The United Social Democratic Party ( pt, Partido Unido Social Democrático, PUSD) is a
centre-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 ...
social democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
.
History
The party was established on 30 May 1991 and legalised on 6 June 1992.Peter Karibe Mendy (2013) ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau'', Scarecrow Press, p328
Victor Saúde Maria ''This name uses Portuguese naming customs. the first or maternal family name is Saúde and the second or paternal family name is Maria.''
Victor Saúde Maria (27 April 1939 – 25 October 1999) was a Bissau-Guinean politician.
Early life
He ...
was its initial leader. In the 1994 general elections Saúde Maria finished seventh in the presidential elections with 2% of the vote, and the party failed to win a seat in the National People's Assembly. Saúde Maria died on 25 October 1999, and a subsequent leadership crisis prevented it from contesting the 1999 general elections.
Former Prime Minister
Francisco Fadul
Francisco José Fadul (born 15 December 1953) is a Bissau-Guinean politician who was Prime Minister from 3 December 1998 to 19 February 2000. He led the United Social Democratic Party (PUSD), one of the country's main political parties, from 20 ...
was elected as the President of the PUSD on 18 December 2002 at a party convention in
Bissau
Bissau () is the capital, and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. Bissau had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, and its administrative and m ...
.''Political Parties of the World'' (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 272. In the 2004 parliamentary elections the party received 17.6% of the vote and won 17 out of 100 seats in the Assembly. However, eight of the PUSD's MPs were expelled from the party in August 2004. In the 2005 presidential elections Fadul finished fourth with 2.85% of the vote.
In 2006 Fadul requested that Namuano Dias, a member of PUDS who was serving in the government as Minister of Justice, resign from the government because he had been accused of corruption. However, Dias and Prime Minister
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde ( pt, Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde, PAIGC) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. Originally formed to peacefully campaign for independence from ...
(PAIGC) and the
Party for Social Renewal
The Party for Social Renewal ( pt, Partido da Renovação Social, PRS) is a political party in Guinea-Bissau. It is one of the country's leading parties and is currently the main opposition party.
History 1990s
Multi-party democracy was introduce ...
(PRS) as they sought to form a new government. This led to a successful no-confidence vote against Prime Minister
Aristides Gomes
Aristides Gomes (born 8 November 1954 .) is a Bissau-Guinean politician who was the Martinho Ndafa Kabi, was appointed Prime Minister by President
João Bernardo Vieira
João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira (; 27 April 1939 – 2 March 2009) was a Bissau-Guinean politician who was the President of Guinea-Bissau from 1980 to 1999, except for a three-day period in May 1984, and from 2005 to 2009.
After seizing power ...
, and on 17 April a new government was named, with the PUSD receiving two of the 20 ministerial portfolios.
Fadul challenged the leadership of the PUSD in court and maintained that he was the party's legitimate president. According to Fadul, the PUSD had a disputed leadership and therefore could not legitimately participate in the pact.Guiné-Bissau: Francisco Fadul exige demissão do governo e dissolução de Parlamento LUSA, 19 July 2007
The 2008 parliamentary elections saw the party lose all its seats in the Assembly. It did not contest the
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
or 2012 presidential elections. In the 2014 general elections, it did not present a presidential candidate, but did contest the parliamentary elections, receiving 0.7% of the vote and failing to win a seat.
In October 2013 Carmelita Pires was elected leader of the United Social Democratic Party (PUSD) by 264 votes out of the 274. Pires said that she did not intend to run for President of the country. The party had no representation in parliament at that time but it had 17 deputies at the National People's Assembly. Her party's priorities, if elected, would be Education, Health and Social Security.