Currently, according to its "Declaration of Principles," the PPD describes itself as "a left[ist] political party, democratic, progressive and [in favor of] parity".

The Party for Democracy (PPD) was founded on 15 December 1987 as an instrumental political organization whose primary objective was to finish with the military regime and achieve again democracy in Chile by peaceful, political means, taking advantage of the opportunity to mobilize the Chileans who represented the plebiscite by means of which the dictator Augusto Pinochet sought to extend its mandate.

Its founder, Ricardo Lagos, later President of Chile (2000-2006), said in the ceremony of constitution of the party that the only requirements to integrate the ranks of the PPD were: "to be against the institutional system of the regime of the dictator Pinochet because it does not lead to democracy, and in addition want to defeat it by political means".

People were admitted to the party of various ideologies including socialism, radicalism, social democrats, liberal progressives, left-wing Christians, Mapucists, communists, and young people up to the national student movement of the 1980s opponents of Augusto Pinochet, among them the Movement G-80.

The PPD vigorously pushed to ensure that the "No" option won the 1988 plebiscite, which restored free elections to the nation.