Social Christian Reformist Party

Social Christian Reformist Party

The Social Christian Reformist Party (Spanish: "Partido Reformista Social Cristiano", PRSC) is a conservative populist party in the Dominican Republic formed by Joaquín Balaguer and his political heirs in the Dominican Republic. Some of the PRSC's founders and leaders were originally business leaders and Roman Catholics who opposed the Communist or democratic socialist tendencies of Juan Bosch and José Francisco Peña Gómez, of the PRD and PLD. It remains the party of business. However, as is the case with most party politics in the Dominican Republic, the party remains pragmatically populist.

Founders of the original PRSC (former Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano) were anti-trujillistas, among others: Alfonso Moreno Martinez, Mario Read Vittini, Yuyo D'Alessandro,Caonabo Javier Castillo, all of them returning to the Dominican Rep. from political exile. Years after this political party became Partido Refomista Social Cristiano.

Populism in the Dominican Republic means that candidates win by impressing poor people with promises and personal charisma. Individuals vote based on the likelihood that their personal position will be improved by the vote. The state is poor but paternalistic, and so limited government resources – in the shape of employment opportunities, public works, funding, and free food – are to a certain extent passed out based on party membership. ("See:" Politics of the Dominican Republic.)

Another important characteristic of politics in the Dominican Republic is the predominance of strong charismatic leaders in place of ideology. Balaguer assembled a machine that helped decide elections even after he was out of power and infirm. At the legislative elections, 16 May 2002, the party won 24.3 % of the popular vote and 36 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 1 out of 31 seats in the Senate. Its candidate at the presidential election of 16 May 2004, Eduardo Estrella, won 8.6 % of the vote.

In the 16 May 2006 legislative elections, the party formed together with its traditional opponent, the Dominican Revolutionary Party, and others the Grand National Alliance, that won only 82 out of 178 deputies and 10 out of 32 senators. The Social Christian Reform Party itself won 23 seats in the chamber of deputies and 4 seats in the senate, taking a distant third place compared to the Dominican Liberation Party, which won the election, and the Dominican Revolutionary Party.

For the next Presidential Election(May 2008), the PRSC elected as their Candidate : Dominican Municipal League President (and elected but never serving Senator from Higuey) Amable Aristy Castro. He came in a distant third place with 5% of the vote.

External links

* [http://www.prsc.com.do/ Official web site]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands) — Infobox Dutch Political Party party name = Social Democratic Workers Party party party wikicolourid = SP leader = Pieter Jelles Troelstra (1893 1925) Willem Albeda (1925 1945) foundation = 1894 Dissolved = 1946 merged into the Labour Party… …   Wikipedia

  • Christian Democratic Party (Netherlands) — Netherlands This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Netherlands …   Wikipedia

  • Christian People's Party (Dominican Republic) — The Christian People s Party (Spanish: Partido Popular Cristiano) is a minor political party in the Dominican Republic. It first contested national elections in 1986,[1] when it was part of the Dominican Revolutionary Party led alliance which… …   Wikipedia

  • Christian socialism — Socialism …   Wikipedia

  • Christian Democrat Organization of America — Part of a series on Christian democracy …   Wikipedia

  • Christian Democratic Union (Dominican Republic) — The Christian Democratic Union (Spanish: Unión Demócrata Cristiana) is a Christian Democratic political parties of the Dominican Republic. It first contested national elections in 2002, when it received 0.2% of the vote in the parliamentary… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Christian democratic parties — Christian Democratic Party redirects here. For a list of parties named Christian Democratic Party, see Christian Democratic Party (disambiguation). Part of a series on Christian democracy …   Wikipedia

  • Social democracy — Social democracy …   Wikipedia

  • Dominican Revolutionary Party — Partido Revolucionario Dominicano Leader Miguel Vargas Maldonado Slogan National sovereignty, Freedom, Democracy and Social Justice Founded 21 January 1939 Headquarter …   Wikipedia

  • Christian Rakovsky — Кръстьо Раковски, Xристиан Георгиевич Раковский, Християн Георгійович Раковський, Cristian Racovski 1st Chairm. of the Council of People s Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR In office January 16, 1919 – July 15, 1923 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”