The National Unity of Hope (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza or UNE) is a political party in Guatemala. It was founded in 2002 and defines itself as a social-democratic and social-Christian party.
At the legislative elections on 9 November 2003, the party won 17.9% of the popular vote and 32 out of 158 seats in Congress. Its presidential candidate Álvaro Colom won 26.4% at the presidential elections on the same day and was defeated in the second round, when he got 45.9%.
For the 2007 elections, the party again chose Colom as its presidential candidate. He came in first place with 28% of the vote; the party won 22.8% of the vote and 48 seats in Congress, more than any other party. On 4 November 2007, in the second round of the election, Colom was elected President of Guatemala.
On the general elections of 2011, the Constitutional Court ruled out the candidacy of Colom's ex-wife, Sandra Torres, thus becoming the first time in the history of the elections that an official ruling party will not present presidential and vice-presidential candidacy.
Famous quotes containing the words national, unity and/or hope:
“The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation.”
—French National Assembly. Declaration of the Rights of Man (Sept. 1791)
“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
—Bible: New Testament, Ephesians 4:11.
“This is the hope of many adolescent girls—to capture a parent’s heart with love for them as they are, as people. They reject the notion of being loved just because they are the child of the parent. They want the parent to fall in love with them all over again, because being new, they deserve a new love.”
—Terri Apter (20th century)