List of political parties in Puerto Rico


This article lists political parties in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico has a 'first past the post' electoral system, in which a voter can vote by party, by candidate or both. To qualify as an official political party, a party must meet the criteria set forth by the .
This list sorts political parties either alphabetically or by date of founding.

Registered parties

Present

As of 2020, Puerto Rico has five registered electoral parties:

Past – under U.S. sovereignty

The existing parties in Puerto Rico at the time of change of sovereignty in 1898 reinvented themselves into parties with by-laws, platforms and ideologies consistent with the new political reality brought about by the change of sovereignty. The Barbosistas, followers of Jose Celso Barbosa and mostly aligned with Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo, formed the Partido Republicano Puertorriqueño, while the Muñocistas, followers of Luis Muñoz Rivera and mostly aligned with Partido Liberal Puertorriqueño, formed Partido Federal.
Name Name AbbreviationIdeologyExisted
Federal PartyPartido Federal-Pro-autonomy1899–1900s
Puerto Rican Republican PartyPartido Republicano Puertorriqueño-Pro-statehood1899–1924
Labor PartyPartido ObreroPSPRSocialism, Pro-statehood1899–1915
Union PartyPartido Unión-Pro-independence1900s – 1930s
Socialist PartyPartido Socialista de Puerto RicoPOSocialism1915–1950s
Nationalist Party of Puerto RicoPartido Nacionalista de Puerto RicoPNPRPro-independence1920s–present
Puerto Rican AllianceAlianza PuertorriqueñaAPCentrism1924–1932
CoalitionCoalición-Pro-statehood1924–1940
Republican UnionUnión Republicana-Pro-statehood1930s–1960s
Puerto Rican Communist PartyPartido Comunista PuertorriqueñoPCPMarxism–Leninism, pro-independence1930s–1990s
Liberal Party of Puerto RicoPartido Liberal de Puerto Rico-Pro-independence1932–1948
Puerto Rican Reformist PartyPartido Reformista PuertorriqueñoPRP-1948
Transparent, Authentic and Complete Liberal PartyPartido Liberal Neto, Auténtico y Completo--1937–1948
Republican Statehood PartyPartido Estadista RepublicanoPERPro-statehood1956–1968
Christian Action PartyPartido Acción CristianaPACChristian politics1960s
People's Party Partido del PuebloPP-1960s–1970s
Puerto Rican Union PartyPartido Unión PuertorriqueñaPUP-1969–1972
Puerto Rican Socialist PartyPartido Socialista PuertorriqueñoPSPSocialism, pro-independence1970s–1990s
Puerto Rican Renewal PartyPartido Renovación PuertorriqueñaPRPPro-statehood1983–1987
Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico PartyPartido Puertorriqueños Por Puerto RicoPPPRGreen politics2007–2012
Sovereign Union MovementMovimiento Unión SoberanistaMUSPro-independence2012
Working People's PartyPartido del Pueblo TrabajadorPPTLeft-wing populism, Democratic socialism2012–2016

Past – under Spain sovereignty

There were no political parties in Puerto Rico until 1870. Bolivar Pagan states the following were the political parties in Puerto Rico during the years of Spanish sovereignty.
Name Name LeaderPlatform / IdeologyExisted
Unconditional Spanish PartyPartido Incondicional EspañolJose Ramon FernandezConservative1870–1898
Liberal Reformist PartyPartido Liberal ReformistaPedro Geronimo GoycoLiberal1870–1898
Puerto Rican Autonomist PartyPartido Autonomista PuertorriqueñoR. B de Castro. Later, Celso Barbosa and Muñoz RiveraRegional Autonomy1887–1898
Orthodox Autonomist Party
Partido Autonomista Ortodoxo
Jose Celso BarbosaRegional Autonomy1897–1899
Puerto Rican Liberal PartyPartido Liberal PuertorriqueñoLuis Muñoz RiveraAutonomy via pact with Spain's Liberal Party1897–1899

Unregistered parties

A number of unregistered political parties and organizations exist in Puerto Rico outside of the electoral arena. These organizations span the entire political spectrum:

Affiliates of federal-level United States parties

Unlike the political parties listed above, which are eligible for registration with the Comisión Estatal de Elecciones upon fulfilling CEE requirements, the following parties exist as affiliates of American parties and participate in the U.S. primaries of the corresponding American parties at the federal level. Also, unlike the Puerto Rican political parties above, all of which are based in Puerto Rico, these parties are headquartered in mainland United States.

Party sites

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Miscellaneous links

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