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.
Famous quotes containing the words national, advancement and/or party:
“While I do not think it was so intended I have always been of the opinion that this turned out to be much the best for me. I had no national experience. What I have ever been able to do has been the result of first learning how to do it. I am not gifted with intuition. I need not only hard work but experience to be ready to solve problems. The Presidents who have gone to Washington without first having held some national office have been at great disadvantage.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
“As the saffron tints and crimson flushes of morn herald the coming day, so the social and political advancement which woman has already gained bears the promise of the rising of the full-orbed sun of emancipation. The result will be not to make home less happy, but society more holy.”
—Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)
“At every party there are two kinds of people—those who want to go home and those who don’t. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other.”
—Ann Landers (b. 1918)