The Popular Christian Movement ( es, Movimiento Popular Cristiano, MPC) was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

in Bolivia, ''de facto'' controlled by the

military junta A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...

History

The MPC was founded by General

René Barrientos Ortuño René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...

in 1966 after the overthrow on 5 November 1964 of the

Revolutionary Nationalist Movement The Revolutionary Nationalist Movement ( es, Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , MNR) is a centre-right conservative political party in Bolivia and was the leading force behind the Bolivian National Revolution from 1952 to 1964. It influenc ...

(MNR) government of President

Víctor Paz Estenssoro Ángel Víctor Paz Estenssoro (2 October 1907 – 7 June 2001) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 45th president of Bolivia for three nonconsecutive and four total terms from 1952 to 1956, 1960 to 1964 and 1985 to 1989. He ran for pr ...

by a military coup under the leadership of

René Barrientos René Barrientos Ortuño (30 May 1919 – 27 April 1969) was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the 47th president of Bolivia twice nonconsecutively from 1964 to 1966 and from 1966 to 1969. During much of his first term, ...

and General

Alfredo Ovando Candía Alfredo Ovando Candía (6 April 1918 – 24 January 1982) was the Commander of the Bolivian Air Forces and ambassador who served as the 48th president of Bolivia twice nonconsecutively, first as co-president with René Barrientos from 1965 ...

. Its purpose was to support René Barrientos in the general election the military regime arranged on 3 July 1966. During the three years René Barrientos remained in power, the Popular Christian Movement was the government party. The organizing cadres for the party were drawn from a variety of sources with the largest single source being from the old anti-

factions of the MNR. The Popular Christian Movement differed somewhat from other official parties in that it sought – and to a degree maintained – contact with peasant union organizations. This rallying of peasant support was part of René Barrientos's strategy of allying the military with the conservative post-reform peasantry. No subsequent military leader has been able to sustain this alliance effectively. The Popular Christian Movement, like other parties organized from the presidential palace, served to give some politicians a start in national politics. José Ortiz Mercado, for example, who became a major figure in the

administration (1969–1971), was a Popular Christian Movement member of the National Congress from

Santa Cruz Department Santa Cruz () is the largest of the nine constituent departments of Bolivia, occupying about one-third (33.74%) of the country's territory. With an area of , it is slightly smaller than Japan or the US state of Montana. It is located in the e ...

elected in 1966. For all practical purposes, the MPC died with the accidental death of General

early 27 April 1969 and has had no political power in decades. In 1978, the Popular Christian Movement took part in an electoral coalition

Nationalist Union of the People The Nationalist Union of the People (Spanish: ''Unión Nacionalista del Pueblo'', UNP) was a right-wing, pro-military electoral political alliance in Bolivia. The UNP was formed in January 1978 by: * Bolivian Socialist Falange, FSB (right-wing pro- ...

backing

Juan Pereda Asbún Juan Pereda Asbún (17 June 1931 – 25 November 2012) was a Bolivian military general who served as the ''de facto'' 52nd president of Bolivia in 1978. Although he ruled for only four months, his ascent to the presidency marked the ...

.Elections in the Americas : a data handbook / ed. by Dieter Nohlen, Vol. 2. xford .a. Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. P. 139. In 1979, the MPC dissolved into

Hugo Banzer Suárez Hugo Banzer Suárez (; 10 May 1926 – 5 May 2002) was a Bolivian politician and military officer who served as the 51st president of Bolivia. He held the Bolivian presidency twice: from 1971 to 1978 in a military dictatorship; and then ...

's new

Nationalist Democratic Action Nationalist Democratic Action ( es, Acción Democrática Nacionalista) is a right-wing political party in Bolivia led by Óscar Daza Márquez. ADN was founded on March 23, 1979 by the military dictator Hugo Banzer after he stepped down from po ...

(ADN).

Notes

{{Reflist Conservative parties in Bolivia Defunct political parties in Bolivia Political parties established in 1966 1966 establishments in Bolivia Political parties disestablished in 1979 1979 disestablishments in Bolivia