Wafa Movement
{{short description|Tunisian political party}}
{{Infobox Tunisian political party
| name = Wafa Movement
| arabic_name = حركة وفاء
| french_name = Mouvement Wafa
| logo = 150px
| abbreviation =
| secretary_general = Abderraouf Ayadi{{Citation|title=Wafa Movement / Independent Democratic Congress|work=Observatory on Politics and Elections in the Arab and Muslim World|url=http://www.opemam.org/node/484?language=en|accessdate=21 November 2013}}
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| founded = {{Start date|2012}}{{Citation|title=Tunisia's Second Largest Democratic Party Divides|work=The Maghreb Daily|url=http://en.lemag.ma/Tunisia-s-Second-Largest-Democratic-Party-Divides_a1490.html|date=18 May 2013}}
| legalized =
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| merger =
| split = Congress for the Republic (CPR)
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| ideology = Secularism
Pan-Arabism
| position = Centre-left to left-wing
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| seats = 0
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| website = {{URL|facebook.com/mvt.wafa}}
| footnotes =
}}
The Wafa Movement ({{langx|ar|حركة وفاء}}), sometimes referred to as the Independent Democratic Congress, is a political party in Tunisia.
The party was founded in 2012 by a number of constituents who broke away from the Congress for the Republic (CPR). Led by the short-time CPR secretary-general Abderraouf Ayadi, the party however remained loosely allied with the governing Troika coalition of Ennahda, CPR and Ettakatol.
Generally seen as a secular, left-leaning party, the Wafa Movement reached out to Islamists on the grounds of seeking unity among revolutionary forces. In the 2014 elections, the party lost its parliamentary representation.
History
=Formation=
On 19 April 2012, CPR secretary-general Abderraouf Ayadi had been dismissed from his official functions following controversies over Ayadis approval of Samir Geageas right-wing Lebanese Forces, a Christian militia responsible for the Sabra and Shatila massacre of hundreds of Palestinian refugees in 1982.{{cite web|url=http://www.gnet.tn/revue-de-presse-nationale/tunisie/cpr-le-bureau-politique-limoge-abderraouf-ayadi/id-menu-958.html|title=Tunisie/CPR: Le bureau politique limoge Abderraouf Ayadi|work=GlobalNet|date=2012-04-19|accessdate=2014-11-24|language=fr}}
A few days later, on 9 May 2012, Ayadi and a group of fellow constituents announced that they would leave the CPR to form a new party under the name of "Wafa",{{cite web|url=http://www.lapresse.tn/10052012/49575/fatale-scission.html|title=Fatale scission!|work=La Presse de Tunisie|last=Hajbi|first=Nizar|date=2012-05-10|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517175418/http://www.lapresse.tn/10052012/49575/fatale-scission.html|archivedate=2012-05-17|url-status=dead|language=fr}} meaning "faithful", used here in the sense of "faithful to the revolution". On July 25, the party was officially founded, "with the sole objective of realizing the revolution’s objectives: work, liberty and national dignity."{{cite web|url=http://www.mag14.com/national/40-politique/666-el-wafa-lfideles-a-la-revolutionr.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612005627/http://www.mag14.com/national/40-politique/666-el-wafa-lfideles-a-la-revolutionr.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 12, 2012|title=El Wafa: "Fidèles à la Révolution"|work=MAG14|last=Ben Cheikh|first=Lotfi|date=2012-06-08|accessdate=2014-12-29|language=fr}}
=Constituent Assembly=
In November 2012, the party announced it would sue Israel for the 1988 assassination of Fatah-official Abu Jihad by Sayeret Matkal Colonel Nahum Lev in Tunis. Wafa attorney Fadira Najjar considered the assassination a war crime under international law and claimed that deposed Tunisian president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali as well as security officials colluded with Israel.{{cite web|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/tunisian-party-sues-israel-over-abu-jihad-assassination/|title=Tunisian party sues Israel over Abu Jihad assassination|last=Miller|first=Elhanan|work=Times of Israel|date=2012-11-05|accessdate=2014-12-29}}
In January 2013, secretary-general Ayadi supported the inscription of legal jihad into the Constitution of Tunisia. Allegedly he also advocated the integration of jihadist fighters into the Tunisian Army,{{cite web|url=http://www.shemsfm.net/fr/actualite/abderraouf-ayadi-pour-l-integration-des-jihadistes-au-sein-du-ministere-de-la-defense?id=35145|title=Abderraouf Ayadi pour l'intégration des jihadistes au sein du ministère de la Défense!|work=Shems FM|date=2013-01-28|accessdate=2014-12-29}} which however was immediately demented by Wafa party officials.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessnews.com.tn/Tunisie-%E2%80%93-Wafa-d%C3%A9ment-que-Abderraouf-Ayadi-ait-propos%C3%A9-d%E2%80%99int%C3%A9grer-les-jihadistes-dans-l%E2%80%99arm%C3%A9e-nationale-%28MAJ%29,520,35931,3|title=Tunisie – Wafa dément que Abderraouf Ayadi ait proposé d'intégrer les jihadistes dans l'armée nationale|work=Business News|date=2013-01-28|accessdate=2014-12-29|language=fr}}
On 20 November 2013, Wafa president Abderraouf Ayadi proposed that a dialogue be started with militant Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia.{{cite web|url=http://www.tunisia-live.net/2013/11/21/assembly-member-suggests-dialogue-with-ansar-al-sharia/|title=Assembly Member Suggests Dialogue with Ansar al-Sharia|work=Tunisia Live|first=Asma|last=Smadhi|date=2013-11-21|accessdate=2013-11-21}}
=2014 elections=
Having started with 12 parliamentarians in 2012, the Wafa Movement went into the 2014 parliamentary election with 10 seats,{{cite web|url=http://www.aawsat.net/2014/06/article55333810|title=Tunisian presidential candidates begin seeking endorsement|last=Saidani|first=Monji|work=Asharq Al-Awsat|date=2014-06-30|accessdate=2014-12-29}} all of which it lost receiving a mere 0.70% of the electoral vote. For the following presidential election, Wafa had already nominated its secretary-general Ayadi who however withdrew his candidacy after the electoral results were published calling the election a "soft coup" with the comeback of old regime figures.{{cite news|url=http://www.tunisia-live.net/2014/11/19/four-candidates-announce-withdrawal-from-presidential-race/|title=Fifth Candidate Announces Withdrawal from Presidential Race|work=Tunisia Live|last=Blioua|first=Imen|date=2014-11-19|accessdate=2014-12-29}} Wafa harshly criticized the candidacy of Beji Caid Essebsi, stating that he would have no place in a revolution of the youth against the former regime.{{cite web|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/14037-el-sebsis-candidacy-causes-controversy-in-tunisia|title=El-Sebsi's candidacy causes controversy in Tunisia|work=Middle East Monitor|date=2014-09-10|accessdate=2014-12-29}} The party later supported the electoral campaign of interim president Moncef Marzouki.{{cite news|url=http://secure.socopa.com.tn/en/index.php/politics2/presidential-elections/22932-wafa-movement-backs-up-marzouki-in-presidential-run-off|title=Wafa Movement backs Marzouki in presidential run-off|agency=Tunis Afrique Presse|date=2014-11-26|accessdate=2014-12-29}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Tunisian political parties}}
Category:2012 establishments in Tunisia
Category:Political parties established in 2012