Social Democrat Movement

The Social Democrat Movement ("Democrats"; Spanish: Movimiento Demócrata Social, MDS),^[1] founded in 2009 with the name of Popular Consensus (Spanish: Consenso Popular, CP), is a Bolivian political party founded in 2009 by politicians associated with the right-wing of the country's political spectrum and the movement for greater autonomy for the eastern departments of the Media Luna.

In the 2009 national election, the party formed an electoral alliance with the National Unity Front, the Consensus Alliance for National Unity, behind the candidacy of Samuel Doria Medina for President. During the 2010 regional election it was involved with the All for Cochabamba and We are all Chuquisaca alliances, and supported the candidacy of Rubén Costas for governor of Santa Cruz. In Pando, the party narrowly lost to the Movement towards Socialism in state elections, and thus formed the principal opposition.

Rubén Costas, governor of Santa Cruz department, announced the party's transformation in the Social Democrat Movement in March 2013.^[2] Twenty leaders gathered to launch the party in April 2013, including Costas, Beni governor Carmelo Lens and his predecessor Ernesto Suárez, Senator Bernard Gutiérrez (PPB-Cochabamba), and Cochabamba council member Ninoska Lazarte. The launch was hosted by Savina Cuéllar, the former prefect of Chuquisaca Department, who is currently under house arrest facing charges for the May 24, 2008 violence in Sucre.^[3] After a failed petition to legally merge the registration of Costas' Truth and Social Democracy (VERDES) party, Renewing Freedom and Democracy (Libertad y Democracia Renovadora; Líder), and Popular Consensus in June, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal authorized Popular Consensus to rename itself the Social Democrat Movement in August 2013.^[4] The party is scheduled to decide on its presidential nominee on December 15, 2013.^[5]

References

Political parties in Bolivia Congressional parties Christian Democratic Party Movement for Socialism National Unity Front Movement without Fear Other national parties Agrarian Patriotic Front of Bolivia Bolivian Socialist Falange Communist Party of Bolivia Free Bolivia Movement Indigenous Pachakuti Movement Nationalist Democratic Action New Republican Force Plan Progress for Bolivia – National Convergence Social Democrat Movement Progress Plan Revolutionary Left Front Revolutionary Left Movement - New Majority Revolutionary Nationalist Movement Social Alliance Social and Democratic Power Socialist Party Solidarity Civic Unity Workers' Social Union of Bolivia Regional parties Beni Amazon Convergence Beni First Autonomous Nationalities for Change and Empowerment Chuquisaca Renewing Freedom and Democracy Falange April 19 La Paz Movement for Sovereignty Potosí Potosí Regional Civic Front Uqarikuna Citizen Association Santa Cruz Truth and Social Democracy Tarija Path towards Change National Autonomous Power Portal:Politics List of political parties Politics of Bolivia