The National Renewal (, RN) is a Chilean political party founded in 1987 with a reformist and liberal-conservative orientation. It is positioned within the centre-right of the political spectrum and, alongside the Independent Democratic Union (UDI), is considered one of the main forces of the Chilean right.

The party emerged in the final phase of the military regime under Augusto Pinochet through the merger of several liberal and moderately conservative movements, including the National Party (PN) and other groups. Its aim was to support the transition to democracy and to consolidate a modern, civic-democratic right.

Since the return to democracy in 1990, RN and the UDI have jointly formed the core of the electoral alliances Alianza and later Chile Vamos. During the periods 2010–2014 and 2018–2022, the party led the national government with Sebastián Piñera serving as President of the Republic.

Ideologically, RN combines market-oriented principles with a commitment to the rule of law, social responsibility and individual freedom. Its intellectual roots lie in liberalism, Christian-humanist thought and republicanism.Marcelo Pollack: The New Right in Chile, 1973–1997. Palgrave Macmillan, London 1999, ISBN 0-333-72473-9, pp. 161–163.

At the national level, the party is represented in both chambers of the Chilean Congress and maintains a strong base in urban and more affluent regions. Within the party, both economically liberal and more socially conservative currents coexist.

In Germany, RN cooperates with the CDU and its Konrad Adenauer Foundation as well as with the CSU and its Hanns Seidel Foundation.

History Early years Renovación Nacional was founded on 29 April 1987, when three right-leaning organisations – the Movimiento de Unión Nacional (MUN), the Frente Nacional del Trabajo (FNT) and parts of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) – merged ahead of the 1988 Chilean presidential referendum that would determine whether Augusto Pinochet would continue in office.

Shortly thereafter, the UDI split away again due to its strong support for Pinochet, while RN advocated a broader democratic opening. However, when Pinochet was officially nominated as a candidate, the majority of the new party ultimately supported him.

With 351 founding members, RN became the first political party to be officially registered following the lifting of the ban on political parties in place since the 1973 military coup.

Under the leadership of Andrés Allamand, membership increased rapidly and the party played an active role in the transition to democracy. In the 1999 presidential election, it supported the right-wing alliance's joint candidate, Joaquín Lavín, who narrowly lost the runoff to Ricardo Lagos.

21st century In the 2000s, RN again put forward Lavín, but after his polling numbers declined, Sebastián Piñera assumed the candidacy. In the 2006 presidential election he narrowly lost to Michelle Bachelet, but won the 2010 election, becoming the first centre-right president since the return to democracy. The party simultaneously gained significant ground in Congress and became one of the most influential political forces in Chile.

Following the 2013 election defeat and internal tensions, several deputies split off to form the movement Amplitud. Under the leadership of Cristián Monckeberg, RN modernised its public image, adopting a new logo in 2014 and a revised statement of principles distancing itself from the Pinochet era. In 2015, RN helped establish the new centre-right coalition Chile Vamos alongside the UDI, Evópoli and the PRI.

During Piñera's second administration (2018–2022), RN held numerous government positions.

2020s The Social Outburst of 2019–2020 triggered internal tensions: a moderate faction led by Mario Desbordes supported the constitutional process, while a conservative wing associated with Carlos Larraín opposed it.

After a closely contested internal power struggle, Francisco Chahuán, the joint opposition candidate against Desbordes, was elected party president in 2021 and led RN until 2023. His term, however, was marked by fragile control and pronounced internal fragmentation, illustrated by conservative factions supporting José Antonio Kast rather than the official candidate Sebastián Sichel in the 2021 presidential election.

In 2022, RN succeeded in re-establishing internal cohesion by unanimously deciding to reject the draft constitution promoted by left-wing, pro-Social Outburst activists. Even Desbordes, who had previously expressed sympathy for peaceful demonstrations, opposed the proposal.

In the referendum on the draft constitution, the "Reject" option won with 62% of the vote. RN and its coalition partners – UDI and Evópoli – gained two new allies: the movement Amarillos por Chile, from which the party Democrats later emerged. Both groups brought together former members of the Concertación willing to collaborate with the centre-right; both later endorsed Evelyn Matthei in the 2025 presidential election.

In 2023, Chahuán was succeeded by Rodrigo Galilea, a lawyer with a reserved public profile who strengthened RN's standing by making the party the most-voted force in the 2024 municipal and regional elections.

Presidents of National Renewal

National Renewal has nine party presidents in its history:

Ricardo Rivadeneira (1987) Sergio Onofre Jarpa (1987–1990) Andrés Allamand (1990–1997) Alberto Espina (1997–1999) Alberto Cardemil (1999–2001) Sebastián Piñera (2001–2004) Sergio Diez (2004–2006) Carlos Larraín (2006–2014) Cristián Monckeberg (2014–2018) Mario Desbordes (2018–2021) Francisco Chahuán (2021–2023) Rodrigo Galilea (2023–2026) Andrea Balladares (2026–2028)

Election results Presidential elections The following is a list of the presidential candidates supported by the National Renewal. (Information gathered from the Archive of Chilean Elections).

Election year Candidate 1st Round 2nd Round Results # Votes % Votes # Votes % Votes 1988 (plebiscite) In favor of Augusto Pinochet 3,119,110 44.0% colspan=2 1989 Hernán Büchi 2,052,116 29.4% colspan=2 1993 Arturo Alessandri Besa 1,703,408 24.2% colspan=2 19992000 Joaquín Lavín 3,352,192 47.5% 3,495,569 48.7% 20052006 Sebastián Piñera 1,763,694 25.4% 3,236,394 46.5% 20092010 Sebastián Piñera 3,074,164 44.1% 3,591,182 51.6% 2013 Evelyn Matthei 1,648,481 25.1% 2,111,891 37.8% 2017 Sebastián Piñera 2,418,540 36.6% 3,796,918 54.5% 2021 Sebastián Sichel 898,510 12.7% colspan=2 2025 Evelyn Matthei 1,617,720 12.5% colspan=2

Congress election Election year Chamber of Deputies Senate Status # Votes % Votes Seats # Votes % Votes Seats 1989 1,242,432 18.3% 731,678 10.8% 1993 1,098,852 16.3% 279,580 14.9% 1997 971,903 16.8% 629,394 14.9% 2001 845,865 13.8% 342,045 19.7% 2005 932,422 14.1% 515,185 10.8% 2009 1,178,392 17.8% 382,728 20.2% 2009 1,178,392 17.8% 382,728 20.2% 2013 928,037 14.9% 733,726 16.2% 2017 1,067,270 17.8% 349,622 20.9% 2021 693,474 10.96% 549,553 11.8% 2025 868,240 8.10% 431,539 13.93%

Party logos

See also Alliance (Chile) Chile Vamos Independent Democratic Union Sergio Onofre Jarpa Andrés Allamand Sebastián Piñera Carlos Larraín Manuel José Ossandón

References

External links

National Renewal National Renewal Youth