Nationalist Democratic Action (, ADN) was a right-wing political party in Bolivia led by Óscar Daza Márquez. The ADN was founded on March 23, 1979, by the military dictator Hugo Banzer after he stepped down from power. As leader of the ADN, Banzer ran in the 1979, 1980, 1985, 1989, 1993, and 1997 presidential elections.
History Hugo Banzer obtained third place in the presidential elections of 1979 and 1980, and won a plurality of the 1985 vote, but, since he did not attain the 50% necessary for direct election, Congress selected the chief executive. Its choice was the second-place finisher, Víctor Paz Estenssoro. Banzer's party at that point opted for supporting the MNR in a coalition government. Indeed, ADN would go on to claim authorship to some of the major neoliberal economic reforms instituted by President Paz to curb galloping hyperinflation, repress labor unions, and reduce the size of the government. Banzer finished second in the 1989 elections, but supported in Congress the third-place finisher, the left-leaning Jaime Paz Zamora, who became President with ADN help. The party again governed as the main support of a ruling coalition, this time under Paz Zamora. Banzer's ADN again finished second in 1993, this time to the MNR's Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.
Finally, in 1997, Banzer Suárez became the constitutionally-elected President of Bolivia, at the age of 71. He was the first former dictator in Latin America's recent history to transition successfully to democratic politics and return to power by way of the ballot box. During his tenure, he launched—under the guidelines outlined by the United States—a program to fight drug-trafficking in Bolivia, which called for the eradication of coca, a controversial strategy. He also had some trouble with the unions, but nonetheless did nothing to rule in a conciliatory and non-arbitrary manner. He was diagnosed with lung cancer on June 27, 2001, and even though he had earned a five-year term (he had himself agitated to legally enlarge the presidential term) Banzer resigned on August 7, 2001. He was succeeded by his vice-president, Jorge Quiroga. Banzer's health declined rapidly thereafter, and he died on May 5, 2002.
Quiroga then became leader and heir apparent of the ADN, but when he ran for President in the 2005 elections, he did so as the candidate for a new right-of-center coalition known as Social and Democratic Power (PODEMOS), which included the bulk of Banzer's former ADN organization. His main opponent was the leftist Evo Morales of the Movement Towards Socialism. Morales won the election and Quiroga finished a distant second place, receiving 28.6% of the vote. In the mid-2000s, it appeared that ADN has become a defunct former party, replaced by Quiroga's new PODEMOS organization, although its structures, ideology, and supporters remained basically the same. However, as of 2015, it was still a legal political party in Bolivia.
Election results
Presidential elections
ElectionPresidential nomineeVotes%Votes%ResultFirst roundSecond round 1979Hugo Banzer 218,857 14.89% 22 15.28% Lost 1980 220,309 16.83% 29 18.47% Lost 1985 493,735 32.83% 51 35.17% Lost 1989 357,298 25.24% Lost 1993 346,865 21.05% Lost 1997 484,705 22.26% 118 79.73% Elected 2002 Ronald MacLean Abaroa 94,386 3.40% Lost 2005 Jorge Quiroga 821,745 28.59% Lost 2009Did not contest 2014Did not contest 2019Did not contest 2020Did not contest 2025 Pavel Aracena 77,576 1.45% Lost
Chamber of Deputies and Senate elections ElectionParty leaderVotes%Chamber seats +/-PositionSenate seats +/-PositionStatus 1979Hugo Banzer 218,857 14.89% New 3rd New 3rd 1980 220,309 16.83% 5 3rd 3 3rd 1985 493,735 32.83% 17 2nd 3 2nd 1989 357,298 25.24% 3 2nd 2 3rd 1993 3 2nd 0 2nd 1997 3 1st 3 1st 2002Jorge Quiroga 94,386 3.40% 28 7th 11 7th 2005 39 2nd 16 2nd 2009Did not contest 43 16 2014Did not contest 0 0 2019Did not contest 0 0 2020Did not contest 0 0 2025 Gabriel Gutiérrez 0 7th 0 5th
References
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