Christian Democratic Party of Chile

In the Chamber of Deputies it is the second largest party, with 23 out of 117 seats; in the 48-member Senate it is the largest, with 12.

It is led by Adolfo Zaldivar. The current president, Ricardo Lagos Escobar is from another party in the coalition, the Party for Democracy.

The past two presidents of the fairly recent democratic Chile have been from one party. These presidents owed allegiance to the Christian Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata Cristiano) or the PDC. The Christian Democratic Party is the single largest political entity with governmental power within Chile. The PDC actually operates as the leader of a coalition consisting of five total political parties. This coalition is called the Concertion of Parties for the Democracy. In the Senate, as of 2001, the PDC seated twelve members. Having one-fourth of the total forty-eight Senators come from the PDC, this party proves itself to be a dominant political power.

Customarily, the PDC backs specific initiatives in an effort to bridge communism and capitalism. This idea has been called “communitarian socialism.” In addition to this objective, the PDC also supports a strong national government. Specifically, in the 1990’s, the PDC modernized by adopting a position closer to economic liberalism. Many of the parties in Chile have come to accept the free market that has helped to revitalize Chile’s economy. The leader of the Christian Democratic Party is Adolfo Zaldivar.

See also: Politics of Chile, List of political parties in Chile.