COPEI

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1998 COPEI presidential election poster in support of Irene Sáez. Text reads 'Vote Green', green is the colour associated with COPEI.

Copei – Social Christian Party of Venezuela (Copei, Partido Social Cristiano de Venezuela) is a political party in Venezuela. The name stands for Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente (Political Electoral Independent Organization Committee). It was founded on January 13th 1946 by Rafael Caldera (who later served as president under the party's banner), and, along with Democratic Action (AD), was the dominant Venezuelan party between 1958 and 1993. It has suffered in the polls recently because of a perception among voters that it represents what was wrong with Venezuelan politics in the previous fifty years. Other relevant leaders of this party included Luis Herrera Campins – the only other COPEI member to preside Venezuela, between 1979 and 1983 – Lorenzo Fernández, Eduardo Fernández and Oswaldo Álvarez Paz.

At the legislative elections, held on 30 July 2000, the party won 5 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly; four additional seats were won by an alliance with Democratic Action. In the most recent legislative elections, 4 December 2005, Copei staged an electoral boycott and consequently did not win any seats in the National Assembly.

[edit] Venezuelan Presidents by COPEI

1988 COPEI presidential election poster, in support of the party candidate Eduardo "El Tigre" Fernández

	President	Dates in office	Form of entry	Occupation
	Rafael Caldera Rodríguez	1969-1974 1994-1999	Direct elections	Lawyer
	Luis Herrera Campins	1979-1984	Direct elections	Lawyer

[edit] External links

• Official web site

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