Conservative Party (Panama)
Encyclopedia
Conservative Party is a Panama
nian political party.
Panama
inherited the traditional political parties of Colombia
– the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party – which vied against one another from 1903 until the 1920s.
The local section, less doctrinaire than its Colombian parent, included most of the new nation's white minority, and was led by Manuel Amador Guerrero
who served as the republic's first President. Although Manuel Amador Guerrero
actively supported the break with Colombia
, most Conservatives had reservations about it.
“The Conservatives had never identified strongly with the independence movement and were not able to develop a mass following. The dominant political focus was rather on divisions within the Liberal Party”.
The chief divergence between their programs is on the question of public instruction, the Liberal Party favoring an educational system free from church control, and the Conservative Party advocating instruction under church auspices. “The ideological lines of liberalism and conservatism have never coincided with actual party lines. The real division has always been between the Government party and the Opposition party; and Liberals and Conservatives have figured on both sides. Since the revolution of 2 January 1931, party lines have become more indistinct than ever”.
Subsequently, as the party grew more liberal, its ideological differences with the Liberal Party dwindled, and many of its members joined the Liberals or other political organizations. Continuous Liberal Party success after 1912 severely damaged the Conservative Party, and by the 1920s it had ceased to be a serious factor in Panamanian politics.
By the early 1920s, most of the Conservative leaders of the independence generation had died without leaving political heirs.
The PC was abolished by the Electoral Tribunal on 26 September 1952.
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 political party.
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...
inherited the traditional political parties of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
– the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party – which vied against one another from 1903 until the 1920s.
The local section, less doctrinaire than its Colombian parent, included most of the new nation's white minority, and was led by Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero , was the first president of Panama from 20 February 1904 to 1 October 1908. He was a member of the Conservative Party....
who served as the republic's first President. Although Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero
Manuel Amador Guerrero , was the first president of Panama from 20 February 1904 to 1 October 1908. He was a member of the Conservative Party....
actively supported the break with Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, most Conservatives had reservations about it.
“The Conservatives had never identified strongly with the independence movement and were not able to develop a mass following. The dominant political focus was rather on divisions within the Liberal Party”.
The chief divergence between their programs is on the question of public instruction, the Liberal Party favoring an educational system free from church control, and the Conservative Party advocating instruction under church auspices. “The ideological lines of liberalism and conservatism have never coincided with actual party lines. The real division has always been between the Government party and the Opposition party; and Liberals and Conservatives have figured on both sides. Since the revolution of 2 January 1931, party lines have become more indistinct than ever”.
Subsequently, as the party grew more liberal, its ideological differences with the Liberal Party dwindled, and many of its members joined the Liberals or other political organizations. Continuous Liberal Party success after 1912 severely damaged the Conservative Party, and by the 1920s it had ceased to be a serious factor in Panamanian politics.
By the early 1920s, most of the Conservative leaders of the independence generation had died without leaving political heirs.
The PC was abolished by the Electoral Tribunal on 26 September 1952.