National Crusade Party
Partido Cruzada Nacional
AbbreviationPCN
LeaderPayo Cubas
PresidentHermes Chamorro Garcete
Founded2018 (2018)[1] (MCN)
February 2020 (2020-02) (PCN)
HeadquartersTeniente Moreno 371 c/ Teniente Bernal, barrio Fátima, Asunción[2]
IdeologyParaguayan nationalism
Right-wing populism
Anti-corruption
Anti-establishment
Anti-Brazilian sentiment
Political positionFar-right[3][4]
National affiliationConcertación (2022)
Colours  Black
  Yellow
Chamber of Deputies
4 / 80
Chamber of Senators
5 / 45
Website
Facebook page

The National Crusade Party (PCN, Spanish: Partido Cruzada Nacional), formerly National Crusade Movement (MCN, Spanish: Movimento Cruzada Nacional), is a right-wing populist political party in Paraguay led by lawyer and ex-senator Paraguayo "Payo" Cubas.[5]

Party leader Payo Cubas is a prominent political and media personality known for his provocative publicity stunts. A lawyer, he served one term in Congress from 1993 to 1998 as a member of the center-left National Encounter Party. In 2018, Cubas was elected to the Senate as a sole member of the National Crusade Movement but was suspended for outbursts and physical altercations with Senate colleagues.[6]

History

Following the results of the 2018 elections, the party elected its representative, Paraguayo "Payo" Cubas, to the Senate.[7][8] In November 2019, he was expelled from the Senate on charges of abuse of power and hooliganism.[9]

In February 2020, the National Crusade Movement was renamed to the National Crusade Party.[10]

In 2020, the party suffered a split after some members of the MCN accused the leader of the party, Cubas, and his wife, Yolanda Paredes, of authoritarianism.[11]

After the party's failure in the 2021 municipal elections, Paraguayo Cubas, the president of the party, announced his resignation.[12]

On the eve of the 2023 general election, the Cubas party participated in the creation of the Concertación coalition,[13] but soon left it before the election of a single opposition candidate, deciding to participate in the elections independently.[5][14] In the 2023 elections, Cubas was considered an outsider or spoiler candidate for the Concertación, who would gain support among the anti-systemic electorate, advocating the death penalty for corruption.[6][15]

In the general election, despite Cubas losing the presidential election (winning almost 23% of the vote), the party became the third largest political force in both Chambers of Congress (after the Colorado Party and the PLRA), winning 4 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 5 seats in the Senate.[16] Among the Senators-elect are Cubas's wife Yolanda Paredes and plastic artist Rafael "Mbururú" Esquivel, the latter arrested over child sexual abuse charges at the time of the election.[17]

Electoral results

President

Election Candidate Votes  % Result
2023 Paraguayo Cubas 692,663 22.92% Lost Red X

Senate

Election Votes % Position Seats +/– Government
2018 58,409 2.48% Increase 7th
1 / 45
 New Opposition
2023 331.657 11.00% Increase 3rd
5 / 45
 Increase 6 Opposition

Chamber of Deputies

Election Votes % Position Seats +/– Government
2018 33,417 1.41% Increase 7th
1 / 80
 New Opposition
2023 233,812 8.24% Increase 3rd
4 / 80
 Increase 3 Opposition

References

  1. ↑ https://tsje.gov.py/static/ups/partidos/estatutos/estatuto-cruzada-nacional-2021(1).pdf Estatuto
  2. ↑ https://tsje.gov.py/partidos/ver/53-partido-cruzada-nacional.html Partido Cruzada Nacional
  3. ↑ Politi, Daniel (5 May 2023). "Paraguay far-right populist presidential candidate arrested". AP News. Buenos Aires. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Nickson, Andrew (May 2023). "Opinión | Tenemos que hablar del Partido Colorado" [Opinion | We need to talk about the Colorado Party]. Nueva Sociedad (in Spanish). ...Paraguayo «Payo» Cubas, polémico ex-senador y candidato populista de extrema derecha... [...Paraguayan "Payo" Cubas, controversial former senator and far-right populist candidate...]
  5. 1 2 "Cruzada Nacional, de Paraguayo Cubas, sale de la Concertación - Política - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Meet the Candidates: Paraguay". Americas Quarterly. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "El polémico Paraguayo Cubas gana una banca en el Senado" [The controversial Paraguayo Cubas wins a seat in the Senate]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 23 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Payo agradece victoria y promete paredón a corruptos" [Payo tranks victory and promises firing squad to corrupt ones]. ABC Color (in Spanish). 23 April 2018.
  9. ↑ "Senado expulsa a Paraguayo Cubas". Última Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Cruzada Nacional pide ser partido - Política - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "División en Cruzada Nacional por "autoritarismo" - ABC en el Este - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ante fracaso electoral, Payo anuncia su renuncia como titular del Partido Cruzada Nacional - Nacionales - ABC Color". www.abc.com.py (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Opositores fijan comicios para elegir chapa presidencial". ultimahora.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "Cubas inscribe su chapa tras salir de la Concertación". Última Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "2023 Elections in Latin America: A Preview". AS/COA. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "El Partido Colorado tendrá 49 representantes en Cámara de Diputados". La Nación (Paraguay) (in Spanish). 30 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "Un candidato paraguayo que fue electo senador está preso e imputado por abuso sexual a una menor" (in Spanish). Infobae. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
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