List of political parties in Puerto Rico


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, a party must meet the criteria set forth by the .
These criteria categorize political parties as follows:
Political parties meeting the stated criteria are certified and inscribed by the State Elections Commission.

Registered parties

Past – under Spain sovereignty

There were no political parties in Puerto Rico until 1870. Bolivar Pagan states the following were the political parties in Puerto Rico during the years of Spanish sovereignty.
Name Name LeaderPlatform / IdeologyExisted
Unconditional Spanish PartyPartido Incondicional EspañolJose Ramon FernandezConservative1870 – 1898
Liberal Reformist PartyPartido Liberal ReformistaPedro Geronimo GoycoLiberal1870–1898
Puerto Rican Autonomist PartyPartido Autonomista PuertorriqueñoR. B de Castro. Later, Celso Barbosa and Muñoz RiveraRegional Autonomy1887 – 1898
Orthodox Autonomist Party Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo Jose Celso BarbosaRegional Autonomy1897–1899
Puerto Rican Liberal PartyPartido Liberal PuertorriqueñoLuis Muñoz RiveraAutonomy via pact with Spain's Partido Liberal Fusionista1897–1899

Past – under U.S. sovereignty

The existing parties in Puerto Rico at the time of change of sovereignty in 1898 reinvented themselves into parties with by-laws, platforms and ideologies consistent with the new political reality brought about by the change of sovereignty. The Barbosistas, followers of Jose Celso Barbosa and mostly aligned with Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo, formed the Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño, while the Muñocistas, followers of Luis Muñoz Rivera and mostly aligned with Partido Liberal Puertorriqueño, formed Partido Federal.
Name Name AbbreviationExisted
Federal PartyPartido Federal-1899 – 1900s
Puerto Rican Republican PartyPartido Republicano Puertorriqueño-1899 – 1924
Union PartyPartido Unión-1900s – 1930s
Socialist PartyPartido Socialista de Puerto RicoPSPR1900s – 1950s
Nationalist Party of Puerto RicoPartido Nacionalista de Puerto RicoPNPR1920s – Present
Republican UnionUnión Republicana-1930s – 1960s
Puerto Rican Communist PartyPartido Comunista PuertorriqueñoPCP1930s – 1990s
Liberal Party of Puerto RicoPartido Liberal de Puerto Rico-1932 – 1944
Transparent, Authentic and Complete Liberal PartyPartido Liberal Neto, Auténtico y Completo-1937–1948
Republican Statehood PartyPartido Estadista RepublicanoPER1956 – 1968
Christian Action PartyPartido Acción CristianaPAC1960s
People's Party Partido del PuebloPP1960s – 1970s
Puerto Rican Union PartyPartido Unión PuertorriqueñaPUP1969 – 1972
Puerto Rican Socialist PartyPartido Socialista PuertorriqueñoPSP1970s – 1990s
Puerto Rican Renewal PartyPartido Renovación PuertorriqueñaPRP1983 – 1987
Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico PartyPartido Puertorriqueños Por Puerto RicoPPR2007 – 2012
Movimiento Unión SoberanistaMovimiento Unión SoberanistaMUS2012
Working People's PartyPartido del Pueblo TrabajadorPPT2012 – 2016

Present

As of 2020, Puerto Rico has five registered electoral parties:
Name Name InitialsCurrent leaderIdeology
Citizens' Victory MovementMovimiento Victoria CiudadanaMVCAna Irma Rivera LassénAnti-corruption and favors a constitutional assembly to determine decolonization path
New Progressive PartyPartido Nuevo ProgresistaPNPThomas Rivera SchatzPro-statehood
Popular Democratic PartyPartido Popular DemocráticoPPDAníbal José TorresPro-commonwealth, pro-autonomous entity: different from a federated state or a territory., as established in 1950 law
Puerto Rican Independence PartyPartido Independentista PuertorriqueñoPIPRubén BerríosPro-independence, social democracy
Dignity ProjectProyecto DignidadPDCésar Vázquez MuñizSocial conservative

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:
Unlike the political parties listed above, which are eligible for registration with the Comisión Estatal de Elecciones upon fulfilling CEE requirements, the following parties exist as affiliates of American parties and participate in the U.S. primaries of the corresponding American parties at the federal level. Also, unlike the Puerto Rican political parties above, all of which are based in Puerto Rico, these parties are headquartered in mainland United States.
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