National Progressive Force

National Progressive Force Fuerza Nacional Progresista
Abbreviation	FNP
Leader	Vinicio Castillo Semán & Pelegrín Castillo
President	Vincho Castillo
Founded	July 6, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-07-06)
Headquarters	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Ideology	National conservatism Social conservatism Nationalism
Political position	Right-wing
National affiliation	Progressive Bloc
International affiliation	International Democracy Union
Regional affiliation	Union of Latin American Parties
Colors	Blue and White
Chamber of Deputies	0 / 190
Senate	0 / 32
Mayors	0 / 155
Central American Parliament	0 / 20
Website
fnp.org.do
Politics of the Dominican Republic Political parties Elections

The National Progressive Force (Spanish: Fuerza Nacional Progresista, FNP), is a political party in the Dominican Republic, with a self-described centre-right[1] position, although according to some, the policies it defends (mainly on moral and migratory issues) place it on the spectrum as something closer to a party of the far-right.[2][3][4]

History

The founding of the FNP on July 6, 1980, with the motto "Peace, Justice, Liberty", by Marino Vinicio Castillo, was regarded by many as a declaration of independence from Joaquín Balaguer. The Party participated in general elections for the first time in 1982, with Castillo as a presidential candidate. Nevertheless, since the FNP had been recognized by the Junta Central Electoral only two months before, its impact was negligible. In 1986, with Castillo running as a presidential candidate for the second time, the FNP gained 6,684 votes, equivalent to 0.32 percent of those registered. In the 1990 elections, Castillo again ran, this time seeking backing from the poor, the peasants, and all Dominican "who hoped for a decent future". To this end, Castillo promised a more even distribution of wealth by way of agricultural reform. For Castillo, this constituted a basic, fundamental structural change. The FNP proposed to more fully integrate the various sectors of Dominican society, to stimulate production, to combat narcotics traffickers, to fight against corruption, and to improve sanitation. These perspectives were not enough to significantly improve the FNP performance over 1986. Since 1996, Castillo has been allied with the PLD and has become a major electoral support during the past two elections of the winning Progressive Bloc.

2006 Parliamentary elections

In the parliamentary elections of 2006, the FNP had two candidates elected to the Chamber of Deputies:

• Pelegrín Castillo, Distrito Nacional
• José Ricardo Taveras, Santiago

2008 Presidential elections

In the presidential elections of 2008, the FNP gained 48,554 votes, equivalent to 1.19 percent of those registered.

2010 Parliamentary elections

In the parliamentary elections of 2010, the FNP just had one candidate elected to the Chamber of Deputies:

• Pelegrín Castillo, Distrito Nacional

References

1. "Nuestra Historia". Fuerza Nacional Progresista. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014. La FNP ingresó en el 1998 a la Unión de Partidos Latinoamericanos (Upla), que es una internacional con proyección continental de los partidos de centro derecha, conservadores del continente. Después, como miembro de la Upla, es parte de la Internacional Democratic Union, que agrupa a más de 80 partidos en todo el mundo y es una internacional realmente importante.
2. Caroit, Jean Michel (15 October 2012). Alianza Dominicana contra la Corrupción (ed.). "Un cuadro dramático de una RD corrupta en todas sus actividades". Acento Digital. Retrieved 23 September 2014. La campaña sucia contra Hipólito Mejía por la Fuerza Nacional Progresista, un pequeño partido de extrema derecha aliado del PLD, sin duda tuvo un papel importante en la victoria de Danilo Medina. Fundado por el abogado Vincho Castillo, uno de los asesores más cercanos de Leonel Fernández, el pequeño grupo hizo de la lucha contra la inmigración haitiana su caballo de batalla principal.
3. Salcedo, Carlos (25 July 2014). El Día (ed.). "El discurso del miedo". Retrieved 23 September 2014. Las conminaciones y amagos de la FNP y de otros sectores de ultra derecha (...)
4. Castillo Semán, Vinicio (9 June 2014). Listín Diario (ed.). "La invasión está anunciada". Retrieved 23 September 2014. Durante mucho tiempo la Fuerza Nacional Progresista, mi familia, quien esto escribe y las personalidades que se han involucrado en la defensa de la soberanía nacional con respecto al tema haitiano, hemos sido víctimas de una bestial campaña de imagen pública, tratando de tildarnos de "ultranacionalistas", "radicales", "de extrema derecha", "xenófobos", "racistas" y cuantos epítetos peyorativos pueda imaginar el lector.