President (last) Emilio Ochoa Dissolved 1959 (1959) Merged into 26th of July Movement | Founder Eduardo Chibás Split from Authentic Party | |
Founded May 15, 1947 (1947-05-15) | ||
The Party of the Cuban People – Orthodox (Spanish: Partido del Pueblo Cubano – Ortodoxo, PPC-O), commonly called Orthodox Party (Spanish: Partido Ortodoxo, PO), was a Cuban left-wing populist political party. It was founded in 1947 by Eduardo Chibás in response to perceived government corruption and lack of reform. Its primary aims were the establishment of a distinct national identity, economic independence and the implementation of social reforms.
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History
In the 1948 general elections Chibás came third in the presidential election, whilst the party won four seats in the House of Representatives. In the 1950 mid-term elections they won nine. Chibás' cousin, Roberto Agramonte, was the favorite to win the 1952 election (for the Orthodoxos) but Fulgencio Batista staged a coup before the winner was determined.
Fidel Castro was an active member of the Ortodoxo Party in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He intended to run as an Ortodoxo Party candidate for the Cuban parliament prior to the coup by Batista.
Ideology and composition
The Orthodox Party was a catch-all party, open to the all that wanted join to it. Like a populist party, there weren't internal factions or organizations, but only the support to the Eduardo Chibás' goals and ideals. With this opening, the party's composition were miscellaneous: