The Independent Social Alliance ( es, Alianza Social Independiente, ASI), known as the Indigenous Social Alliance () until 2011, is a progressive

indigenist Indigenism can refer to several different ideologies that seek to promote the interests of indigenous peoples. The term is used differently by various scholars and activists, and can be used purely descriptively or carry political connotations. D ...

party in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. At the last

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

, 10 March 2002, the party won parliamentary representation, one of many smaller parties.

History

The movement emerged in 1991 after the guarantees provided by the new National Constitution, it was made up of indigenous people, peasants, community leaders from popular neighborhoods of Popayán, a women's organization and the amnestied indigenous people of the Quintín Lame Armed Movement, who aspired to become a new political alternative. The first Assembly was held in the indigenous community of Yaguará, municipality of Chaparral, Tolima. There were indigenous and non-indigenous leaders who since 1969 had been working to promote the movement in favor of Amerindian communities, especially in Cauca, Tolima and Antioquia; Also participating were leaders of the Cauca peasant movement and urban leaders of the neighborhoods undergoing reconstruction after the Popayán earthquake. Over the course of a few years, the party has extended its endorsements not only to candidates belonging to indigenous communities, but to independent candidates who are generally in the political center or the center-left. The party endorsed the candidacy of Antanas Mockus for the Presidency of the Republic in the 2006 elections. The party's leader is the indigenous senator Marco Avirama, and its president is the Antioqueño Alonso Tobón. On December 2, 2005, the movement announced its support for

Antanas Mockus Aurelijus Rūtenis Antanas Mockus Šivickas (; born 25 March 1952) is a Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician. He has a master's degree in philosophy from the National University of Colombia, and a Honoris Causa PhD from the U ...

in the 2006 presidential campaign. In the election of 2006, the party won two (out of a hundred) senatorial seats.

External links

Etnias de Colombia: Indigenous Social Alliance Movement
Indigenist political parties in South America Political parties in Colombia Progressive parties in Colombia {{Colombia-party-stub