Democratic Center (Colombia)

Democratic Centre
Centro Democrático
LeaderÁlvaro Uribe
PresidentNubia Stella Martínez
Founded20 January 2013 (20 January 2013) (as a political movement)
15 July 2014 (15 July 2014) (as a political party)
Split fromColombian Liberal Party
Social Party of National Unity
HeadquartersCalle 66 No. 7 – 59, Quinta Camacho, Bogotá
Youth wingJuventudes Centro Democrático
IdeologySocial conservatism
Economic liberalism
Right-wing populism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
Regional affiliationUnion of Latin American Parties
International affiliationCentrist Democrat International
Colors Blue
SloganMano firme, corazón grande (Strong hand, big heart)
Chamber of Representatives
15 / 188
Senate
13 / 108
Governors
4 / 32
Mayors
154 / 1,102
Website
www.centrodemocratico.com

Democratic Centre (identified electorally as Democratic Centre – Strong Hand, Big Heart; Spanish: Centro Democrático – Mano firme, corazón grande) is a conservative political party in Colombia founded in 2013 by Álvaro Uribe, former President of Colombia, former Vice President Francisco Santos Calderón and former Minister of Finance and Public Credit Óscar Iván Zuluaga. It is a self-described party of the centre, although in opinion groups it is often considered centre-right to right-wing, or to far-right.

The party is currently in opposition to the left-wing presidency of Gustavo Petro.

History

The party was founded in 2014. A key factor in this were the Government negotiations with FARC, the Popular sovereignty force in the Colombian armed conflict against policies of Political economy.

Although created as a decidedly right-wing party, its members now come from a wide range of political backgrounds, including former politicians of the right-wing Conservative Party, the center-right Social Party of National Unity, and from the left-wing Alternative Democratic Pole, such as Senator Everth Bustamante.

During the 2020 United States elections, Democratic Centre promoted Republican Party candidates in the United States, especially in Florida, sharing their support for President of the United States Donald Trump. The party's involvement with promoting political candidates in a foreign election drew controversy among some observers.

The party was considered a regional partner of European Conservatives and Reformists Party until 2022.

Electoral history

In the 2014 congressional elections, the Democratic Centre won 20 seats in the Senate and 19 seats in the Chamber of Representatives.

In the 2014 presidential election, the Democratic Centre chose Óscar Iván Zuluaga, the Senator and Finance Minister during the Uribe Administration, as its presidential nominee. Zuluaga won the first round, but subsequently lost the second round to incumbent President Santos.

Despite the second round loss, the electoral performance in both congressional and presidential elections provided the Democratic Centre with a platform to establish itself as the major opposition party in Colombia. The party has since taken steps to improve its political infrastructure given that it lagged in funding and party organisation compared to more traditional political parties.

Presidential elections

Election Year Candidate First Round Second Round Result
Votes Percentage Votes Percentage
2014 Óscar Iván Zuluaga 3,759,971 29.25 (#1) 6,905,001 45.00 (#2) Lost
2018 Iván Duque Márquez 7,569,693 39.14 (#1) 10,373,080 53.98 (#1) Won

Legislative elections

Election Year House of Representatives Senate
Votes Percentage Seats Votes Percentage Seats
2014 1,355,358 11.57 (#4)
19 / 166
2,045,564 17.52 (#2)
19 / 102
2018 2,471,596 16.53 (#2)
35 / 166
2,513,320 17.36 (#1)
19 / 102
2022 1,610,666 9.86 (#5)
16 / 166
1,917,153 11.42 (#5)
13 / 102

This page was last updated at 2024-02-08 06:18 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari