EL PARTIDO POR LA DEMOCRACIA - THE BIRTH OF CHILES POSTMATERIALIST CATCH-ALL LEFT

A new center-left political party has emerged in Chile during the coun try's recent return to democratic government: the Party For Democracy (el Partido For la Democracia - PPD). This report examines the PPD fro m the perspective of (1) changing voter demands and (2) the maneuverin gs and necessities of party elites. It concludes that the PPD's emerge nce resulted from increasing interest among Chileans for new types of leftist discourse - Ronald Inglehart's postmaterialist issues and cons ensus-orientated leftist politics. Equally important, however, the PPD is the product of an elite rejection of Chile's traditional party cul tures, which impeded individual leaders' freedom, access to power, and rapid adaptation to new electoral realities.