Revolutionary Left Front
Encyclopedia
The Revolutionary Left Front is a political party
in Bolivia
, founded in 1978.
April 23, 1978. The meeting was organized by an initiative committee (led by Dr. Guido Perales Aguilar as permanent secretary). The founding of FRI in April 1978 was a formalization of an already existing informal cooperation between different political groups. FRI was composed of the Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist-Leninist)
(PCB(ML)), Revolutionary Party of the Nationalist Left
(PRIN), Revolutionary Party of the Workers of Bolivia
(PRTB), POR-Combate, Vanguardia Comunista del POR (the latter two were Trotskyist groups) and an independent grouping led by Manuel Morales Dávila. POR-Masas
was blocked from joining FRI. Óscar Zamora Medinaceli
was the funding chairman of FRI, and politically FRI was under the control of PCB(ML). Lidia Gueiler Tejada
was the vice president of FRI. The declaration of principles of FRI read
, the Christian Democratic Party
and Walter Guevara
's PRA). The presidential candidate of FRI in the 1978 elections was Casiano Amurrio. Lidia Gueiler was the vice-presidential candidate of FRI. Amurrio obtained 23,459 votes (1.2% of the national vote).
PRIN left FRI ahead of the 1979 elections, and joined UDP. Morales
Dávila also broke away from FRI. FRI became little more than the public facade of PCB(ML), as other factions had deserted it. The group sought to merge with UDP, but failed.
's Nationalist Democratic Action
and the Revolutionary Left Movement
).
and Cochabamba
departments. The FRI chairman Zamora Medinaceli was mayor of Tarija
1987-1989, 1994-1996 and 1996-1997. In the 1991 municipal elections
, the party got 20,179 votes (1.55% of the nationwide vote), whilst in the 1993 municipal election it obtained 25,099 votes (2.24%). In the 1991 municipal elections, the party had the highest percentage of female candidates in the major cities amongst all contesting parties (8 out of 36 candidates, 22.2%). In 1993 eleven out of 52 FRI candidates were women. In the 1995 municipal elections, the vote of the party reached 53,540 (3.12%). The party won 27 municipal council seats (out of 1585 in all of Bolivia). The party won 17 municipal council seats (out of a total of 1,700 in all of Bolivia) in the 1999 municipal elections
.
The party supported the candidature of Mario Cossío Cortez for governor of Tarija in the 2010 elections
.
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...
in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, founded in 1978.
Foundation
FRI was formed at a national conference of leftwing forces, held in La PazLa Paz
Nuestra Señora de La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of the La Paz Department, and the second largest city in the country after Santa Cruz de la Sierra...
April 23, 1978. The meeting was organized by an initiative committee (led by Dr. Guido Perales Aguilar as permanent secretary). The founding of FRI in April 1978 was a formalization of an already existing informal cooperation between different political groups. FRI was composed of the Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist-Leninist)
Communist Party of Bolivia (Marxist-Leninist)
The Communist Party of Bolivia was a political party in Bolivia. PCB emerged as a pro-People's Republic of China splinter-group of the Communist Party of Bolivia in 1965...
(PCB(ML)), Revolutionary Party of the Nationalist Left
Revolutionary Party of the Nationalist Left
The Revolutionary Party of the Nationalist Left was a left-wing political party in Bolivia. It was founded in 1963 by the labor leader Juan Lechín Oquendo and by Mario Torres Calleja and Edwin Moller in lesser roles...
(PRIN), Revolutionary Party of the Workers of Bolivia
Revolutionary Party of the Workers of Bolivia
The Revolutionary Party of the Workers of Bolivia was a political party in Bolivia, formed in 1972 as the political wing of the National Liberation Army . PRTB was later move away from the foquismo line of ELN. PRTB published El proletario....
(PRTB), POR-Combate, Vanguardia Comunista del POR (the latter two were Trotskyist groups) and an independent grouping led by Manuel Morales Dávila. POR-Masas
Revolutionary Workers' Party (Bolivia)
The Revolutionary Workers' Party is a Trotskyist political party in Bolivia. At its height in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the POR was one of the few Trotskyist parties in history to gain a mass working-class following.-Beginnings:...
was blocked from joining FRI. Óscar Zamora Medinaceli
Óscar Zamora Medinaceli
Óscar Zamora Medinaceli is a is a Bolivian politician and lawyer. A communist student activist in his youth and leader of a failed Maoist insurgency in the 1970s, Zamora Medinaceli went on to become a senator, minister, mayor, ambassador and prefect.-Student activist:Zamora Medinaceli entered...
was the funding chairman of FRI, and politically FRI was under the control of PCB(ML). Lidia Gueiler Tejada
Lidia Gueiler Tejada
Lidia Gueiler Tejada was the first female President of Bolivia, serving in an interim capacity from 1979 to 1980...
was the vice president of FRI. The declaration of principles of FRI read
FRI is the political instrument of the masses, which enables the accummulation of forces in order to defeat the dictatorship, impose democratic freedoms and achieve national liberation...
1978 and 1979 elections
FRI itself was also part of a larger coalition in the 1978 electtions, the Democratic Alliance (along with the Revolutionary Nationalist MovementRevolutionary Nationalist Movement
The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement is a Bolivian political party, perhaps the most important in the country during the 20th century. At the legislative elections in 2002, the party won, in an alliance with the Free Bolivia Movement, 26.9% of the popular vote and 36 out of 130 seats in the...
, the Christian Democratic Party
Christian Democratic Party (Bolivia)
The Christian Democratic Party is a progressive Christian-democratic political party in Bolivia....
and Walter Guevara
Wálter Guevara
Wálter Guevara Arze was a Bolivian statesman, cabinet minister, writer, diplomat, and, rather briefly, president .-Background and earlier career:...
's PRA). The presidential candidate of FRI in the 1978 elections was Casiano Amurrio. Lidia Gueiler was the vice-presidential candidate of FRI. Amurrio obtained 23,459 votes (1.2% of the national vote).
PRIN left FRI ahead of the 1979 elections, and joined UDP. Morales
Dávila also broke away from FRI. FRI became little more than the public facade of PCB(ML), as other factions had deserted it. The group sought to merge with UDP, but failed.
Later period
In 1989 and 1993 elections, FRI was part of the Patriotic Accord (the electoral pact between Hugo BanzerHugo Banzer
Hugo Banzer Suárez was a politician, military general, dictator and President of Bolivia. He held the Bolivian presidency twice: from August 22, 1971 to July 21, 1978, as a dictator; and then again from August 6, 1997 to August 7, 2001, as constitutional President.-Military and ideological...
's Nationalist Democratic Action
Nationalist Democratic Action
Nationalist Democratic Action is a right-wing political party in Bolivia led by Jorge Quiroga. ADN was founded on March 23, 1979 by the military dictator Hugo Banzer after he stepped down from power. It later expanded to include the Revolutionary Left Party and a faction of the Bolivian Socialist...
and the Revolutionary Left Movement
Revolutionary Left Movement (Bolivia)
The Revolutionary Left Movement - New Majority is a social democratic political party in Bolivia...
).
Municipal and regional politics
During the 1990s, the intervention in municipal politics of the party was generally limited to the TarijaTarija Department
Tarija is a department in Bolivia. It is located in south-eastern Bolivia bordering Argentina to the south and Paraguay to the east. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 391,226 inhabitants. It has an area of 37.623 km²...
and Cochabamba
Cochabamba Department
Cochabamba is one of the nine component departments of Bolivia. It is known to be the "granary" of the country because of its variety of agricultural products due to Cochabamba's geographical position. It has an area of 55,631 km². Its population, in the 2007 census, was 1,750,000...
departments. The FRI chairman Zamora Medinaceli was mayor of Tarija
Tarija, Bolivia
Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is both the capital and largest city within the Tarija Department, with an airport offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and...
1987-1989, 1994-1996 and 1996-1997. In the 1991 municipal elections
Bolivian municipal election, 1991
-Results:...
, the party got 20,179 votes (1.55% of the nationwide vote), whilst in the 1993 municipal election it obtained 25,099 votes (2.24%). In the 1991 municipal elections, the party had the highest percentage of female candidates in the major cities amongst all contesting parties (8 out of 36 candidates, 22.2%). In 1993 eleven out of 52 FRI candidates were women. In the 1995 municipal elections, the vote of the party reached 53,540 (3.12%). The party won 27 municipal council seats (out of 1585 in all of Bolivia). The party won 17 municipal council seats (out of a total of 1,700 in all of Bolivia) in the 1999 municipal elections
Bolivian municipal election, 1999
Municipal elections were held in Bolivia, on December 5, 1999, in all 311 municipalities across the country. The elections marked a milestone in the continuous deterioration of the political influence of the traditional parties...
.
The party supported the candidature of Mario Cossío Cortez for governor of Tarija in the 2010 elections
Bolivian regional election, 2010
The 2010 Bolivian regional elections were held on 4 April 2010. Departmental and municipal authorities were elected by an electorate of approximately 5 million people...
.