National Renewal (Chile)

The National Renewal (Spanish: Renovación Nacional, RN) is a Chilean political party founded in 1987 with a reformist and liberal-conservative orientation. It is positioned within the centre-right of the political spectrum and, alongside the Independent Democratic Union (UDI), is considered one of the main forces of the Chilean right.

The party emerged in the final phase of the military regime under Augusto Pinochet through the merger of several liberal and moderately conservative movements, including the National Party (PN) and other groups. Its aim was to support the transition to democracy and to consolidate a modern, civic-democratic right.

Since the return to democracy in 1990, RN and the UDI have jointly formed the core of the electoral alliances Alianza and later Chile Vamos. During the periods 2010–2014 and 2018–2022, the party led the national government with Sebastián Piñera serving as President of the Republic.

Ideologically, RN combines market-oriented principles with a commitment to the rule of law, social responsibility and individual freedom. Its intellectual roots lie in liberalism, Christian-humanist thought and republicanism.

At the national level, the party is represented in both chambers of the Chilean Congress and maintains a strong base in urban and more affluent regions. Within the party, both economically liberal and more socially conservative currents coexist.

In Germany, RN cooperates with the CDU and its Konrad Adenauer Foundation as well as with the CSU and its Hanns Seidel Foundation.