Colorado Party (Paraguay)

The National Republican Association (Spanish: Asociación Nacional Republicana, ANR), also known as the Colorado Party (Spanish: Partido Colorado, lit. 'Red Party'), is a conservative political party in Paraguay, founded on 11 September 1887 by Bernardino Caballero. Since 1947, the colorados, as they are known, have been dominant in Paraguayan politics (ruling as the only legal party between 1947 and 1962) and have controlled the presidency since 1948 – notwithstanding a brief interruption between 2008 and 2013 – as well as having a majority in both chambers of Congress and department governorships, it was one of the two traditionally dominant parties in the country, along with the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA).

The Colorado Party has historically been and continues to be the dominant political party in Paraguay. With 2.6 million members as of 2022 (although there are allegations of numerous false affiliations made by the party), it is the largest political party in the country, usually ruling without the necessity of electoral alliances. Paraguay was for several decades under dictatorial rule by Alfredo Stroessner, a member of the Colorado Party, until he was ousted from power in 1989, which set off a democratization process. Since then, there has been an expansion of civil and political liberties, as well as elections at presidential, congressional, and municipal levels. However, the democratization process has been limited due to the firm control of the Colorado Party on the Paraguayan state. The Colorado Party retains power through clientelistic practices, and corruption is widespread in Paraguay.