por la Democracia

Party for Democracy
Partido por la Democracia
Leader Jaime Quintana
Secretary-General Óscar Santelices
Chief of Senators Guido Girardi
Chief of Deputies Jorge Tarud
Founded December 15, 1987 (1987-12-15)
Headquarters Santo Domingo 1828
Santiago
Youth wing Juventud PPD
Membership  (2009) 99,384 (3rd)
Ideology Social democracy
Social liberalism
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation Nueva Mayoría
International affiliation Progressive Alliance,
Socialist International
Colours                Blue, Yellow and Red
Chamber of Deputies
15 / 120
Senate
6 / 38
Regional Councillors
30 / 278
Mayors
37 / 345
Communal Councillors
269 / 2,130
Website
www.ppd.cl

The Party for Democracy (Spanish: Partido por la Democracia, PPD) is a centre-left political party in Chile. It states to stand in the traditions of democratic socialism and liberal progressivism. It was founded in December 1987 by Ricardo Lagos, who aimed at forming a legal social-democratic party as the Socialist Party of Chile (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, who won 48.0% in the first round and was 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 and 3 out of 38 elected seats in the Senate. This changed at the 2005 elections to 21 and 3. In 2009, it won 18 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 4 in the Senate.

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 and social liberalism (called progressive liberalism in the early years of the party). Currently, according to his "Declaration of Principles," the PPD describes herself as "a left political party, democratic, progressive and parity".


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