The party was founded by supermarket tycoon Francisco Javier Errázuriz to support his candidacy in the 1989 presidential elections.

Errázuriz claimed that he was the only true centrist candidate, although his political ideology was slightly center-right.

Frei fared disastrously, gaining only 0.35% of the vote, the lowest percentage of any candidate since the end of the Pinochet régime.

[citation needed] On 3 January 2000, Senator Errázuriz retook control of the UCC from Alejandro García and Agustín Benapres after they gave their support for Joaquín Lavín in the 2000 runoff election.

Without their leader, On 3 May 2002 the UCC ceased to exist and part of its members joined to the Independent Democratic Union (UDI).