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Colorado Party, Uruguay

Partido Colorado (“Red” Party)

by Francisco Gregoric, 29 May 2004

Presentation
Flag
Variant of the flag

See also:

Other sites:

Official webpage of the Partido Colorado
reported by Francisco Gregoric, 11 Dec 2004

Presentation

There was no mention of party flags on the party’s charter, but they had, of course, a note on their colour.
Guillermo Tell Aveledo, 06 Sep 2000

The Colorado (red) Party was the traditional liberal party. Since the 30s, these identifications have gotten complex.
Norm Martin, 07 Sep 2000

Blancos and Colorados made an alliance against the left wing Frente Amplio, so as to defeat their candidate. They won eventually.
Guillermo Tell Aveledo, 06 Sep 2000

The origin of the name of the party could be find in the battle of Carpintería in 1836 (fought between José Fructuoso Rivera the founder of Colorado Party and Manuel Oribe, the "white" leader). In that battle, Rivera's forces used a sky blue ribbon (using the color of the Uruguayan Cockade of that time or one of the colors commonly used in the Uruguayan flag) to differentiate themselves from the "whites". As the sky blue color faded very easily that color was changed to red some time after that. That is why the followers of Rivera started to be called "colorados" (reds).

There was a civil war between the two groups since the 1830s to the 1850s, with several foreign nations (like Argentina, Brazil, France and the UK) intervening in the Uruguayan civil war helping Oribe or Rivera. In the 1850s the Colorados won, and since then they have ruled in Uruguay most of the time. There were just a few presidents from the Partido Nacional or "Blanco" in Uruguayan History.

Traditionally the colorados have had support in big cities and were a more "liberal" party, while the blancos defined themselves as a very nationalist party.

At the end of the 19 Century and the beginning of the 20 Century there were several secular reforms in Uruguay made by the President José Batlle y Ordóñez (from the Colorado Party). There have been several Uruguayan presidents from the Batlle Family. All of them from the Partido Colorado. That is why one of the most important groups inside the party is the Foro Batllista (Batllist Forum).

This party has no relation to Marxist, socialist or communist parties or movements. As it was said before, the colorados have used the red color since the 1830s, long before Marxists, socialists or communists have done it.

"Colorado" is an old Spanish word to refer to the red color (widely used during the 19 Century). Nowadays it is more used the word "Rojo" to refer to the color. But the party is "Partido Colorado" and not "Rojo".
Francisco Gregoric, 11 Dec 2004

Flag

It should be mentioned that the Colorado Party’s red flag has nothing to do with the Communist one.
Santiago Dotor, 07 Sep 2000

The Colorado Party (red) members wear always red ties. The Colorado Party flag is used today specially by a faction, the biggest, the Batllist Forum. It is red with the sun of the Uruguayan flag in the upper left corner, like the national flag.
Martin Abal Barz, 28 Apr 2003

The flag of the Partido Colorado is all red (colorado), but it has a sun at the hoist, in the same place that the Uruguayan flag (and the same design). We can see it at the door of the Casa del Partido Colorado (Andrés Martínez Trueba 1271, Montevideo).
Alvaro Richino, 7 Sep 2003

The flag of the Colorado Party of Uruguay (has) the Sol de Mayo on the top left corner (canton). This is the flag that is flown by the colorados in Uruguay.
Martin C. Franzini-Batlle, 30 Nov 2003

The flag of Partido Colorado is red with a yellow sun in the canton. As it was reported before this party (and its flag too) is neither communist nor Marxist. The position of the sun is apparently inspired by the position of the sun in the Pabellon Nacional (the Uruguayan National Flag).
Francisco Gregoric, 29 May 2004

The sun of the Colorado Party flag usually has no face, but both with and without face versions are used.

Although the common ratio for Uruguayan flags is 2:3, sometimes it is possible to see different ratios in Uruguayan political flags.

There is a picture of a flag of the Colorado Party with sun without face, and with a ratio different from 2:3 at the homepage of Alternativa Joven (Young Alternative), a youth movement inside Partido Colorado.
Francisco Gregoric, 20 Jun 2004

Variant of the flag

by Francisco Gregoric, 11 Dec 2004

This image is based on the drawing that appeared on the official homepage of the Partido Colorado before the 2004 presidential elections. The sun similar to the one of the National Flag, but faceless. It is different from the one that appears on top that was based on the flag that appeared on the homepage of Alternativa Joven. There could be differences in details of the sun from one flag to another.
Francisco Gregoric, 11 Dec 2004