The Popular Unity Party (; , PUP) is an

Arab nationalist Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

party in

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

History and profile

The party was founded in 1981 as a breakaway from the left-wing Popular Unity Movement (MUP) by members who disagreed with MUP leader Ahmed Ben Salah's policy to boycott elections. In 1983, the government of

Mohammed Mzali Mohammed Mzali (, 23 December 1925 – 23 June 2010) was a Tunisian politician who served as prime minister between 1980 and 1986. Early life Mzali was born in Monastir, Tunisia on 23 December 1925. His family has ancestry from the Ait Mzal tri ...

legalised two moderate oppositional parties, including the PUP. The party won two seats in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

held on 20 March 1994. Following the elections of 1999, the PUP had seven members in the Tunisian parliament. At the 2004 legislative elections, the party won 3.6% of the popular vote and 11 out of 189 seats. The same day, its candidate , won 3.8% at the presidential elections. In 2006, the PUP tried to form an alliance with three other minor oppositional parties, the Social Liberal Party (PSL), the Unionist Democratic Union (UDU) and the Green Party for Progress (PVP). However, the alliance quickly collapsed when some of the participants were accused of pursuing particular interests rather than unity of the opposition. At the 2009 legislative elections, the PUP won 3.4% of the popular vote and 12 out of 214 seats. After the Tunisian revolution of 2011, the PUP participated in elections for the Constituent Assembly, but failed to win any seats. The party has published a weekly newspaper under the title of ''Al Wahada''.

References

External links

Official website
1981 establishments in Tunisia Arab nationalism in Tunisia Arab socialist political parties Formerly banned political parties in Tunisia Formerly banned socialist parties Political parties established in 1981 Socialist parties in Tunisia {{Tunisia-party-stub