Progressive Constitutionalist Party (Mexico)

The Progressive Constitutionalist Party (Spanish: Partido Constitucional Progresista), known by its acronym PCP, was a liberal political party that existed between 1909 and 1913. It drew ideologically from social liberalism, as well as economic liberalism. The party was formed as the conservative wing of the former Liberal Party but not as conservative as the Liberal Party itself under Porfirio Díaz, which in the early 20th century had splintered into more radical factions, represented by the Mexican Liberal Party (PLM).

The party was originally founded in 1909 as the National Antireelectionist Party (Spanish: Partido Nacional Antirreeleccionista) and was rebranded in 1911 as the PCP.

Ideology

The guiding principle of the party was constitutionalism, seeking to reestablish the supremacy of the Federal Constitution of 1857 and the rule of law after thirty years of dictatorship of General Porfirio Díaz. The PCP was also a liberal progressive party that sought to pragmatically introduce some moderate social reforms in order to quench the thirst for justice of a country that was already at the threshold of a social revolution. The ideas of the Party were established in The Presidential Succession in 1910, a best-selling book published in 1909 by Francisco I. Madero, the scion of one of the wealthiest families in Mexico.

History

After the triumph of Francisco I. Madero to the presidency of the republic and José María Pino Suárez to the vice presidency of the republic in the 1911 presidential elections, the PCP exercised executive power in Mexico between 1911 and 1913. In this same period, their candidates were elected in several local and municipal elections. Between 1912 and 1913, the PCP also had a majority in the Congress of the Union. In February 1913, during the events of the Ten Tragic Days, a military coup erupted that overthrew the Madero government, effectively interrupting the observation of the Federal Constitution of 1857.