Pan-African Union for Social Democracy

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Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
Union panafricaine pour la démocratie sociale
AbbreviationUPADS
Secretary-GeneralPascal Tsaty Mabiala
Founded1991 (1991)
IdeologySocial democracy
Pan-Africanism
Political positionCentre-left
Seats in the National Assembly
8 / 151
Seats in the Senate
2 / 72
Website
lecru-upads-usa.org

The Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (

Pascal Tsaty-Mabiala
has been Secretary-General of UPADS since 2006.

History

In the 1991–1992 transition to multiparty elections, UPADS was part of the

August 1992 presidential election, winning 61.32% of the vote.[1][2][3]

A UPADS-led government, with

1993 parliamentary election, the Presidential Tendency, of which UPADS was the main component, won a majority of the seats decided in the first round, 62 out of 114; UPADS itself won 49 out of the 62. The URD and PCT opposition denounced this election as fraudulent and refused to participate in the second round, in which the Presidential Tendency won an additional seven seats; however, these results were cancelled and a second round revote was held in October 1993,[1][4] in which the Presidential Tendency won only three of the 11 available seats.[1]

Lissouba was ousted at the end of a civil war in 1997 and fled into exile, while Denis Sassou Nguesso of the PCT became President. A faction of UPADS, led by Martin Mberi, recognized the legitimacy of Sassou Nguesso, and Mberi was included in the government from 1997[5] to June 2001 as Minister of Construction.[6]

parliamentary election held on 26 May and 23 June 2002, UPADS won two out of 137 seats.[3][7]

The party's first extraordinary congress was held on 27–28 December 2006, with 954 delegates.

Despite being in the opposition, UPADS chose to participate in the

June 2007 parliamentary election, which was boycotted by many other opposition groups.[10] The party put forward about 50 candidates.[11] The party received three seats out the 46 declared in the first round. Tsaty-Mabiala said that the party would only participate in the second round of the election in July if the electoral rolls were improved, voter registration cards were properly distributed, and the composition of the electoral commissions was changed. He also said that the second round should be delayed to allow time for these things to be done.[12] The election was delayed by two weeks.[13]

In results announced after the second round, the party had a total of 10 seats in the National Assembly. Tsaty-Mabiala denounced the results as fraudulent on 11 August and said that the election was neither transparent nor fair. He alleged that five UPADS candidates, in Mossendjo, Moutamba, Nkayi, Mabombo and Dolisie electoral districts, had won but were deprived of victory in the results. The party appealed to the Constitutional Court.

Bouenza Region), which had gone to Marcel Kalla in the previous results, but which Ibovi said was actually won by the UPADS candidate, Christophe Moukouéké. This raised the number of UPADS seats to 11.[15]

In early October 2007, Tsaty-Mabiala said that UPADS would not participate in any national unity government because there had not been an agreement on resolving the country's problems.[16]

At a meeting on 24–25 August 2008, the UPADS Political Bureau expelled nine executive members from the party; these included Christophe Moukouéké and Victor Tamba-Tamba, both founding members of UPADS. This decision was said to have been taken in order to restore harmony and discipline within the party.[17]

Along with the

2009 presidential election.[19]

Former Prime Minister Ange Edouard Poungui was chosen as the UPADS candidate for the 2009 presidential election by the UPADS National Council in a primary election on 30 November 2008. His sole rival for the nomination, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou, withdrew from the vote, complaining of "lack of transparency in the process", and Poungui, as the only candidate, received about 85% of the vote.[20] However its candidacy was later rejected by the Contitutional Court on the ground that he had failed to establish his continuous residency in Congo-Brazzaville for at least two years.[21]

In the three following parliamentary elections, always under the leadership of Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, UPADS never managed to weaken PCT's absolute majority, remaining the main opposition force (tied with UDH-Yuki in 2017 and 2022) but always obtaining between 7 and 8 seats. Tsaty Mabiala was also the party's presidential candidate for the 2016 presidential election, finishing fourth with 4.67% of the votes, while the party did not contest the following presidential election in 2021.

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election Candidate First round Second round Results
Votes % Votes %
1992 Pascal Lissouba 282,020 35.97% 506,395 61.32% Elected Green tickY
2002
Kignomba Kia Mbougou
33.154 2.76% Lost Red XN
2009 Candidate rejected
2016 Pascal Tsaty Mabiala 65,025 4.67% Lost Red XN

National Assembly elections

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Result
1992 Pascal Lissouba
39 / 125
Increase 39 Increase 1st Snap elections
1993
47 / 101
Increase 8 Steady 1st Coalition
2002
Kignomba Kia Mbougou
3 / 137
Decrease 44 Decrease 4th Opposition
2007 Pascal Tsaty Mabiala
11 / 137
Increase 8 Increase 3rd Opposition
2012
7 / 139
Decrease 4 Steady 3rd Opposition
2017
8 / 151
Increase 1 Increase 2nd Opposition
2022
7 / 151
Decrease 11 Steady 2nd Opposition

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h John F. Clark, "Congo: Transition and the Struggle to Consolidate", in Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), ed. John F. Clark and David E. Gardinier, pages 71–72.
  2. ^ a b c IPU PARLINE page on 1992 parliamentary election.
  3. ^ a b c Elections in Congo-Brazzaville, African Elections Database.
  4. ^ IPU PARLINE page on the 1993 parliamentary election.
  5. ^ Political Parties of the World (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 140.
  6. ^ "Me Martin Mberi candidat à la présidentielle de 2002" Archived 9 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Afrique Express, number 238, 31 October 2001 (in French).
  7. ^ IPU PARLINE page on the 2002 parliamentary election.
  8. ^ a b "L'U.PA.D.S met en garde le pouvoir pour la commission électorale" Archived 1 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Kimpwanza, 17 February 2007 (in French).
  9. ^ a b "Pascal Tsati Mabiala élu secrétaire général de l'Union panafricaine pour la démocratie sociale (UPADS)", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 29 December 2006 (in French).
  10. ^ "Congo: ouverture de la campagne du premier tour des élections législatives", AFP, 8 June 2007 (in French).
  11. ^ "Congo: Opposition claims elections were rigged"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, 14 August 2007.
  12. ^ "L'UPADS conditionne sa participation au 2ème tour des législatives", Panapress, 5 July 2007 (in French).
  13. ^ "Le second tour des législatives au Congo reporté au 5 août", AFP, 20 July 2007 (in French).
  14. ^ "L’UPADS accuse le pouvoir d’avoir fait un hold-up électoral au Congo", Panapress, 12 August 2007 (in French).
  15. ^ "Un candidat de l'opposition repêché après rectificatif au Congo", Panapress, 13 August 2007 (in French).
  16. ^ "Un parti d’opposition rejette toute participation à un gouvernement d’Union nationale au Congo"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, 8 October 2007 (in French).
  17. ^ "Main Congolese opposition party expels nine executive members"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, 26 August 2008.
  18. ^ "Trois partis politiques de l'opposition créent l'Alliance pour une nouvelle République" Archived 26 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 11 May 2007 (in French).
  19. ^ "Three Congolese opposition parties withdraw from electoral commission"[permanent dead link], African Press Agency, 14 August 2008.
  20. ^ Thierry Noungou, "Présidentielles 2009 - Le candidat de l'UPADS, Ange Edouard Poungui, annonce ses bonnes intentions" Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 2 December 2008 (in French).
  21. ^ "Décision de la cour constitutionnelle du 18 Juin 2009" Archived 2012-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 22 June 2009 (in French).

External links