Nidaa Tounes Explained

Nidaa Tounes
Native Name:حركة نداء تونس
Founder:Beji Caid Essebsi
Leader1 Title:Chairperson
Leader2 Title:Secretary General
Leader2 Name:Kassem Makhlouf
Slogan:"Call of Tunisia, A call for all Tunisians"
Headquarters:3, rue du Lac de Garde
Les Berges du Lac
1053 Tunis
Youth Wing:Nidaa Tounes Youth Movement
Membership:110,000[1]
Membership Year:2014
Ideology:Bourguibism[2] [3]
Social democracy
Third Way
Big tent
Secularism
Position:Centre to centre-left
Seats2 Title:Assembly of the Representatives of the People
Colours: Red
Native Name Lang:ar
Country:Tunisia

Nidaa Tounes[4] (Arabic: حركة نداء تونس , French: Appel de la Tunisie; usually translated as "Call of Tunisia", "Call for Tunisia",[5] or "Tunisia's Call"[6]) is a big tent secularist political party in Tunisia. After being founded in 2012, the party won a plurality of seats in the October 2014 parliamentary election.[7] The party's founding leader Beji Caid Essebsi was elected President of Tunisia in the 2014 presidential election.

History

Foundation

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".[8] It was officially founded on 16 June 2012 and describes itself as a "modernist"[9] and "social-democratic" party of the moderate left.[10] [11] However, it also includes notable economically liberal currents.[12] [13] [14]

The party has patched together former members of ousted president Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally, 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 (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.[9]

From its foundation until July 2013, 11 members of the Constituent Assembly 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.[15]

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[16] while prime minister Youssef Chahed formed a new party named Tahya Tounes.[17]

Prominent members

Election results

Election year
  1. of total votes
% of overall vote
  1. of seats
Government
Assembly of the Representatives of the People
20141,279,94137.56%
201943,2131.51%

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: L'interview intégrale de Béji Caïd Essebsi à Leaders : J'irai jusqu'au bout!. 1 September 2014. 24 December 2014. fr.
  2. Web site: Tunisia: First Impressions. Council on Foreign Relations. 12 November 2014. 25 November 2014. Steve A. Cook. https://web.archive.org/web/20161027101156/http://blogs.cfr.org/cook/2014/11/12/tunisia-first-impressions/. 27 October 2016. dead.
  3. News: In the shade of Bourguiba. The Economist. 4 November 2014. 25 November 2014.
  4. Web site: Elections in Tunisia: Steps Toward Democratic Consolidation . Sarah . Feuer . Policywatch . 2320 . The Washington Institute . 3 October 2014.
  5. News: Tunisia's Most Intimidating Statesman Creates New Party . Synda . Tajine . AL Monitor . 21 June 2012.
  6. Web site: Country profile Tunisia. The World Factbook. CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) . 2014.
  7. Web site: The Tunisian election result isn't simply a victory for secularism over Islamism. Monica Marks. . 29 October 2014. 9 November 2014.
  8. Web site: L'Appel de Tunisie de Béji Caïd Essebsi.. 20 April 2012. Business News. 23 December 2014.
  9. Web site: Monica Marks . Omar Belhaj Salah. Uniting for Tunisia?. Sada. 30 October 2014. 28 March 2013.
  10. Web site: Previewing Tunisia's Parliamentary & Presidential Elections. Project on Middle East Democracy. Tavana. Daniel. Russell. Alex. October 2014. 9. 23 December 2014.
  11. Book: Hamid, Shadi . Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam Is Reshaping the World . 2016-06-07 . St. Martin's Publishing Group . 978-1-4668-6672-0 . 20 . en.
  12. Isabel . Schäfer . After the first free parliamentary elections in Tunisia: New horizons or back to square one? . Qantara.de . 4 November 2014 .
  13. News: Natasha . Turak . Nidaa Tounes Leads Ennahdha by Strong Margin . Tunisia-live.net . 23 December 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141027211914/http://www.tunisia-live.net/2014/10/27/nidaa-tounes-leads-ennahdha-by-strong-margin/ . 27 October 2014 . dead .
  14. Anne . Wolf . Power Shift in Tunisia: Electoral Success of Secular Parties Might Deepen Polarization . SWP Comments . 54 . December 2014 . German Institute for International and Security Affairs . 4 .
  15. News: Après la défection de Nidaa Tounès : L'Union pour la Tunisie dans l'expectative ! . Le Temps . 28 June 2014.
  16. News: Tunisia's Nidaa Tounes in shambles amid political turbulence. Al Jazeera. 6 December 2018. 6 December 2018.
  17. News: Tunisia's secular opposition forms new party. Al Jazeera. 27 January 2019. 27 January 2019.
  18. Web site: Tunisie : l'appel du 16 juin de Béji Caïd Essebsi. Barrouhi. Abdelaziz. 28 June 2012. Jeune Afrique. 24 December 2014.
  19. News: fr. Composition du Bureau politique de Nidaa Tounes. 23 May 2023. allAfrica. 22 March 2015. .

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