Liberalism in Colombia

This article gives an overview of liberalism in Colombia. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ means a reference to another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary for the parties to have labeled themselves as a liberal party.

Introduction

Liberalism in Colombia is organized as the opposition to conservatism. The Colombian Liberal Party, founded in 1849, still exists as a dominant party, usually achieving the largest voter turnouts and electoral victories in congress and regional elections. It has also been a strong contender in recent presidential elections. It joined the Socialist International, despite historically being considered a party relatively left of center and somewhat prone to populism, according to some critics.

Its traditional position can be considered to be somewhere in the middle between liberalism and social democracy. Several current leaders of the party in the late 20th and early 21st centuries claim to be seeking to move the party closer to the social democratic left.

The timeline

Colombian Liberal Party

• 1849: The Colombian Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Colombiano) is founded
• 1960: Dissident liberals formed the ⇒ Revolutionary Liberal Movement
• 1967/1968: Most of the movement returned to the party
• 1979: Dissident liberals formed ⇒ New Liberalism.
• 1981: Dissident liberals formed ⇒ People's Power.

Revolutionary Liberal Movement

• 1960: A dissident faction of the ⇒ Colombian Liberal Party formed the Revolutionary Liberal Movement (Movimiento Liberal Revolucionario)
• 1967: Most of the party returned to the ⇒ Colombian Liberal Party
• 1968: The party disappeared.

People's Power

• 1981: A dissident faction of the ⇒ Colombian Liberal Party formed People's Power (Poder Popular).
• 1990s: The party returns to the ⇒ Colombian Liberal Party.

New Liberalism

• 1979: A dissident faction of the ⇒ Colombian Liberal Party formed New Liberalism (Nuevo Liberalismo).
• 1987: Most of the party and its leaders returned to the ⇒ Colombian Liberal Party.
• 1989: Luis Carlos Galán assassinated.
• 1990s: The party disappeared.

Liberal leaders

• Partido Liberal: Jorge Eliecer Gaitan – Alfonso López Michelsen – Luis Carlos Galán

References

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See also

• History of Colombia
• Politics of Colombia
• List of political parties in Colombia