The Progressive Action Party (Spanish: Partido de Acción Progresista, PAP) was a Cuban political party led by Fulgencio Batista. The party was founded in 1949, after the 1948 general elections, under the name of United Action Party (Spanish: Partido de Acción Unida, PAU). In 1952, certain to lose the election, Batista made a coup d'etat by seizing the Presidency. The party also ran in the elections of 1954 and 1958, winning always go early withdrawal of opponents, as well as of the strong electoral fraud.