Social Democratic Radical Party

The Social Democratic Radical Party (Partido Radical Social Demócrata; PRSD) is a political party in Chile. It was formerly known as the Radical Party, a centrist party that shifted leftward after 1965. The party faced repression in 1973 but reemerged in the mid-1990s under its current name.1

Historically, Chile has a tradition of representative democracy, though it experienced a military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990. The political spectrum in Chile traditionally ranged from far-right to far-left. During Pinochet's rule, Marxist parties were outlawed, but new opposition movements formed. By the late 1980s, a coalition of center and center-left parties, including the PRSD, united to oppose the regime and promote democracy. The ban on Marxist parties was lifted in 1989, allowing for a more competitive political landscape.1