Popular Unity (Uruguay)

Popular Unity (Unidad Popular - UP) was a left-wing political coalition in Uruguay. It was formed in 1971, ahead of that year's general election, uniting various socialist, communist, and other leftist parties and movements.

The coalition's primary aim was to present a united front against the dominant traditional parties, the National Party (Blanco) and the Colorado Party, and to advocate for socialist policies.

Key constituent parties included the Communist Party of Uruguay (PCU), the Revolutionary Movement of Uruguay (Movimiento Revolucionario Oriental - MRO), and the Christian Democratic Party (Partido Demócrata Cristiano - PDC) dissidents.

The UP's presidential candidate in 1971 was Rodney Arismendi, the long-time leader of the Communist Party. While it did not win the election, Popular Unity represented a significant force on the Uruguayan left and provided a platform for advocating for social and economic change.

Following the 1973 coup d'état and the subsequent establishment of a military dictatorship, Popular Unity was outlawed, and its members faced persecution, imprisonment, and exile.

After the return of democracy in 1985, various attempts were made to revive the Popular Unity coalition, though without achieving the same level of prominence it had in the early 1970s. The legacy of Popular Unity remains significant in the history of the Uruguayan left, representing a period of unity and activism in the face of growing political and economic challenges.