APRA

in full Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana

Party founded by Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre (1924), which dominated Peruvian politics for decades. Largely synonymous with the so-called Aprista movement, it was dedicated to Latin American unity, the nationalization of foreign-owned enterprises, and an end to the exploitation of Indians. Supported by workers and middle-class liberals, the party wielded significant power, but conservative forces took extraordinary measures to prevent Haya de la Torre from ever gaining the presidency. An APRA candidate, Alan García, finally became president in 1985. See also indigenismo.

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