Pan-African Union for Social Democracy
Encyclopedia
The Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (Union Panafricaine pour la Démocratie Sociale) is a political party
in the Republic of the Congo
, led by former president Pascal Lissouba
.
In the 1991–1992 transition to multiparty elections, UPADS was part of the National Alliance for Democracy (AND), which also included the Congolese Labour Party (PCT). In the parliamentary election
held in June–July 1992, UPADS won 39 out of the 125 seats and, together with its AND allies (mainly the PCT), gained a slight majority of 64 seats in the National Assembly
. UPADS leader Pascal Lissouba
was victorious over Bernard Kolélas
, the leader of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
(MCDDI), in the second round of the August 1992 presidential election
, winning 61.32% of the vote.
A UPADS-led government, with Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra as Prime Minister, was appointed after Lissouba took office, but because the PCT withdrew from the pro-Lissouba alliance and joined the opposition after it received only three positions in the government, the alliance lost its parliamentary majority. The Union for Democratic Renewal
(URD) opposition coalition and the PCT were therefore successful in defeating Bongho-Nouarra's government in a no-confidence vote on October 31, 1992. Lissouba consequently dissolved the National Assembly and called a new election; facing protests about this, he accepted the formation of a national unity government dominated by the URD and PCT in the lead-up to the election. In the 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, in which the Presidential Tendency won only three of the 11 available seats.
Lissouba was ousted at the end of a civil war in 1997 and fled into exile, whileDenis 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 to June 2001 as Minister of Construction.
Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
was the UPADS presidential candidate in the presidential election
held on 10 March 2002; he took second place but received only 2.76% of the vote, with Sassou Nguesso winning by an overwhelming margin according to official results. In the parliamentary election
held on 26 May and 23 June 2002, UPADS won two out of 137 seats.
The party's first extraordinary congress was held on 27–28 December 2006, with 954 delegates. On this occasion Pascal Tsaty-Mabiala was elected as the Secretary-General of the party, succeeding Christophe Moukouéké. Also elected at the congress were a 601-member National Council, a 135-member Political Bureau, and 25 Vice-Presidents; the Vice-Presidents included major figures in the party such as Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
, Alphonse Poaty-Souchlaty
, Ange Edouard Poungui
, Clément Mouamba, Jean Itadi, and Mireille Lissouba.
Despite being in the opposition, UPADS chose to participate in the June 2007 parliamentary election
, which was boycotted by many other opposition groups. The party put forward about 50 candidates. 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. The election was delayed by two weeks.
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 August 11 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. Ibovi subsequently announced a correction in the results for one of the electoral districts UPADS claimed to have won, Mabombo (in 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.
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.
At a meeting on August 24–25, 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.
Along with the Union for Democracy and the Republic (UDR-Mwinda) and the Rally for Democracy and Development
(RDD), UPADS formed the Alliance for the New Republic opposition coalition on May 11, 2007. Complaining that the 2007 parliamentary election and the 2008 local elections were "masquerades", this coalition withdrew from participation in national and local electoral commissions in August 2008. It wanted a new and independent electoral commission, in addition to an "all-inclusive national dialogue" prior to the 2009 presidential election
.
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 November 30, 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.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
, led by former president Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo from August 31, 1992 to October 15, 1997. He was overthrown by the current President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war....
.
In the 1991–1992 transition to multiparty elections, UPADS was part of the National Alliance for Democracy (AND), which also included the Congolese Labour Party (PCT). In the parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 1992
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo in 1992, along with a presidential election, marking the end of the transition to multiparty politics. The election was held in two rounds, the first on 24 June 1992 and the second on 19 July 1992...
held in June–July 1992, UPADS won 39 out of the 125 seats and, together with its AND allies (mainly the PCT), gained a slight majority of 64 seats in the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo has two chambers. The lower house is the National Assembly . It has 153 members, for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-See also:...
. UPADS leader Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba
Pascal Lissouba was the first democratically elected President of the Republic of the Congo from August 31, 1992 to October 15, 1997. He was overthrown by the current President Denis Sassou Nguesso in the 1997 civil war....
was victorious over Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Kolélas
Bernard Bakana Kolélas was a Congolese politician and President of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
, the leader of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development
The Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development is a political party in the Republic of the Congo, led by Bernard Kolélas....
(MCDDI), in the second round of the August 1992 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 1992
Presidential elections were held in the Republic of the Congo in August 1992, marking the end of the transitional period that began with the February–June 1991 National Conference...
, winning 61.32% of the vote.
A UPADS-led government, with Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra as Prime Minister, was appointed after Lissouba took office, but because the PCT withdrew from the pro-Lissouba alliance and joined the opposition after it received only three positions in the government, the alliance lost its parliamentary majority. The Union for Democratic Renewal
Union for Democratic Renewal (Congo)
The Union for Democratic Renewal was a coalition of political parties in the Republic of the Congo. The coalition was led by Bernard Kolélas, who was also the leader of the coalition's largest party, the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development...
(URD) opposition coalition and the PCT were therefore successful in defeating Bongho-Nouarra's government in a no-confidence vote on October 31, 1992. Lissouba consequently dissolved the National Assembly and called a new election; facing protests about this, he accepted the formation of a national unity government dominated by the URD and PCT in the lead-up to the election. In the 1993 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 1993
Parliamentary elections were held in the Republic of the Congo on 2 May 1993, with a second round in several constituencies on 6 June. The result was a victory for the Presidential Tendency coalition, which won 65 of the 125 seats in the National Assembly....
, 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, in which the Presidential Tendency won only three of the 11 available seats.
Lissouba was ousted at the end of a civil war in 1997 and fled into exile, whileDenis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso
Denis Sassou Nguesso is a Congolese politician who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville since 1997; he was previously President from 1979 to 1992. During his first period as President, he headed the single-party regime of the Congolese Labour Party for 12 years...
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 to June 2001 as Minister of Construction.
Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
Joseph Kignomba Kia Mbougou is a politician in the Republic of Congo. He stood in the 2002 presidential election for the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy Party. He came second in the election gaining 33,154 votes....
was the UPADS presidential candidate in the presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2002
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 10 March 2002. This followed a civil war in 1997, which returned Denis Sassou Nguesso to power, and a subsequent transitional period, in which a new constitution was written and approved by referendum in January 2002.The election...
held on 10 March 2002; he took second place but received only 2.76% of the vote, with Sassou Nguesso winning by an overwhelming margin according to official results. In the parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2002
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo in 2002; the first round was held on 26 May and the second round on 20 June. The Congolese Labour Party and its allies won a majority of seats in the National Assembly....
held on 26 May and 23 June 2002, UPADS won two out of 137 seats.
The party's first extraordinary congress was held on 27–28 December 2006, with 954 delegates. On this occasion Pascal Tsaty-Mabiala was elected as the Secretary-General of the party, succeeding Christophe Moukouéké. Also elected at the congress were a 601-member National Council, a 135-member Political Bureau, and 25 Vice-Presidents; the Vice-Presidents included major figures in the party such as Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou
Joseph Kignomba Kia Mbougou is a politician in the Republic of Congo. He stood in the 2002 presidential election for the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy Party. He came second in the election gaining 33,154 votes....
, Alphonse Poaty-Souchlaty
Alphonse Poaty-Souchlaty
Alphonse Poaty-Souchlaty is a politician of the Republic of the Congo. Poaty-Souchlaty was the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of the Congo from 7 August 1989 to 3 December 1990 under President Denis Sassou Nguesso....
, Ange Edouard Poungui
Ange Édouard Poungui
Ange Édouard Poungui is a Congolese politician. Poungui was the Prime Minister of Congo-Brazzaville from 7 August 1984 to 7 August 1989 under President Denis Sassou Nguesso...
, Clément Mouamba, Jean Itadi, and Mireille Lissouba.
Despite being in the opposition, UPADS chose to participate in the June 2007 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 24 June 2007, with a second round initially planned for 22 July 2007, but then postponed to 5 August 2007. According to the National Commission of the Organization of the Elections , 1,807 candidates stood in the first round for 137...
, which was boycotted by many other opposition groups. The party put forward about 50 candidates. 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. The election was delayed by two weeks.
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 August 11 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. Ibovi subsequently announced a correction in the results for one of the electoral districts UPADS claimed to have won, Mabombo (in Bouenza Region
Bouenza Region
Bouenza is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the southern part of the country. It borders the departments of Lékoumou, Niari, and Pool, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The regional capital is Madingou...
), 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.
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.
At a meeting on August 24–25, 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.
Along with the Union for Democracy and the Republic (UDR-Mwinda) and the Rally for Democracy and Development
Rally for Democracy and Development
The Rally for Democracy and Development is a political party in the Republic of the Congo. It has been one of the main participants in a coalition known as the African Socialist Movement-Congolese Progressive Party .The RDD was founded in 1990 under the leadership of former Head of State Joachim...
(RDD), UPADS formed the Alliance for the New Republic opposition coalition on May 11, 2007. Complaining that the 2007 parliamentary election and the 2008 local elections were "masquerades", this coalition withdrew from participation in national and local electoral commissions in August 2008. It wanted a new and independent electoral commission, in addition to an "all-inclusive national dialogue" prior to the 2009 presidential election
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 12 July 2009. Long-time President Denis Sassou Nguesso won another seven-year term with a large majority of the vote, but the election was marked by accusations of irregularities and fraud from the opposition; six opposition...
.
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 November 30, 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.