Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country

The Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country (Movimiento de Unidad Plurinacional Pachakutik – Nuevo País) is a left wing indigenist party in Ecuador. It was founded in January 1996 primarily as a way to advance the interests of a wide variety of indigenous peoples' organizations throughout Ecuador. In the context of Ecuador's indigenous movement, Pachakutik emerged after successful civil society mobilizations by large indigenous organizations such as CONAIE and CONFENAIE. Despite being backed by CONAIE and the workers' Social Movement Cooperation, the party is not affiliated with the organizations, as its official purpose was to serve as an alternative to the traditional cluster of political parties that had ruled Ecuadorian politics. The party has been a topic of controversy among indigenous peoples throughout Ecuador because of its nature as a political party, and many indigenous people are unwilling to recognize it as representing their interests because they feel that the party has compromised too many indigenous demands in order to participate in the political process.