Patriotic Union (Union Patriotica)

patriotic union colombia

The Patriotic Union or Union Patriotica (UP) is a leftist political party that was co-founded by the guerrilla group, the FARC, in the mid-1980′s and was the victim of systematic disappearances and assassinations in the late 80′s and early 90′s.  2013 marked the first time the UP announced a political candidate since 2002.

In 1984, the FARC and Colombia’s government came to an agreement during the first ever attempt at peace talks that laid the foundation for the FARC and other guerrilla groups to participate politically.  The deal, known as the “Uribe Agreements,” would allow these rebels to “little by little live life legally in the country,” according to leftist thought leader Ivan Cepeda.

At this point, a group of many different political interests including the FARC, members of the Colombian Communist Party (CCP), other rebel groups such as the ELN, and leftist leaders came together to form a leftist political coalition to oppose the two dominant political parties of the time: the liberal party and the conservative party. This new opposition party would be known as the Patriotic Union.

The UP, which denounced using force or arms to influence Colombian citizens, sought voice within the government after the liberals and conservatives shut out all opposition political groups from significant power for 16 years.  The UP prioritized issues such as land redistribution, better health care and education for the poor, greater access to an increasingly censored mass media, and the nationalization of businesses, banks, and transportation systems.

In 1986, the then openly communist political group did well in the election cycle. The UP gained 350 local council seats, 23 deputy positions in departmental assemblies, 9 seats in the House, 6 seats in the Senate and 4.6% of the presidential vote.  They performed better than any leftist group in Colombia’s history, and better than any other third party group in over a decade.

By 1987 however, a combination of drug dealers, right-wing paramilitary groups and members of the incumbent government and army began systematically assassinating and forcing the disappearances of leaders of the communist party. Jaime Pardo, the UP’s figurehead and presidential candidate in 1986, was assassinated in 1987 by a 14 year old boy who was tied to a drug dealer from the Medellin Cartel.  By 1988, the UP reported that 500 of its members including Pardo and four congressmen had been assassinated.

From 1986 to 1990, between four and six thousand members of the Patriotic Union were murdered, including another presidential candidate, Bernardo Jaramillo, who was slated to run in 1990. More than 70% of all center-left presidential candidates in 1990 were assassinated as well.

Assassinations were rampant and continued throughout the 90′s and continued into the early 2000′s. One of the few surviving political leaders of the UP, Aida Avella, fled the country in 1995 after evading a third assassination attempt.  Others members of the party ultimately followed Avella’s lead and went into exile abroad. By 2002, the party had essentially become extinct.

In 2013, the UP resurfaced on the political stage in Colombia, though not nearly with as much fervor as it once had in the 80′s, and they elected Aida Avella to be their candidate for Colombia’s 2014 presidential race while in exile in Switzerland. Though the principles that the party stands by remain similar to those they initially promoted, the UP is careful not to label themselves as communist or socialist anymore. The UP is known now as a leftist party that has hopes to build a following among the millions of Colombians currently in the exterior of the country.


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