Puerto Rican Communist Party

(Partido Comunista Puertorriqueño), founded on Sept. 23, 1934, at a congress held in Ponce that united communist groups and circles functioning in the country since the beginning of the 1930’s. The congress adopted a program aimed at developing a revolutionary workers’ and anti-imperialist movement in Puerto Rico. An extraordinary congress convened in 1946 adopted the party rules, and the Fourth Congress, held in 1954, approved a new party program.

Since its inception the Puerto Rican Communist Party has actively struggled on behalf of the working class and all toiling people. It has opposed foreign domination and has called for national independence. The party has always been persecuted, and during the reactionary 1950’s it was virtually outlawed. Since then the party has intensified its work and has consistently struggled for the realization of the political and economic demands of the Puerto Rican people. It has appealed for a merger of all democratic forces fighting for national independence and has rejected the status imposed on Puerto Rico of a state “in free association” with the USA. A party delegation attended the International Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties held in Moscow in 1969, and the party approved the documents adopted at the conference.

The Puerto Rican Communist Party is organized according to the principle of democratic centralism. The highest party organ is the Congress, convened every five years. Between congresses the Central Committee and Political Commission function as the highest bodies. C. Kosme is the general secretary, and the party’s main press organ is the monthly newspaper ElPueblo.