Congress for the Republic

{{for|the political party in Niger|Congress for the Republic (Niger)}}

{{Infobox Tunisian political party

| colorcode = {{party color|Congress for the Republic}}

| name = Congress for the Republic

| arabic_name = المؤتمر من أجل الجمهورية

| french_name = Congrès pour la République

| logo =

| abbreviation = El Mottamar,
CPR

| leader =

| chairperson =

| president = Samir Ben Amor

| first_secretary =

| secretary_general =

| spokesperson =

| successor =

| founded = {{Start date|2001|7|25|df=yes}}
11 September 2017 {{small|(refoundation)}}

| dissolved =

| merged = Al-Irada

| founder = Moncef Marzouki and 31 others

| former_leaders_title =

| former_leaders =

| slogan = Sovereignty of the people, dignity of the citizen, legitimacy of the state.
{{langx|aeb|السيادة للشعب، الكرامة للمواطن، الشرعية للدولة}}{{cite web|url=http://cprtunisie.net/index.php|title=Site du CPR|publisher=Congress for the Republic|language=Arabic|trans-title=CPR Website|accessdate=4 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812163346/http://cprtunisie.net/index.php|archive-date=12 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
{{langx|fr|La souveraineté du peuple, la dignité du citoyen, la légitimité de l'état.}}{{cite web|url=http://cprtunisie.net/nous.html |title=Qui sommes-nous ? |year=2001 |publisher=Congress for the Republic |language=French |trans-title=Who are we? |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303060654/http://www.cprtunisie.net/nous.html |archivedate=3 March 2011 |accessdate=17 January 2011 |url-status=dead }}

| predecessor =

| headquarters = 41 Hedi Chaker,
1000 Tunis

| newspaper = Tunisie Avenir {{in lang|fr}}

| student_wing =

| youth_wing =

| membership_year =

| membership =

| ideology = Secularism{{cite news|title=Tunisia: who are the opposition leaders?|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/tunisia/8265285/Tunisia-who-are-the-opposition-leaders.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=18 January 2011|accessdate=4 February 2011}}
Factions:
Left-wing nationalism{{Citation|first1=Rikke Hostrup|last1=Haugbølle |first2=Francesco|last2=Cavatorta|title=Beyond Ghannouchi: Islamism and Social Change in Tunisia|journal=Middle East Report|number=262|date=Spring 2012|page=20}}
Social democracy
Democratic socialism{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/tunisia/8849045/Tunisias-victorious-Islamist-party-in-coalition-talks.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|first1=Jonathan|last1=Mitchell|first2=Richard|last2=Spencer|title=Tunisia's victorious Islamist party in coalition talks|date=25 October 2011}}
Social liberalism
Progressivism{{Citation|first=Marina|last=Ottaway|title=Who Will Lead Tunisia?|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |date=28 January 2011|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/01/28/who-will-lead-tunisia/7ev|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108024803/http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/01/28/who-will-lead-tunisia/7ev|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 8, 2014|accessdate=21 Oct 2011}}

| position = Centre-left{{cite news|title=Tunisia: Key players|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12214649|work=BBC News Online|date=27 February 2011|accessdate=30 May 2011}}{{Citation|first=Sam|last=Bollier|title=Who are Tunisia's political parties? |work=Al Jazeera|date=9 Oct 2011|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/10/201110614579390256.html|accessdate=21 Oct 2011}}{{Citation |first=Adeed |last=Dawisha |title=The Second Arab Awakening: Revolution, Democracy, and the Islamist Challenge from Tunis to Damascus |publisher=W.W. Norton|year=2013|page=115}} to left-wing

| national =

| international =

|seats=0

| colors = Green and red

| symbol = 100px

| website =

}}

The Congress for the Republic ({{langx|ar|المؤتمر من أجل الجمهورية|Al-Mu’tamar min ajl al-Jumhūriyya}}; {{langx|fr|Congrès pour la République}}), also referred to as El Mottamar or by its French acronym CPR, is a centre-left secular political party in Tunisia. It was created in 2001, but legalised only after the 2011 Tunisian revolution. Its most prominent founder and long-term leader was Moncef Marzouki. He had been the party's honorary president since he became interim president of Tunisia in December 2011.

History

=Foundation=

The creation of the CPR was declared on 25 July 2001{{cite web|url=http://www.cprtunisie.net/spip.php?article1 |title=Déclaration constitutive |first=Moncef |last=Marzouki |authorlink=Moncef Marzouki |date=24 July 2001 |publisher=Congress for the Republic |language=French |trans-title=Founding Declaration |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723060208/http://www.cprtunisie.net/spip.php?article1 |archivedate=23 July 2011 |accessdate=17 January 2011 |url-status=dead }} by 31 people including the physician, medicine professor and human rights activist Moncef Marzouki as President, Naziha Réjiba (Oum Ziad) as Secretary-general, Abderraouf Ayadi as Vice-President, Samir Ben Amor as Treasurer, and Mohamed Chakroun as Honorary President.{{cite web|url=http://www.cprtunisie.net/spip.php?article28 |title=Première liste des membres fondateurs du CPR |date=25 July 2001 |publisher=Congress for the Republic |language=French |trans-title=First list of the founding members of the CPR |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723054930/http://www.cprtunisie.net/spip.php?article28 |archivedate=23 July 2011 |accessdate=17 January 2011 |url-status=dead }} The CPR declared that it was aimed to install a republican form of government "for the first time"in Tunisia, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, and the holding of "free, honest" elections, "guaranteed by national and international observers able to genuinely check all levels of the electoral process". The CPR's declaration also called for a new constitution, strict separation of the different branches of government, human rights guarantees, gender equality, and a constitutional court for protecting individual and collective rights. The CPR called for renegotiating Tunisian commitments toward the European Union, for Tunisia to support the rights of national self-determination, in particular for the Palestinian people.

It was ideologically heterogeneous, including social democrats, Arab nationalists, far-leftists, as well as Islamists.{{Citation|author=Abdelhak Azzouzi|title=Autoritarisme et aléas de la transition démocratique dans les pays du Maghreb |publisher=L'Harmattan |year=2006|page=203}} The unifying point was their firm opposition to the regime of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

=2001–2010=

In 2002, during the Ben Ali presidency, the CPR was banned.{{cite news|title=Moncef Marzouki declares presidential candidacy |author=Sonia Farid |url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/16/133681.html |work=Al Arabiya |date=16 January 2011 |accessdate=17 January 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119074355/http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/01/16/133681.html |archivedate=19 January 2011 |url-status=dead }} Its leader Marzouki went into exile in Paris.{{Citation |first=Angelique|last=Chrisafis|title=Tunisian elections: the key parties|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 October 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/19/tunisia-elections-the-key-parties|accessdate=22 Oct 2011}} However, the party continued a de facto existence, being run from France until 2011.

=2011=

Following the ouster of President Ben Ali in January 2011 as a result of the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests, CPR President Moncef Marzouki announced that he would return to Tunisia and be a candidate in the next general election. He returned to Tunisia on 18 January 2011.

File:CPR Election Symbol.png

The Congress for the Republic's electoral symbol is a red pair of glasses, alluding to Moncef Marzouki's characteristic glasses. Young supporters of the CPR are known to wear red glasses as an accessory to show their support for Marzouki.[http://guardian-tunisia-2011.tumblr.com/post/11737992757/marzouki-fans "Marzouki Fans"], The Guardian, 21 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.{{Citation|first=Gero|last=von Randow|title=Mit Facebook und Scharia|newspaper=Zeit|date=20 October 2011 |language=German |url=http://www.zeit.de/2011/43/Tunesien-Reportage/seite-1|accessdate=23 October 2011}}

In the election for a constituent assembly, the CPR won 8.7% of the popular vote and 29 of 217 seats in the National Constituent Assembly, making it the second-strongest party. Subsequently, the party contracted a three-party coalition with the winning Islamist Ennahda Movement and Ettakatol, called the "Troika".{{Citation|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/31906/World/Region/Tunisia-opposition-fear-Ennahda-power-grab-.aspx|title=Tunisia opposition fear Ennahda power grab|work=Ahram Online|date=17 January 2012|accessdate=7 October 2013}} Accordingly, the Constituent Assembly elected CPR leader Moncef Marzouki interim President of Tunisia on 12 December 2011. Thereupon Marzouki appointed an Ennahda-led government with participation of the CPR. Abderraouf Ayadi succeeded Marzouki as secretary-general of the CPR.{{cite web|url=http://www.cpr.tn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=66&lang=ar|title=al-Maktab as-Siyāsī|publisher=Congress for the Republic|language=Arabic|trans-title=Party officials|accessdate=29 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110908062415/http://www.cpr.tn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=66&lang=ar|archive-date=8 September 2011|url-status=dead}}

=2012=

In May 2012, disaffected members of the CPR left the party and formed the Independent Democratic Congress. The splinter party that was later renamed Wafa Movement, is headed by Abderraouf Ayadi, a former secretary general of the CPR.{{Citation|first=Afifa|last=Ltifi|title=Tunisia's Second Largest Democratic Party Divides|work=Tunisia Live|date=17 May 2012|url=http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/05/17/tunisias-second-largest-democratic-party-divides/|accessdate=6 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530031856/http://www.tunisia-live.net/2012/05/17/tunisias-second-largest-democratic-party-divides/|archive-date=30 May 2012|url-status=dead}} He was joined by 12 members of the Constituent Assembly.{{Citation |title=Les dissidents du CPR créent le Congrès Démocratique Indépendant |newspaper=Leaders|date=16 May 2012|url=http://www.leaders.com.tn/article/les-dissidents-du-cpr-creent-le-congres-democratique-independant?id=8460|accessdate=6 June 2012}}

Party officials

Moncef Marzouki, CPR Honorary President and President of the Republic of Tunisia

Secretary General

Imed Daimi, MP (Medenine), former Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic Moncef Marzouki and former MP (Representing diaspora in France - Northern district) at the National Constituent Assembly

Spokesperson (also members of political bureau) :

Ikbal Msadaa, Spokesperson, Former MP (Arab World, Africa and the rest of the world) at the National Constituent Assembly
Haythem Belgacem, Spokesperson, Former MP (Ben Arous) and President of CPR parliament group at the National Constituent Assembly

Members of political bureau :

Noura Ben Hassen, Former MP (Representing diaspora in France - Southern district) at the National Constituent Assembly
Selim Ben Hmidane, Former minister of State domains and former MP (Medenine) at the National Constituent Assembly
Ibrahim Ben Said, MP (Kebili)
Amor Chetoui, Former MP (Kebili) at the National Constituent Assembly and President of the constitutional committee in charge of drafting the power distribution rules in the new Tunisian constitution.
Sabri Dekhil, MP (Gabes)
Mabrouk Hrizi, MP (Kasserine), Former MP (Kasserine) at the National Constituent Assembly and second vice rapporteur of the constitution.
Tarek Kahlaoui, Former Director of the Tunisian Institute for Strategic Studies
Adnan Mansar, Former Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic Moncef Marzouki
Mabrouka M'Barek, Former MP (Representing diaspora in the Americas and rest of Europe) at the National Constituent Assembly
Bechir Nefzi, Former MP (Representing diaspora in France - Northern district) at the National Constituent Assembly
Khaled Traoui

President of CPR National Council

Habib Bouajila

Treasurer:

Samir Ben Amor

Election results

class="wikitable" ! Election year ! # of total votes ! % of overall vote ! # of seats
colspan=4 \| Constituent Assembly of Tunisia
2011 \| 353,041 \| 8.71% \| {{Composition bar\|29\|217\|{{party color\|Congress for the Republic}}}}
colspan=4 \| Assembly of the Representatives of the People
2014 \| 72,942 \| 2.14% \| {{Composition bar\|4\|217\|{{party color\|Congress for the Republic}}}}
2019 \| 8,869 \| 0.31% \| {{Composition bar\|0\|217\|{{party color\|Congress for the Republic}}}}

class="wikitable"

! Election year

! # of total votes

! % of overall vote

! # of seats

colspan=4 | Constituent Assembly of Tunisia

2011

| 353,041

| 8.71%

| {{Composition bar|29|217|{{party color|Congress for the Republic}}}}

colspan=4 | Assembly of the Representatives of the People

2014