Democrats (Chile)
Democrats Demócratas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Ximena Rincón |
| General Secretary | Carlos Maldonado Curti |
| Vice Presidents | Matías Walker Marcelo Urrutia María Paz Fuenzalida Gabriel Alemparte Jorge Tarud Carolina Latorre Jorge de la Carrera |
| Founded | 2 November 2022 |
| Split from | Christian Democratic Party Party for Democracy Radical Party |
| Headquarters | Santiago de Chile |
| Ideology | Moderate conservatism Humanism Christian democracy Regionalism Reformism |
| Political position | Centre to centre-right |
| Colours | |
| Chamber of Deputies | 4 / 155 |
| Senate | 2 / 50 |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Part of a series on |
| Christian democracy |
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The Democrats (Spanish: Demócratas; D) is a Chilean political party founded in 2022 by a group of former centre-left politicians,[1] legal experts, and public intellectuals who sought to establish a centrist, reformist alternative amid the profound political and social transformations experienced in Chile during the early 2020s.
The party emerged in response to the polarization triggered by the 2019–2020 Chilean protests (Estallido Social) and the contentious constitutional process that followed, which culminated in the rejection of a proposed new constitution in the 2022 plebiscite.
Positioning itself as a guardian of institutional stability, republican values, and democratic pluralism, Democrats arose from a faction disenchanted with the ideological radicalization and alliance shifts within the historic center-left coalition Concertación and its successor parties. Its founders—including experienced legislators such as former Senate president Ximena Rincón, deputies like Matías Walker, ex-ministers like Carlos Maldonado, and lawyers and commentators such as Gabriel Alemparte— advocate for a pragmatic political agenda focused on social dialogue, rule of law, and economic responsibility.
The party seeks to reclaim the legacy of the post-dictatorship moderate center-left, emphasizing reform without ruptures to Chile’s institutional framework. By challenging both the perceived excesses of the new left and the conservatism of the right, Democrats positions itself as a centrist force aiming to rebuild consensus in a fragmented and polarized political landscape. Though relatively new, the party has attracted attention for its critical engagement in debates around constitutionalism, public security, and social policy.
History
The foundation of Democrats (Demócratas) traces back to the critical inflection point of the 2022 national plebiscite on a new constitutional draft prepared by a left-leaning Constitutional Convention.[2] The proposed document was ultimately rejected by a wide margin—62% voting “Reject” (Rechazo)—revealing deep public concern over its ideological tone, institutional fragility, and perceived lack of representativeness. Among the most vocal figures supporting the Rechazo campaign were former center-left leaders who had once belonged to the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), the Party for Democracy (PPD), and other Concertación-aligned parties. They argued that the draft distanced itself from Chile’s legal traditions, property protections, and social consensus.
Several prominent political figures emerged from this process as central to the formation of a new centrist alternative. These included former Senate president Ximena Rincón, former deputy Matías Walker, former Justice Minister and Radical Party president Carlos Maldonado,[3] and pundit Gabriel Alemparte, a long-standing member of the Christian Democratic tradition, had played a high-profile role in the Rechazo campaign through public debates, media appearances, and legal critiques of the constitutional proposal. Known for his sharp rhetoric and defense of liberal democratic principles, Alemparte became one of the intellectual references for the emerging political project.
The group’s decision to break with their historical parties was driven by their rejection of alliances with more radical sectors of the left, such as the Communist Party and the Frente Amplio, as well as their concerns over rising populism and political polarization. Rincón and Walker formally left the PDC in late 2022, while Maldonado distanced himself from the PR. Alemparte, who had long warned about the erosion of institutional moderation within the center-left, was among the early advocates for constructing a new centrist force grounded in rule of law, republican values, and social cohesion.
In October 2022, the group publicly announced the formation of Democrats, positioning the party as a reformist and centrist alternative. The party began its legal registration with the Servicio Electoral de Chile (Servel) and achieved official recognition in several regions by 2023, allowing it to present candidates and participate in national electoral politics. Democrats began their legalization procedures on November 4, 2022.[4]
Ideology
The movement defined itself as centrist, although it explicitly acknowledged the coexistence of both centre-left and centre-right tendencies within its ranks.[5] This dual character reflects the diverse political backgrounds of its founders, many of whom previously held leadership roles in parties like the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), the Party for Democracy (PPD), and Radical Party (PR).[3][6] By incorporating voices from different traditions of moderate reformism, the party sought to break with rigid ideological binaries and instead offer a flexible yet principled platform grounded in democratic consensus and pragmatic governance.
Democrats identified itself as a Christian democratic, humanist, pluralist, reformist, non-denominational, and regionalist party. The party defines itself as the heir to the best values of the now-defunct Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia, the coalition that governed Chile from 1990 to 2010, and which was widely credited with steering the country through its democratic transition while fostering sustained economic growth and poverty reduction.
Beyond historical references, Democrats aims to construct a renewed doctrine of the radical center, in which political moderation is not understood as indecision or ambiguity, but as a principled resistance to extremism and populism of all kinds. The party’s leaders have often invoked the notion of republicanism as a normative anchor: a commitment to civic virtue, the rule of law, institutional continuity, and deliberative democracy. Figures such as Alemparte have contributed to this ideological framework by emphasizing the importance of legal restraint, anti-corruption mechanisms, and constitutional clarity as bulwarks against both the populist left and authoritarian right. This positioning has allowed Democrats to attract voters who feel alienated by the polarization of the political system and who yearn for technocratic competence and ethical leadership.
Strategically, the party presents itself as a pivot point in the fragmented Chilean political spectrum. It does not reject dialogue with forces on either side of the aisle, but insists on minimum programmatic conditions: respect for human rights, macroeconomic responsibility, public security, and democratic institutions. Its leaders have expressed willingness to collaborate with centrist liberals from the center-right (such as Evópoli) and disillusioned moderates from the current Frente Amplio, provided such alliances are based on shared democratic values rather than tactical convenience. In this sense, Democrats seeks not merely to fill a vacuum in the political center, but to reconstruct a governing culture capable of resisting ideological maximalism and restoring trust in public institutions.
See also
References
- ^ "Personeros ex DC y ex Concertación lanzan el nuevo colectivo "Demócratas": Ximena Rincón sería la presidenta del partido en formación". pauta (in Spanish). Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Lanzan plataforma "Centroizquierda por el Rechazo": Cristián Warnken, Javiera Parada, Arturo Guerrero y Ximena Rincón participaron de la iniciativa". La Tercera (in Spanish). June 30, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ a b "'Demócratas': Rincón y Walker lanzan nuevo movimiento político junto a Carlos Maldonado". ADN (in Spanish). Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Demócratas inicia trámite para constituirse como partido en el Servel". La Tercera (in Spanish). 4 November 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Matías Walker y el rol de Demócratas: "A mí no me gusta declararme como un partido de oposición" - Radio Agricultura". www.radioagricultura.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "Demócratas: el partido que busca ponerse el sayo de la Concertación". El Mostrador (in Spanish). November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.