Nidaa Tounes ( ar, حركة نداء تونس ', french: Appel de la Tunisie; usually translated as "Call of Tunisia", "Call for Tunisia", or "Tunisia's Call") is a
big tent
A big tent party, or catch-all party, is a term used in reference to a political party's policy of permitting or encouraging a broad spectrum of views among its members. This is in contrast to other kinds of parties, which defend a determined i ...
President of Tunisia
The president of Tunisia, officially the president of the Tunisian Republic ( ar, رئيس الجمهورية التونسية), is the head of state of Tunisia. Tunisia is a presidential republic, whereby the president is the head of state a ...
The party's foundation was announced when former prime minister Beji Caid Essebsi on 20 April 2012 launched his ''Call for Tunisia'' as a response to post- revolutionary "instances of disturbing extremism and violence that threaten public and individual liberties, as well as the security of the citizens". It was officially founded on 16 June 2012 and describes itself as a "modernist" and " social-democratic" party of the moderate left. However, it also includes notable economically liberal currents.
The party has patched together former members of ousted president Ben Ali's
Constitutional Democratic Rally
The Democratic Constitutional Rally or Democratic Constitutional Assembly ( ar, التجمع الدستوري الديمقراطي ', french: Rassemblement Constitutionnel Démocratique, sometimes also called Constitutional Democratic Rally in E ...
, secular leftists, progressive liberals and Destourians (followers of Tunisia's "founder" Habib Bourguiba). In addition, the party has the support of many members of the
Tunisian General Labour Union
The Tunisian General Labour Union (french: Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, ''UGTT''. ar, الاتحاد العام التونسي للشغل) is a national trade union center in Tunisia. It has a membership of more than one million and w ...
(UGTT) and the national employers' union, UTICA. They believe that Tunisia's secular forces have to unite to counter the dominance of the Islamist
Ennahda Movement
The Ennahda Movement ( ar, حركة النهضة, Ḥarakatu n-Nahḍah; french: link=no, Mouvement Ennahdha), also known as the Renaissance Party or simply known as Ennahda, is a self-defined Islamic democratic political party in Tunisia.
Foun ...
.
From its foundation until July 2013, 11 members of the
Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
joined the party by defecting from various other parties.
Union for Tunisia
On 11 February 2013, the Republican Party joined Nidaa Tounes and four other parties in a political alliance called Union for Tunisia (UPT). Moreover, it participated in the formation of the broad oppositional National Salvation Front in July 2013. However, ahead of the October 2014 legislative election, Nidaa Tounes decided to run its own lists and not to contest the election as part of the UPT.
2014 to present
The party has seen tensions between supporters of Essebsi's son, Hafedh Essebsi, and others. Former member Mohsen Marzouk went on to create a party named Machrouu Tounes while prime minister
Youssef Chahed
Youssef Chahed ( ar, يوسف الشاهد; born 18 September 1975) is a Tunisian politician who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Tunisia from 27 August 2016 to 27 February 2020. Previously he was Secretary of State for Fishing from 2015 to ...
formed a new party named
Tahya Tounes
Tahya Tounes (Arabic: تحيا تونس , French: ''Vive la Tunisie'') is a secular party in Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Afric ...
.
Prominent members
* Beji Caid Essebsi, former president of the party, former prime minister of the 2011 post-revolution transitional government, former minister under Habib Bourguiba
* Taïeb Baccouche, the party's secretary-general, former secretary-general of the
Tunisian General Labour Union
The Tunisian General Labour Union (french: Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, ''UGTT''. ar, الاتحاد العام التونسي للشغل) is a national trade union center in Tunisia. It has a membership of more than one million and w ...
, former president of the Arab Institute of Human Rights, minister of education in the post-revolution transitional government led by Essebsi (2011)
* Faouzi Elloumi, a wealthy businessman and member of the executive committee
* Mohsen Marzouk, member of the executive committee charged with external relations
* Mahmoud Ben Rhomdane, one of the party's chief economic advisors
*
Lazhar Karoui Chebbi
Karoui Lazhar Chebbi (born 7 October 1927 in Chebbia) is a Tunisian lawyer and politician. He became Minister of Justice in the government of Mohamed Ghannouchi. Boujemaa Remili, former leader of the Tunisian Communist Party
* Wafa Makhlouf Sayadi, head of the Center for Young Corporate Leaders (CJD)
* Ridha Belhaj, one of the party founders, actual Chief of Staff of the Tunisian presidency and former Chief Cabinet Secretary in Beji Caid Essebsi's 2011 post-revolution transitional government.