The political parties of Chile are three clearly categorized, distinct, political groups: the left-wing, the center and the right-wing. Before the 1973 coup, these three political groups were moderately pluralistic and fragmented.
This distinction has existed since the end of the 19th century. Since then, the three groups have been made up of different parties. Each party has had some amount of power in the management of the State or has been represented in the National Congress.
Political parties are recognized legally and formally by Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile of 1980 and by the Organic Constitutional Law of Political Parties of 1987 as organizations that participate in the legal political system and contribute to guiding public opinion.
Political parties This article lists political parties in Chile. Chile has a multi-party system.
Active there are 15 legally constituted political parties in Chile.
Party/Alliance Abbr. Est. Position Internationalaffiliation GovernorsThe coalition total adds Governors who, while not being a registered member of the party, won their respective election in the Coalition's ticket. Senators Deputies Regionaladvisors Mayors Councilors Unity for Chile UpCh 2022 Centre-leftto left-wing None Democratic Socialism SD 2021 Centre-left None Socialist Party PS 1933 Centre-leftto left-wing PA, SI Party for DemocracyPPD 1987 Centre-left PA, SI Radical Party PR 1863 Centre-left PA, SI Liberal PartyPL 2013 Centre-left LI Christian Democratic Party PDC 1957 Centre tocentre-left CDI Communist Party PCCh 1922 Left-wingto far-left IMCWP Broad Front FA 2024 Left-wing None Let's go Chile ChV 2015 Centre-rightto right-wing None National Renewal RN 1987 Centre-rightto right-wing IDU, CDI Independent Democratic Union UDI 1983 Right-wing IDU Political Evolution EVO 2012 Centre-right LI Republican PartyPRCh 2019 Far-right None National Libertarian PartyPNL 2024 Far-right None Party of the PeoplePDG 2019 Centre-rightto right-wing None Social Green Regionalist Federation FRVS 2017 Centre-left to left-wing None
Minor political movements Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action) (Partido Comunista Chileno (Acción Proletaria)) Libertarian Left (Izquierda Libertaria)
Historical Liberal Party (Partido Liberal) (existed 1849–1966) Conservative Party (Partido Conservador) (existed 1851–1949, 1953–1966) National Party (Partido Nacional) (existed 1857–1933) Democrat Party (Partido Demócrata) (existed 1887–1941) Liberal Democratic Party (Partido Liberal Democrático) (existed 1893–1933) Democratic Party (Partido Democrático) (existed 1932–1960) National Socialist Movement of Chile (Movimiento Nacional Socialista de Chile) (existed 1932–1941) Agrarian Labor Party (Partido Agrario Laborista) (existed 1945–1958) National Democratic Party (Partido Democrático Nacional) (existed 1960–1999) New Democratic Left (founded and dissolved in 1963) Socialist Democratic Party (Partido Democrático Socialista) (existed 1964–1965) Revolutionary Communist Party (Partido Comunista Revolucionario) (existed 1966–1981) National Party (Partido Nacional) (existed 1966–1973, 1983–1994) Popular Unitary Action Movement (Movimiento de Acción Popular Unitario or MAPU) (existed 1969–1994) Radical Democracy (Democracia Radical) (existed 1969–1990) Chilean Social Democracy Party (Partido Socialdemocracia Chilena) (existed 1971–1994) Citizen Left (Izquierda Cristiana or Izquierda Ciudadana) (existed 1971–2018) National Advance (Avanzada Nacional) (existed 1983–1990) Party of the South (Partido del Sur) (existed 1987–1998) The Greens (Los Verdes) (existed 1987–1990, 1995–2001) Broad Party of Socialist Left (Partido Amplio de Izquierda Socialista or PAIS) (existed 1988–1990) Liberal Party (Partido Liberal) (existed 1988–1994) Humanist Green Alliance (Alianza Humanista Verde) (existed 1990–1995) Union of the Centrist Center (Unión de Centro Centro) (existed 1990–2002) National Alliance of Independents (Alianza Nacional de los Independientes) (existed 2001–2006) Regionalist Action Party of Chile (Partido de Acción Regionalista de Chile) (existed 2003–2006) Independent Regionalist Party (Partido Regionalista Independiente) (existed 2006–2018) Broad Social Movement (Movimiento Amplio Social) (existed 2008–2018) Progressive Party (Partido Progresista) (existed 2009–2022) Amplitude (Amplitud) (existed 2014–2018) Citizen Power (Poder Ciudadano) (existed 2015–2019) Citizens (Ciudadanos) (existed 2015–2022) Common Force (Fuerza Común) (existed 2020–2022) Comunes (Comunes) (existed 2019-2024) Democratic Revolution (Revolución Democrática) (existed 2012-2024) Social Convergence (Convergencia Social) (existed 2019-2024) Christian Social Party (Partido Social Cristiano) (Existed 2022-2026) Green Ecologist Party (Partido Ecologista Verde) (Existed 2006-2026) Democrats (Demócratas) (Existed 2022-2026) Equality Party (Partido Igualdad) (2022–2026) Humanist Action (Acción Humanista) (2020–2026) Humanist Party (Partido Humanista) (1984–2026) People's Party (Partido Popular) (2022–2026) Popular Green Alliance Party (Partido Alianza Verde Popular) (2022–2026) Revolutionary Workers' Party (Partido de Trabajadores Revolucionarios) (2017–2026)
Alliances
Active
Major Coalitions Change for Chile (Cambio por Chile), composed of: Republican Party of Chile National Libertarian Party
Great and United Chile (Chile Grande y Unido), composed of: Chile Vamos, composed of: Independent Democratic Union (Unión Demócrata Independiente) National Renewal (Renovación Nacional) Evòpoli
Unity for Chile (Unidad por Chile) Broad Front (Frente Amplio) Christian Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata Cristiano) Communist Party of Chile (Partido Comunista de Chile) Democratic Socialism (Socialismo Democrático), composed of: Liberal Party of Chile (Partido Liberal de Chile) Party for Democracy (Partido por la Democracia) Socialist Party of Chile (Partido Socialista de Chile) Radical Party of Chile (Partido Radical de Chile) New Deal (Nuevo Trato)
Minor Coalitions
Greens, Regionalists and Humanists Humanist Action FREVS
Popular Ecologist, Animalist, and Humanist Left Humanist Party Equality Party Libertarian Left
Historical Broad Front Dignity Now New Social Pact United Independents Christian Social Front Popular Front Democratic Alliance Popular Unity Confederation of Democracy Coalition of Parties for Democracy Alliance Coalition for Change Together We Can Do More New Majority Approve Dignity History of Chile's political parties
Origins and the first blocks (1810–1860)
In Chile, the first political groups were created during the Independence of Chile: the Royalists and the Patriots. The Royalists wanted to maintain the status quo with the King of Spain, while the Patriots wanted to gain a larger degree of freedom. In turn, the Patriots further split into the Moderates, who wanted a slow pace of reform, and the Radicals or Extremists, who favored a much faster pace. All of the early political groups were shy of advocating for full independence since it was unknown if the King would regain his power from Napoleon.
Once Chile gained independence, many political groupings emerged. They were based on various popular leaders during that time, instead of common political ideas. Two very strong political groupings were the Pipolos (liberals) and the Pelucónes (conservatives). Two minor parties, the O’Higginists and the Tobacconists, were often on the Pelucónes' side. After Diego Portales Palazuelos became the architect of the New Institution and the Constitution of 1833, the Pelucónes prevailed for thirty years (1831–1861).
From 1831 to 1861, the prevailing political system was one in which the President co-opted a successor. This system greatly influenced the idea that power should be transferred between members of the ruling political faction. It was only the "Question of the Sacristan" (1856), which divided The Pelucónes, allowed for the rise of the Liberals to power in 1861.
Dominance of the traditional parties (1860–1920) The formal emergence of political parties in Chilean institutions occurred around the 1850s. Chileans began to challenge the President as the leading role in national political life through the National Congress. In 1891, the disagreement was resolved after a Civil War, in favor of a parliamentary system.
Around that time, the rise of the middle class would eventually lead to the creation of the Radical Party. Their campaign started in the 1850s, as a group defending the interests of the silver mine owners, but it would gradually shift its focus to the employees of the growing state bureaucracy. Soon afterwards, from the same branch of radicalism, the Democratic Party appeared. It was a community that was born closer to the working class segment of society, but that over time would join the game of alliances within the rest of the party system.
After the Chilean Civil War of 1891, the political system began to embody elements of a parliamentary system. Hence, the political coalitions became very strong. Although around twenty distinct political parties and movements existed, Chilean politics was structured around two large groups: the Liberal Alliance (of Liberal and Progressive tendency) and the Coalition (Conservative, Catholics). At the same time, political parties, formerly tools of the upper-class, expanded to include the thriving middle and working classes too.
Expansion of political parties (1920–1973) With the rise of immigration from Europe, workers with anarchist and socialist ideas came to Chile. Additionally, in the mid-19 century, the union movement began in the nitrate fields of the north of Chile through a surge of the joint labor unions. It is from these processes that in 1912, the Workers' Socialist Party was founded in Iquique by the typographer Luis Emilio Recabarren and 30 union workers and employees. The Workers' Socialist Party is defined as the political party of the Chilean working class. In 1922, the party joined the Third Communist International. Since that date, the party has been known as the Communist Party of Chile.
In the period between 1920 and 1938 (between the start of the first presidential term of Arturo Alessandri Palma and the end of his second term) a series of political incidents led to the loss of the importance of traditional nineteenth-century parties, but for the benefit of the "party masses".
The splendor of this new type of political party would come with the three presidential terms of the Radical Party between 1938 and 1952. At that time, the Radical Party (the faction of the middle class, par excellence), transformed into a large body of positions and political favors, which in the long run would lead to its discredit. Its place as an intermediate political group—between the right and the left—would be taken by the Christian Democratic Party. The Christian Democratic Party is the successor of the National Falange, which in turn had split from the declining Conservative Party after the victory of Eduardo Frei Montalva (1964–1970). Regarding political parties, their main characteristic between 1938 and 1973 was their structuring into the classic "three-thirds" system (right, center, and left).
With Salvador Allende, the Popular Unity came to power as a vast political coalition composed of elements from the center and the left. However, the Military Coup of 1973 signified not only the disappearance of the Popular Unity, but the breakdown of the party system and its end during most of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Only in the last year of the military dictatorship was the Organic Constitutional Law of Political Parties enacted, which regulated their formation and function.
Proscription of parties and reorganization (1973–1990)