Puerto Rico political parties
According to Puerto Rico Electoral Laws, the country recognizes any political party with 5% or more of the total voters.
Major parties
Historically, there have been three major political parties in Puerto Rico:
The PPD and PNP have exchanged the Governor's seat since 1948, but the PIP has also had an impact on the election: many consider that the small group of PIP voters could have made a difference as to which of the other two major parties won some of the close elections. This latter phenomena is locally referred to as the watermelons (or melones in Spanish), because of the party colors of those who vote for the PPD (red) but in reality support the PIP (green )
Other parties
Name
(in English) |
Current leader |
Ideology |
| National Democratic Party of Puerto Rico |
Roberto Prats Palerm |
part of the U.S. Democratic Party |
| National Republican Party of Puerto Rico |
Tiody de Jesus |
part of the U.S. Republican Party |
Past parties
Name
(in English) |
Local name
(in Spanish) |
Abbreviation
(in Spanish) |
Members nickname |
Time Lapse |
| Puerto Rican Socialist Party |
Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño |
PSP |
socialistas (socialists in English) |
1970s, 1980s |
| Puerto Rican Renewal Party |
Partido Renovación Puertorriqueño |
PRP |
renovacionistas |
mid 1980s |
Political organizations
- National Hostosian Congress - Congreso Nacional Hostosiano (umbrella organization for pro-independence activists)
- New Independence Movement - Nuevo Movimiento Independentista
- Pro ELA (in favor of a freely associated republic status)
- United Statehooders - Estadistas Unidos
Historical information
The PPD and PNP have exchanged the Governor's seat since 1948, but the PIP has also had an impact on the election: many consider that the small group of PIP voters could have made a difference as to which of the other two major parties won some of the close elections. This latter phenomena is locally referred to as the watermelons (or melones in Spanish), because of the party colors of those who vote for the PPD (red) but in reality support the PIP (green).
See also
