Progressive Workers' Party (Uskad)
Progressive Workers' Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | PWP |
| Leader | Kekelina Pelita |
| Deputy Leader | Tekelata Humalina |
| First Secretary | Henedi Kurmaniasyah |
| Governing body | Federal Supreme Committee |
| Founded | 1 December 1961 |
| Merger of | |
| Headquarters | Kelinasta Tower, 23 Susilman Blvd, Tehumyas, SCT SC72182 |
| Newspaper | The Progressive Worker |
| Think tank | Susilman Foundation |
| Student wing | Progressive Students |
| Youth wing | Young Progressives |
| Women's wing | Progressive Women |
| Trade union affiliate | United Federation of Uskadian Trade Unions |
| LGBT wing | queerpweep |
| Membership (2024) |  821,296 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-left to left-wing |
| International affiliation | Progressive Alliance |
| WMCA Assembly group | Socialist Group |
| Slogan | Building Uskad together. (2024) |
| Parliament | 272 / 560
|
| State parliaments | 291 / 850
|
| State and territorial governments | 9 / 17
|
| WMCA Assembly (Uskadian seats) | 19 / 53
|
| District and local councils | 7,890 / 26,271
|
| Website | |
| pwp.org.ud | |
The Progressive Workers' Party is a major centre-left and social democratic party in Uskad and is one of the three major political parties in Uskad, along with the centre-right Conservative and Nationalist Party, and Initiative. It has been the main governing party of the country as part of a coalition with Initiative since 2019. It was founded in 1961 as a merger between the Progressive Party and the Socialist Workers' Party. On the state and local level, the PWP controls 9 out of 17 state and territorial governments and control most local councils.
The party originated from the merger of two political parties, the centre-left Progressive Party, and the trade unionist Socialist Workers' Party. The merger originated from the idea of forming a united party of the Left in Uskad, in response to the rise of the Conservative Nationalist Party, which had increasing electoral successes against the then ruling Uskadian Democratic Revolutionary Party. The parties merged in 1961, at the first taking the name of Socialists, Workers' and Progressives Party, before adopting its current name in 1963.
Under the leadership of left-wing trade unionist leader Sutikno, the party had increasing electoral successes in the 1960s and 1970s, though fortunes waned in the late 1970s and 80s due to the relative popularity of the ruling CNP under then-Prime Minister Letena Sutana, which caused internal party infighting and CNP dominance in elections. After further electoral defeats in the late 80s and early 90s, Ruben Sasanta took over the party and began shifting party ideology to the centre-left, and took inspiration from Bill Clinton's New Democrats and Tony Blair's New Labour.
The PWP won a surprise landslide in the 1999 general elections, and Prime Minister Sasanta began major reforms in the country, and won further elections in 2004 and 2009, and was succeeded by Talin Jemenak, Uskad's first female Prime Minister. She shifted the party further to the centre, and led the party to defeat in the 2014 general elections. Later, under the leadership of left-wing populist William Sarbalsta, the party formed a coalition with Initiative, from which it has governed since 2019.
The PWP is currently the largest party in the Parliament of Uskad, and in most state parliaments. The party main base in the state of Kartarajasa-Sentika, which is the most populous state in the country. In the WMCA Assembly, it is a member of the Socialist Group. The party has central control over its state branches, except for one in the state of Llynwynfa. As of 2024, it has over 800,000 members.
History
The main predecessor party of the PWP, the Socialist Workers' Party, was established in 1936. It was an initiative of various Uskadian trade unions, to represent the Uskadian labour movement when independence was achieved. It