National Party (Uruguay)

The National Party (Partido Nacional, PN) also known as the White Party (Partido Blanco), is a major political party in Uruguay. Founded in 1836 by General Manuel Oribe, it is the country's oldest active political party, and along with the Colorado Party, its origin dates back to the establishment of Uruguay as an independent state.

Positioned on the centre-right of the political spectrum, the National Party is ideologically liberal, nationalist, Pan-Americanist and humanist. Considering the interim co-government of the Gobierno del Cerrito headed by Manuel Oribe, and the Defense Government from Montevideo led by the Colorado Joaquín Suarez, in the middle of the Uruguayan Civil War, and with the exception of the current administration of Luis Lacalle Pou, the PN has ruled the country for 35 years interruptedly throughout its history. Although Manuel Oribe is recognized as the party's founder, Aparicio Saravia is considered its idealist and main historical caudillo.

The National Party is a defender of decentralization, and its demographic base skews toward people living in rural areas.

History
The identity of the National Party dates back to 10 August 1836, when the then president Manuel Oribe decreed the use of the white banner with the inscription "Defenders of the Laws", in the battle of Carpintería, Oribe faced the revolutionary army of Fructuoso Rivera and colored badges were used to distinguish between the parties. For this reason, the National Party is also known as the "White Party."

On 7 July 1872, the first Program of Principles was approved, in which respect for freedoms, the maintenance of peace as the supreme good for the Nation, the representation of minorities, the decentralization of the country, the strengthening of justice, and the promotio of education and instruction.

In March 2020, National Party's Luis Lacalle Pou was sworn as the new President of Uruguay, meaning Uruguay got the first conservative government after 15 years of left-wing leadership under the Broad Front coalition.

Ideology and factions
Positioned on the center-right of the political spectrum, the Uruguay National Party encompasses both conservative and liberal tendencies. Ideologically, it has been described as liberal, nationalist, Pan-Americanist and humanist. Additionally, in the party there is a lack of internal agreement on social issues such as the legalisation of abortion, euthanasia, the age of criminal responsibility and same-sex marriage. However, over time, several sectors and the party's youth wing have demonstrated a favorable position on LGBT rights.

Throughout its history, the National Party has had a strong base of votes in the interior of the country and support from rural voters, due to its historical policy of decentralization of power, compared to the capital's centralist and unitary policy of the Colorado Party.

The National Party is composed of numerous sectors that encompass different ideologies that range from the center-right to the right-wing. The three main factions are the centrist and Christian democratic National Alliance, the economic liberal and conservative Herrerism, and the social-liberal Wilsonist Current.

Note
Under the electoral system in place at the time called Ley de Lemas system, each political party could have as many as three presidential candidates. The combined result of the votes for a party's candidates determined which party would control the executive branch, and whichever of the winning party's candidates finished in first place would be declared President this system was used form the 1942 election until the 1994 election until in 1996, a referendum amended the constitution to restrict each party to a single presidential candidate, effective from the 1999 elections.

Note
The National Council of Administration ruling alongside the President of the Republic between 1918 and 1933 and it was re-established as National Council of Government was the ruling body in Uruguay between 1952 and 1967.