Democrats (Chile)
The political party Demócratas–Chile or simply Demócratas was a Chilean political party positioned on the center-right of the political spectrum. In November 2025, received an order of dissolution after failing to reach the minimum vote threshold in parliamentary elections.
The party was founded on November 2, 2022, by former members of the Christian Democratic Party, the Party for Democracy, and the Radical Party of Chile.
Official recognition by the Electoral Service was granted on July 28, 2023.
The party’s creation occurred in the [2022 Chile|Chilean constitutional referendum|context of the 2022 constitutional referendum], in which the draft constitution proposed by the Constitutional Convention was rejected by a majority of voters.
Positioning itself as a guardian of institutional stability, republican values, and democratic pluralism, Democrats arose from a faction disenchanted with the ideological radicalization and alliance shifts within the historic center-left coalition Concertación and its successor parties.
Its founders—including experienced legislators such as former Senate president Ximena Rincón, deputies like Matías Walker, ex-ministers like Carlos Maldonado, and lawyers and commentators such as Gabriel Alemparte—advocate for a pragmatic political agenda focused on social dialogue, rule of law, and economic responsibility.
History
2022 Plebiscite
The movement emerged during the campaign for the constitutional plebiscite held on September 4, 2022. Several members of the Christian Democratic Party, the Party for Democracy, and the Radical Party of Chile chose to support the “Rechazo” option, even though their parties had officially endorsed “Apruebo” for the proposed constitution.Supporters of this stance created a platform named Centroizquierda por el Rechazo.
Several of these figures were disciplined by their own parties. Senators Ximena Rincón and Matías Walker were referred to the Supreme Tribunal of the Christian Democrats, accused of “shifting the party to the right.”
A similar case affected Carlos Maldonado, former presidential candidate of the Radical Party, whose membership was suspended.
After the “Rechazo” victory, centrist and center-left leaders who had supported that option sought to form a common platform. This led to a wave of resignations: Maldonado left the Radical Party on September 12, while Rincón and Walker left the Christian Democrats on October 27.
Foundation of the Party
On November 2, 2022, following the departure of Senators Rincón and Walker, a group of former center-left politicians announced the creation of a new collective named Demócratas.The founders described the party as “democratic, humanist, pluralist, regionalist and secular,” aiming to occupy the centrist space left open after the decline of the Concertación.
They also declared openness to alliances with other political forces and stated they would neither align with nor oppose the government of Gabriel Boric.
Among the founding members were former PPD deputy Jorge Tarud, constitutional convention member Miguel Ángel Botto, councilor of Pudahuel, Patricio Cisternas, councilor of Renca, Camila Avilés, and former director of the Sename, Marcela Labraña.
On November 4, the provisional leadership submitted documentation to the Electoral Service to begin the formal registration process.
The founding charter was officially published on November 21, 2022.
It joined the Chile Grande y Unido coalition for the 2025 Chilean general election.
Ideology
Demócratas defines itself as a centrist party bringing together both center-left and center-right currents — reflecting the diverse origins of its founders from the PDC, PPD, and PR. Its platform combines Christian democratic, humanist, pluralist, and regionalist values, claiming the legacy of the Concertación, which stabilized Chilean democracy, fostered growth, and reduced poverty.Rejecting ideological rigidity, the party seeks to be a pragmatic yet principled actor promoting moderation as an ethical stance against populism and extremism.
Its doctrine is rooted in the “radical center” and republicanism, emphasizing civic virtue, rule of law, and institutional continuity. Demócratas rejects political maximalism but aspires to play a pivotal role by cooperating with liberals from Evópoli, provided basic principles such as Human rights, macroeconomic stability, public security, and Democracy are respected.
The party aims to revive a pragmatic and trustworthy culture of governance capable of overcoming polarization and restoring public confidence in institutions.