National Progressive Force

National Progressive Force Fuerza Nacional Progresista
Leader	Marino Vinicio Castillo
Founded	July 6, 1980
Headquarters	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Ideology	Liberalism Liberal conservatism Conservatism
National affiliation	Progressive Bloc
Regional affiliation	Union of Latin American Parties
Official colors	Blue and White

The Fuerza Nacional Progresista —or National Progressive Force (also known as FNP), is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic, and has a center-right position. Currently the party is in sixth (6th) place of preference of the electorate.

History

The founding of the FNP on July 6, 1980, with the motto "Peace, Justice, Liberty", by Marino Vinicio Castillo, was regarded by many as a declaration of independence from Joaquín Balaguer. The Party participated in general elections for the first time in 1982, with Castillo as a presidential candidate. Nevertheless, since the FNP had been recognized by the Junta Central Electoral only two months before, its impact was negligible. In 1986, with Castillo running as a presidential candidate for the second time, the FNP gained 6,684 votes, equivalent to 0.32 percent of those registered. In the 1990 elections, Castillo again ran, this time seeking backing from the poor, the peasants, and all Dominican "who hoped for a decent future". To this end, Castillo promised a more even distribution of wealth by way of agricultural reform. For Castillo, this constituted a basic, fundamental structural change. The FNP proposed to more fully integrate the various sectors of Dominican society, to stimulate production, to combat narcotics traffickers, to fight against corruption, and to improve sanitation. These perspectives were not enough to significantly improve the FNP performance over 1986. Since 1996, Castillo has been allied with the PLD and has become a major electoral support during the past two elections of the winning Progressive Bloc.

2006 Parliamentary elections

In the parliamentary elections of 2006, the FNP had two candidates elected to the Chamber of Deputies:

• Pelegrín Castillo, Distrito Nacional
• José Ricardo Taveras, Santiago

2008 Presidential elections

In the presidential elections of 2008, the FNP gained 48,554 votes, equivalent to 1.19 percent of those registered.

2010 Parliamentary elections

In the parliamentary elections of 2010, the FNP just had one candidate elected to the Chamber of Deputies:

• Pelegrín Castillo, Distrito Nacional