National Patriotic Coalition
Encyclopedia
The National Patriotic Coalition (in Spanish
: Coalición Patriótica Nacional, CPN) was a Panama
nian conservative nationalist political party
.
It was founded in advance of the election of 1952 to support the presidential aspirations of Colonel José Antonio Remón Cantera
, head of the National Police
.
Its six original members were the Renewal Party
(PREN), Liberal Party “del Matadero” (PL), National Revolutionary Party (PNR), Authentic Revolutionary Party
(PRA), Popular Union Party (PUP) and Patriotic Youth Front (FJP).
In 1953 the CPN, a coalition of several parties, was reorganized as a single party. It was the government party during José Antonio Remón Cantera
's presidency and continued to be one of the principal parties until the late 1960s.
The ideology of CPN was vague: it supported the developmentalist and reformist policies of the Remón
government (1952–1955), following Remón
's assassination in 1955, supported the conservative Ricardo Arias government (1955–1956) and Ernesto de la Guardia government (1956–1960), which dismantled many of Remón
's progressive reforms, and in the early 1960s included among its deputies in the National Assembly Thelma King, who for a while was one of the principal advocates of Castroist
tendencies in Panama
.
The CPN was the official government party from its formation in 1952 until 1960. In the 1956 elections the CPN's presidential candidate was Ernesto de la Guardia; he polled 177,633 votes (68.49%) in the election.
Meantime, the CPN, undisturbed by any effective opposition in the National Assembly, began to suffer serious dissension within its own ranks.
Remón
conceived of the CPN as a system whereby political power was wielded by one faction of the official party and then another. De la Guardia abetted friction among the parties in the official coalition. He refused a cabinet post to the CPN faction of First Vice-President Temístocles Díaz Q.. Nor was the bloc of seats in the National Assembly allowed the Díaz faction proportionate to its electoral strength. Perhaps as a direct affront to Temístocles Díaz, the President named Gilberto Arias Guardia, a nephew of the former President Arnulfo Arias
, to the cabinet. The enmity between Temístocles Díaz and the elder Gilberto Arias was notorious. Gilberto Arias' incorporation into the cabinet did not reflect a shift in party alignments, but it neutralized the Arias news media.
Coincident with the downgrading of Temístocles Díaz and his CPN faction was the upgrading of the Liberal Democrata group. Following Remón
's assassination, the former Renewal Party
(PREN) faction under Ricardo Arias guided the CPN, but when Ernesto de la Guardia was elected president, he lured the Liberal Democrata faction and gave it dominance in the CPN.
Formerly a part of the National Liberal Party
, the Liberal Democratas had opposed the Remón
regime. For having switched to the CPN after the Remón
's death, the Liberal Democratas were rewarded with the foreign ministry and the agriculture, commerce, and industry portfolio.
A first formal split in the CPN took place on 27 May 1957 when Temístocles Díaz Q. with 37 prominent members, resigned from the CPN and took with him six deputies of the National Assembly of former Popular Union Party and Authentic Revolutionary Party
.
The reason for the split was general dissatisfaction with the president's political leadership. On 3 June 1957, Díaz was joined in his stand by former President Alcibíades Arosemena
and four ex-cabinet members and formed a new party named the National Liberation Movement to oppose de la Guardia.
This was a severe blow to the political supporters of President. The formation of the National Liberation Movement
led by Temístocles Díaz Q. created additional problems for the disintegrating CPN. The de la Guardia administration generally tended to be overwhelmed by its domestic problems and the rapid pace of events in foreign affairs.
In 1958, Aquilino Boyd withdrew his faction and created the Third Nationalist Party
, which joined the PLN coalition. In 1959 the former PREN faction, the faction of Alfredo Alemán and the faction of Carlos Sucre Calvo, who was a faction leader in the CPN during Remón
's tenure, left the CPN and registered as separate political parties (Renewal Party
, DIPAL Party
and Progressive National Party).
In 1960 Ricardo Arias, the candidate of CPN, unsuccessfully ran in the presidential elections, obtaining only 85,981 votes (35.61%).
In 1963 former Popular Union Party
faction, led by Bernardino González Ruíz, left the CPN and registered as the Democratic Action Party
.
For the 1964 elections, the CPN was the main component of the National Opposition Alliance (ANO), with the CPN's Juan de Arco Galindo as the coalition's presidential candidate. He polled 47,753 votes (14.62%) and came third.
In 1968 CPN allied with the National Union (UN) and its candidate Arnulfo Arias
, the CPN polled only 19,072 votes (05.95%).
All political parties including the CPN were banned by Omar Torrijos
after the military coup of 1968.
In 1981 the CPN joined the Third Nationalist Party
, National Liberation Movement
and factions that had earlier split off from National Liberal Party
and Republican Party
to form the opposition National Liberal Republican Movement (MOLIRENA).
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Coalición Patriótica Nacional, CPN) was a Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian conservative nationalist political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
.
It was founded in advance of the election of 1952 to support the presidential aspirations of Colonel José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
, head of the National Police
Military of Panama
The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship which ruled...
.
Its six original members were the Renewal Party
Renewal Party
The Renewal Party was a Panamanian right liberal political party.The Renewal Party was founded in 1947 by one of the Liberal Unification factions....
(PREN), Liberal Party “del Matadero” (PL), National Revolutionary Party (PNR), Authentic Revolutionary Party
Authentic Revolutionary Party
The Authentic Revolutionary Party was a right-wing political party in Bolivia.The Authentic Revolutionary Party was founded in 1959 as a faction of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement , the ruling party under the presidency of Víctor Paz Estenssoro by Wálter Guevara Arze,...
(PRA), Popular Union Party (PUP) and Patriotic Youth Front (FJP).
In 1953 the CPN, a coalition of several parties, was reorganized as a single party. It was the government party during José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
's presidency and continued to be one of the principal parties until the late 1960s.
The ideology of CPN was vague: it supported the developmentalist and reformist policies of the Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
government (1952–1955), following Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
's assassination in 1955, supported the conservative Ricardo Arias government (1955–1956) and Ernesto de la Guardia government (1956–1960), which dismantled many of Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
's progressive reforms, and in the early 1960s included among its deputies in the National Assembly Thelma King, who for a while was one of the principal advocates of Castroist
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
tendencies in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
The CPN was the official government party from its formation in 1952 until 1960. In the 1956 elections the CPN's presidential candidate was Ernesto de la Guardia; he polled 177,633 votes (68.49%) in the election.
Meantime, the CPN, undisturbed by any effective opposition in the National Assembly, began to suffer serious dissension within its own ranks.
Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
conceived of the CPN as a system whereby political power was wielded by one faction of the official party and then another. De la Guardia abetted friction among the parties in the official coalition. He refused a cabinet post to the CPN faction of First Vice-President Temístocles Díaz Q.. Nor was the bloc of seats in the National Assembly allowed the Díaz faction proportionate to its electoral strength. Perhaps as a direct affront to Temístocles Díaz, the President named Gilberto Arias Guardia, a nephew of the former President Arnulfo Arias
Arnulfo Arias
Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid was president of Panama on three occasions: 1940–41, 1949–51, and for two weeks in October 1968.- Origins :...
, to the cabinet. The enmity between Temístocles Díaz and the elder Gilberto Arias was notorious. Gilberto Arias' incorporation into the cabinet did not reflect a shift in party alignments, but it neutralized the Arias news media.
Coincident with the downgrading of Temístocles Díaz and his CPN faction was the upgrading of the Liberal Democrata group. Following Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
's assassination, the former Renewal Party
Renewal Party
The Renewal Party was a Panamanian right liberal political party.The Renewal Party was founded in 1947 by one of the Liberal Unification factions....
(PREN) faction under Ricardo Arias guided the CPN, but when Ernesto de la Guardia was elected president, he lured the Liberal Democrata faction and gave it dominance in the CPN.
Formerly a part of the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Panama)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal party in Panama. At the last legislative elections, 2 May 2004, the party won 5.2 % of the popular vote and 3 out of 78 seats...
, the Liberal Democratas had opposed the Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
regime. For having switched to the CPN after the Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
's death, the Liberal Democratas were rewarded with the foreign ministry and the agriculture, commerce, and industry portfolio.
A first formal split in the CPN took place on 27 May 1957 when Temístocles Díaz Q. with 37 prominent members, resigned from the CPN and took with him six deputies of the National Assembly of former Popular Union Party and Authentic Revolutionary Party
Authentic Revolutionary Party
The Authentic Revolutionary Party was a right-wing political party in Bolivia.The Authentic Revolutionary Party was founded in 1959 as a faction of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement , the ruling party under the presidency of Víctor Paz Estenssoro by Wálter Guevara Arze,...
.
The reason for the split was general dissatisfaction with the president's political leadership. On 3 June 1957, Díaz was joined in his stand by former President Alcibíades Arosemena
Alcibíades Arosemena
Alcibíades Arosemena Quinzada was Panamanian politician.He served as First Vice President in the cabinet of Arnulfo Arias and was also President of Panama from May 9, 1951 to October 1, 1952. He belonged to the Authentic Revolutionary Party ....
and four ex-cabinet members and formed a new party named the National Liberation Movement to oppose de la Guardia.
This was a severe blow to the political supporters of President. The formation of the National Liberation Movement
National Liberation Movement (Panama)
The National Liberation Movement was a Panamanian right-wing liberal political party.It was created in 1959 by Temístocles Díaz Q., a son of the late President Domingo Díaz Arosemena and a prominent National Patriotic Coalition leader and First Vice-President under Ernesto de la Guardia .A formal...
led by Temístocles Díaz Q. created additional problems for the disintegrating CPN. The de la Guardia administration generally tended to be overwhelmed by its domestic problems and the rapid pace of events in foreign affairs.
In 1958, Aquilino Boyd withdrew his faction and created the Third Nationalist Party
Third Nationalist Party
The Third Nationalist Party was a Panamanian conservative, radical nationalist political party....
, which joined the PLN coalition. In 1959 the former PREN faction, the faction of Alfredo Alemán and the faction of Carlos Sucre Calvo, who was a faction leader in the CPN during Remón
José Antonio Remón Cantera
José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....
's tenure, left the CPN and registered as separate political parties (Renewal Party
Renewal Party
The Renewal Party was a Panamanian right liberal political party.The Renewal Party was founded in 1947 by one of the Liberal Unification factions....
, DIPAL Party
DIPAL Party
DIPAL Party , was a Panamanian political party....
and Progressive National Party).
In 1960 Ricardo Arias, the candidate of CPN, unsuccessfully ran in the presidential elections, obtaining only 85,981 votes (35.61%).
In 1963 former Popular Union Party
Popular Union Party (Panama)
The Popular Union Party was a Panamanian centrist liberal political party.It was founded in 1947 by Sergio González Ruiz.Sergio González Ruiz was one of leaders of the Community Action...
faction, led by Bernardino González Ruíz, left the CPN and registered as the Democratic Action Party
Democratic Action Party (Panama)
The Democratic Action Party was a Panamanian conservative political party.The Democratic Action Party was founded by Bernardino González Ruíz, in 1963.It was formed by ex-members of the Popular Union Party....
.
For the 1964 elections, the CPN was the main component of the National Opposition Alliance (ANO), with the CPN's Juan de Arco Galindo as the coalition's presidential candidate. He polled 47,753 votes (14.62%) and came third.
In 1968 CPN allied with the National Union (UN) and its candidate Arnulfo Arias
Arnulfo Arias
Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid was president of Panama on three occasions: 1940–41, 1949–51, and for two weeks in October 1968.- Origins :...
, the CPN polled only 19,072 votes (05.95%).
All political parties including the CPN were banned by Omar Torrijos
Omar Torrijos
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was the Commander of the Panamanian and National Guard and the de facto leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981...
after the military coup of 1968.
In 1981 the CPN joined the Third Nationalist Party
Third Nationalist Party
The Third Nationalist Party was a Panamanian conservative, radical nationalist political party....
, National Liberation Movement
National Liberation Movement (Panama)
The National Liberation Movement was a Panamanian right-wing liberal political party.It was created in 1959 by Temístocles Díaz Q., a son of the late President Domingo Díaz Arosemena and a prominent National Patriotic Coalition leader and First Vice-President under Ernesto de la Guardia .A formal...
and factions that had earlier split off from National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Panama)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal party in Panama. At the last legislative elections, 2 May 2004, the party won 5.2 % of the popular vote and 3 out of 78 seats...
and Republican Party
Republican Party (Panama)
The Republican Party is a Panamanian right-wing political party.Its distant origins lie in the Liberal Renewal Party founded in 1932...
to form the opposition National Liberal Republican Movement (MOLIRENA).