The National Advancement Party (Spanish: Partido de Avanzada Nacional) is a political party in Guatemala. It was founded in 1989.
In the 1990 and 1995 elections its presidential candidate was Álvaro Arzú who won in 1995, becoming Guatemala's 32nd president (1996–2000). Óscar Berger ran as the party's presidential candidate in the 1999 Guatemalan General Election becoming the runner-up in 1999. After winning PAN’s presidential candidacy in late 2002, he was going to run as the party's presidential candidate in the 2003 Guatemalan General Election. However, internal divisions plagued the party and Óscar Berger decided to leave PAN and enter the second round of the 2003 presidential elections as the candidate for the Gran Alianza Nacional (GANA), an alliance of 3 parties including Partido Patriota (PP), Movimiento Reformador (MR) and Partido Solidaridad Nacional (PSN).
At the legislative elections, held on 9 November 2003, the party won 10.9% of the popular vote and 17 out of 158 seats in Congress. The party's presidential candidate, Leonel López Rodas, won 8.4% in the presidential elections held on the same day; duly eliminated, he did not compete in the second round.
At the 2007 elections the party was badly defeated, but still received representation in Congress with 4.58% of the vote and four seats. Its presidential candidate, Óscar Casteñeda, received 2.56% of the vote.
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“Most adults will do anything to avoid going to a party where they don’t know anyone. But for some reason we may be impatient with the young child who hesitates on the first day of school, or who recoils from the commotion of a birthday party where there are no familiar faces.”
—Cathy Rindner Tempelsman (20th century)