The Popular Unity Party ( ar, حزب الوحدة الشعبية; french: link=no, Parti de l'Unité Populaire, PUP) is an

Arab nationalist Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language an ...

party in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

History and profile

The party was founded in 1981 as a breakaway from the left-wing

Popular Unity Movement Popular Unity Movement (Mouvement d'Unité Populaire, MUP), is a socialist political party in Tunisia. The MUP was formed by Ahmed Ben Salah in Swiss exile in 1973. Ben Salah was a trade unionist (Tunisian General Labour Union, UGTT) who had been ...

(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 ( ar, محمد مزالي, 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 ancest ...

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

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

held on 20 March 1994. Following the elections of 1999, the PUP had 7 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 The Unionist Democratic Union ( ar, الاتحاد الديمقراطي الوحدوي; french: Union démocratique unioniste) is a political party in Tunisia with pan-Arabist ideology. History and profile The party was founded on 30 November 19 ...

(UDU) and the

Green Party for Progress Green Party for Progress ( ar, حزب الخضر للتقدم, french: Parti des verts pour le progrès), often abbreviated to PVP, is a Tunisian green political party. Founded in November 2005 by Mongi Khamassi, a former member of PSL, they wer ...

(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 The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine ...

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