The Union of the Centrist Center (, UCC) — named Progressive Union of the Centrist Center (, UCCP) between 1994 and 1998 — was a small political party in Chile. The party was founded by supermarket tycoon Francisco Javier Errázuriz to support his candidacy in the 1989 presidential elections. Errázuriz claimed that he was the only true centrist candidate, although his political ideology was slightly center-right. Errázuriz won 15.05% of the vote, but achieved little politically except to take votes from the right-wing candidate,

Hernán Büchi Hernán Alberto Büchi Buc (; born March 6, 1949) is a Chilean economist who served as minister of finance of the Pinochet government. In 1989 he ran unsuccessfully for president with support of Chilean right-wing parties. Early life Büchi wa ...

. The UCC then joined the right-wing alliance Union for Progress (''Unión por el Progreso'', later the

Alliance for Chile The Alliance ( es, Alianza), previously known as Alliance for Chile ( es, Alianza por Chile), was a coalition of centre-right to right-wing Chilean political parties. The Alliance was replaced between 2009 and 2012 by the Coalition for Change. ...

). Due to disagreements between the UCC and the National Renewal, one of the members of the Union for Progress, the UCC broke with the alliance on 1995 and presented their own candidate, Arturo Frei, for the 1999 presidential elections. Frei fared disastrously, gaining only 0.35% of the vote, the lowest percentage of any candidate since the end of the Pinochet régime. On 3 January 2000, Senator Errázuriz retook control of the UCC from Alejandro García and Agustín Benapres after they gave their support for

Joaquín Lavín Joaquín José Lavín Infante (born 23 October 1953) is a Chilean politician of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) party and former mayor of Las Condes, in the northeastern zone of Santiago. Formerly Lavín has also been mayor of Santiago, ...

in the 2000 runoff election. Many accused Errázuriz of wanting to be in charge of the party when it had formally given its support to Lavín so that he would be rewarded with a post in the Lavín government. Errázuriz, the only UCC member of Parliament, soon saw himself embroiled in various court cases. His term ended on 2000 and he decided to end his career in politics due to the court cases against him, the investigation into some of his companies, and the fact that three of them were

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. Without their leader, On 3 May 2002 the UCC ceased to exist and part of its members joined to the

Independent Democratic Union The Independent Democratic Union (''Unión Demócrata Independiente'', UDI) is a conservative and right-wing political party in Chile, founded in 1983. Its founder was the lawyer, politician and law professor Jaime Guzmán, a civilian allied with ...

(UDI).

Presidential candidates

The following is a list of the presidential candidates supported by the Union of the Centrist Center:Archive of Chilean Elections
/ref> *

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

Arturo Alessandri Besa Arturo Alessandri Besa (31 October 1923 – 13 July 2022) was a Chilean lawyer and politician. Alessandri was member of his country's Chamber of Deputies and also of the Senate; he also was candidate for the presidency of Chile in the 1993 e ...

(lost) *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Arturo Frei Bolívar Erwin Arturo Frei Bolívar (18 November 1939 – January 2022) was a Chilean politician who was a senator and presidential candidate in the 1999 election. Life and career Arturo Frei was born in Santiago on 18 November 1939, as the son of ...

(lost)

References

* Friedmann, Reinhard. 1988. ''La política chilena de la A a la Z. 1964-1988''. Editorial Melquíades. Santiago. .

External links

*
"Declaration of Principles"
*
Biography of Francisco Javier Errázuriz
{{Authority control Political parties established in 1990 Political parties disestablished in 2002 Defunct political parties in Chile 1990 establishments in Chile 2002 disestablishments in Chile