The National Party (, PN) also known as the White Party (), is a major political party in Uruguay. Founded in 1836 by General Manuel Oribe, it is one of the country's oldest active political parties along with the Colorado Party, their origin dates back to the establishment of Uruguay as an independent state.
Positioned on the centre-right of the political spectrum, the National Party is ideologically liberal, nationalist, Pan-Americanist and humanist. Considering the interim co-government of the Gobierno del Cerrito headed by Manuel Oribe, and the Defense Government from Montevideo led by the Colorado Joaquín Suarez, in the middle of the Uruguayan Civil War, and with the exception of the administration of Luis Lacalle Pou, the PN has ruled the country for 35 years interruptedly throughout its history. The party has a long tradition of being in the political opposition during the 19th and 20th centuries, against its traditional adversary, the Colorado Party.
The National Party is a defender of decentralization, and its demographic base skews toward people living in rural areas.
History
thumb|235x235px|Seal of the National Party
The identity of the National Party dates back to 10 August 1836, when the then president Manuel Oribe decreed the use of the white banner with the inscription "Defenders of the Laws", in the battle of Carpintería, Oribe faced the revolutionary army of Fructuoso Rivera and colored badges were used to distinguish between the parties. For this reason, the National Party is also known as the "White Party."
On 7 July 1872, the first Program of Principles was approved, in which respect for freedoms, the maintenance of peace as the supreme good for the Nation, the representation of minorities, the decentralization of the country, the strengthening of justice, and the promotio of education and instruction.
Ideology and factions
Positioned on the center-right of the political spectrum, the Uruguay National Party encompasses both conservative and liberal tendencies. Ideologically, it describes itself as liberal, nationalist, pan-americanist and humanist. However, over time, several sectors and the party's youth wing have demonstrated a favorable position on LGBT rights.
Throughout its history, the National Party has had a strong base of votes in the interior of the country and support from rural voters, due to its historical policy of decentralization of power, compared to the capital's centralist and unitary policy of the Colorado Party.
The National Party is composed of numerous sectors that encompass different ideologies that range from the center-right to the right-wing. The three main factions are the centrist and Christian democratic National Alliance, the economic liberal and conservative Herrerism, and the social-liberal Wilsonist Current.
The conservative wing is the most influential. It dates back to Luis Alberto de Herrera in the early 20th century, and has reproduced a family line of leaders that continued with former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, and has returned to dominate the party, renewing itself generationally through the leadership of his son, Luis Lacalle Pou.