Justicialist Party

The Justicialist Party (Spanish: Partido Justicialista, IPA: [parˈtiðo xustisjaˈlista]), or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.

The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. Former presidents Carlos Menem, Eduardo Duhalde, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner are members. Justicialists have, covering nearly the entire period since 1989, been the largest party in the Congress.

Despite the Justicialist Party is the largest party in the Congress, however, do not reflect the divisions within the party over the role of Kirchnerism, the ruling, left-wing faction of the party. While dissident Peronists, the right-wing faction of the party is in opposition with other parties.

Party history

The Justicialist Party was founded in 1947 by Juan and Evita Perón, and superseded the Labor Party on which Perón had been elected a year earlier. Following the enactment of women's right to vote in 1948, a Peronist Women's Party, led by the First Lady, was also established. All Peronist entities were banned from elections after 1955, when the Revolución Libertadora overthrew Perón, and civilian governments' attempt to lift Peronism's ban from legislative and local elections in 1962 and 1965 resulted in military coups.