Перудегі Христиандық-Демократиялық Партиясы

Political party in Peru

The Christian Democratic Party (in Spanish: Partido Demócrata Cristiano) is a political party in Peru. Founded in 1956 by Ernesto Alayza Grundy, Luis Bedoya Reyes, Mario Polar Ugarteche, Héctor Cornejo Chávez, Roberto Ramírez del Villar and others. Not having participated in national politics since 1990, the party is currently not registered at the National Jury of Elections to formally participate in future election cycles.

The PDC had its roots in the government of José Bustamante y Rivero who was overthrown in 1948 by Manuel A. Odría although it did not emerge as an organised political party until 1956 when it was one of a number of populist parties formed following Odria's announcement of a new democracy (the other major ones being Popular Action and the Progressive Social Movement). The new party gained seats in both houses in the 1956 elections and initially they only concentrated their efforts on the Congress rather than running for the Presidency. The party returned to government as a junior partner in APRA led government of Alan García, remaining in office until 1990. In the end the right of the party split off in 1966 to set up the Christian People's Party although in the short term at least the majority of the membership remained with the PDC.

The PDC gained a following in Lima to the extent that the party was able to defeat strong candidates from Popular Action and the Odriist National Union in order to have Luis Bedoya Reyes elected Mayor of Lima. In general, however, the party's prospects were hampered by an anti clericalism prevalent in Peru and, whilst it gained some support amongst middle class women, it never seriously challenged Popular Action for the centre right vote.