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 ...

secularist Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...

political 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 , ...

. After being founded in 2012, the party won a plurality of seats in the October 2014 parliamentary election. The party's founding leader

Beji Caid Essebsi Beji Caid Essebsi (or es-Sebsi; ar, الباجي قائد السبسي, translit=Muhammad al-Bājī Qā’id as-Sibsī, ; 29 November 1926 – 25 July 2019) was a Tunisian politician who served as the 6th president of Tunisia from 31 December 20 ...

was elected President of Tunisia in the 2014 presidential election.

History

Foundation

The party's foundation was announced when former prime minister

on 20 April 2012 launched his ''Call for Tunisia'' as a response to post-

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

"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 Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

" party of the

moderate left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...

. However, it also includes notable

economically liberal Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...

currents. 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 Habib Bourguiba (; ar, الحبيب بورقيبة, al-Ḥabīb Būrqībah; 3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian lawyer, nationalist leader and statesman who led the country from 1956 to 1957 as the prime minister of the Kingdom of T ...

). 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. 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 Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

joined Nidaa Tounes and four other parties in a political alliance called

Union for Tunisia The Union for Tunisia ( aeb, الاتحاد من أجل تونس, french: Union pour la Tunisie) is a secularist electoral alliance in Tunisia, formed on 11 February 2013 to run in the October 2014 legislative election. Originally, it consisted ...

(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 Mohsen Marzouk ( ar, محسن مرزوق; born July 1965) is a Tunisian politician. He holds a degree in political sociology and International Relations from the International Studies Association in Tunis. Early life Mohsen Marzouk was born in ...

went on to create a party named

Machrouu Tounes Machrouu Tounes ( ar, مشروع تونس; french: Projet de la Tunisie; en, Project Tunisia) is a big tent secularist Tunisian political party founded on 20 March 2016 by Mohsen Marzouk as a breakaway from Nidaa Tounes, the then ruling party. I ...

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. Youssef Chahed Youssef Chahed ( ar, يوسف الشاهد; born 18 September 1975) is a Tunisian politician who served as the 14th Prime Min ...

Prominent members

, former president of the party, former prime minister of the 2011 post-revolution transitional government, former minister under

Taïeb Baccouche Taïeb Baccouche (born 1 November 1944) is a Tunisian politician who has been Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union since 2016. Previously he served in the government of Tunisia as Ministry of Education (Tunisia), Minister of Education in 20 ...

, the party's secretary-general, former secretary-general of the Tunisian General Labour Union, former president of the Arab Institute of Human Rights, minister of education in the post-revolution transitional government led by Essebsi (2011) *

Faouzi Elloumi Fawzi, Faouzi, Fawzy or Fevzi (in Arabic فوزي) is an Arabic and Turkish name and surname meaning "triumph". Notable people with the name include: Given name Fawzi * Ali Fawzi Rebaine (born 1955), the leader of the Ahd 54 political party in Al ...

, a wealthy businessman and member of the executive committee *

, member of the executive committee charged with external relations *

Mahmoud Ben Rhomdane Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 19 ...

, one of the party's chief economic advisors * Lazhar Karoui Chebbi, former minister of Justice in Essebsi's cabinet (2011) * Boujemaa Remili, former leader of the

Tunisian Communist Party The Tunisian Communist Party ( ar, الحزب الشيوعي التونسي ' ; french: Parti Communiste Tunisien) was a Marxist political party in Tunisia. The PCT was founded on 21 May 1934 as the Tunisian federation of the French Communist Pa ...

Wafa Makhlouf Sayadi , abbreviation = WAFA , logo = wafalogo.jpg , image = , image_size = , image_alt = , image_caption = , type = News agency , products = Wire service, News, Photos, Video , formation = , fou ...

, 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

's 2011 post-revolution transitional government.

Election results

References

External links

* {{Tunisian political parties 2012 establishments in Tunisia Centrist parties in Tunisia Destourian parties Liberal parties in Tunisia Political parties established in 2012 Political parties in Tunisia Secularism in Tunisia Social democratic parties in Tunisia