Pan-African Union for Social Democracy

Pan-African Union for Social Democracy

political party

Year dem found am	1991
Short name	UPADS
Found by	Pascal Lissouba
General secretary	Jeremih Sylvain Lissouba
Country	Republic of the Congo
Government ein head	Pascal Tsaty Mabiala
SRGB color hex triplet	009A3F

De Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS) be a political party insyd de Republic of the Congo wey be headed by Pascal Lissouba, wey na he be Presido from 1992 to 1997. Na e be de country ein main opposition party since Lissouba ein ouster insyd 1997. Na Pascal Tsaty-Mabiala be Secretary-General of UPADS since 2006.

History

Insyd de 1991–1992 transition to multiparty elections, UPADS be part of de National Alliance for Democracy (AND), which sana include de Congolese Labour Party (PCT). Insyd de parliamentary election hold insyd June–July 1992, UPADS win 39 out of de 125 seats den, together plus ein AND allies (mainly de PCT), gain a slight majority of 64 seats insyd de National Assembly. UPADS leader Pascal Lissouba be victorious over Bernard Kolélas, de leader of de Congolese Movement for Democracy den Integral Development (MCDDI), insyd de second round of de August 1992 presidential election, winning 61.32% of de vote.

A UPADS-led government, plus Stéphane Maurice Bongho-Nouarra as prime minister, be appointed after Lissouba take office, but de PCT withdrew from de pro-Lissouba alliance den join de opposition after e dey receive only three positions insyd de government, causing de alliance to lose ein parliamentary majority. De Union for Democratic Renewal (URD) opposition coalition den de PCT be therefore successful insyd defeating Bongho-Nouarra ein government insyd a no-confidence vote on 31 October 1992. Lissouba consequently dissolved de National Assembly den called a new election; facing protests about dis, he accepted de formation of a national unity government dominated by de URD den PCT insyd de lead-up to de election. Insyd de 1993 parliamentary election, de Presidential Tendency, of which UPADS was de main component, win a majority of de seats decide insyd de first round, 62 out of 114; UPADS itself win 49 out of de 62. De URD den PCT opposition denounced dis election as fraudulent den refuse to participate insyd de second round, insyd which de Presidential Tendency win an additional seven seats; however, these results be cancelled den a second round revote be held insyd October 1993, insyd which de Presidential Tendency win only three of de 11 available seats.

Lissouba be ousted at de end of a civil war insyd 1997 den fled into exile, while Denis Sassou Nguesso of de PCT became president. A faction of UPADS, led by Martin Mberi, recognized de legitimacy of Sassou Nguesso, den Mberi be included insyd de government from 1997 to June 2001 as Minister of Construction.

Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou be de UPADS presidential candidate insyd de presidential election hold on 10 March 2002; he take second place but received only 2.76% of de vote, plus Sassou Nguesso winning by an overwhelming margin according to official results. Insyd de parliamentary election hold on 26 May den 23 June 2002, UPADS win two out of 137 seats.

De party ein first extraordinary congress be hold on 27–28 December 2006, plus 954 delegates. On dis occasion Pascal Tsaty-Mabiala be elected as de Secretary-General of de party, succeeding Christophe Moukouéké. Sana elected at de congress be a 601-member National Council, a 135-member Political Bureau, den 25 Vice-Presidents; de Vice-Presidents include major figures insyd de party such as Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou, Alphonse Poaty-Souchlaty, Ange Edouard Poungui, Clément Mouamba, Jean Itadi, den Mireille Lissouba.

Despite being insyd de opposition, UPADS choose to participate insyd de June 2007 parliamentary election, which be boycotted by many oda opposition groups. De party put forward about 50 candidates. De party receive three seats out de 46 declared insyd de first round. Tsaty-Mabiala say dat de party would only participate insyd de second round of de election insyd July if de electoral rolls be improved, voter registration cards were properly distributed, den de composition of de electoral commissions be changed. He sana say dat de second round should be delayed to allow time for these things to be done. De election be delayed by two weeks.

Insyd results announced after de second round, de party had a total of 10 seats insyd de National Assembly. Tsaty-Mabiala denounce de results as fraudulent on 11 August den say dat de election be neither transparent nor fair. He allege dat five UPADS candidates, insyd Mossendjo, Moutamba, Nkayi, Mabombo den Dolisie electoral districts, dey win but be deprived of victory insyd de results. De party dey appeal to de Constitutional Court. Ibovi subsequently announce a correction insyd de results for one of de electoral districts UPADS claim to have win, Mabombo (insyd Bouenza Region), which dey go to Marcel Kalla insyd de previous results, but which Ibovi say dey actually win by de UPADS candidate, Christophe Moukouéké. Dis raise de number of UPADS seats to 11.

Insyd early October 2007, Tsaty-Mabiala say dat UPADS will not participate insyd any national unity government because there had not been an agreement on wey resolve de country ein problems.

At a meeting on 24–25 August 2008, de UPADS Political Bureau expell nine executive members from de party; these include Christophe Moukouéké den Victor Tamba-Tamba, both founding members of UPADS. Dis decision be said to have been taken insyd order to restore harmony den discipline insyd de party.

Along plus de Union for Democracy den de Republic (UDR-Mwinda) den de Rally for Democracy den Development (RDD), UPADS dey form de Alliance for de New Republic opposition coalition on 11 May 2007. Complaining dat de 2007 parliamentary election den de 2008 local elections be "masquerades", dis coalition withdrew from participation insyd national den local electoral commissions insyd August 2008. E want a new den independent electoral commission, insyd addition to an "all-inclusive national dialogue" prior to de 2009 presidential election.

Former Prime Minister Ange Edouard Poungui be chosen as de UPADS candidate for de 2009 presidential election by de UPADS National Council insyd a primary election on 30 November 2008. Ein sole rival for de nomination, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou, withdraw from de vote, complaining of "lack of transparency insyd de process", den Poungui, as de only candidate, receive about 85% of de vote. However ein candidacy be later rejected by de Contitutional Court on de ground dat he had failed to establish ein continuous residency insyd Congo-Brazzaville for at least two years.

Insyd de three following parliamentary elections, always under de leadership of Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, UPADS never manage to weaken PCT ein absolute majority, remaining de main opposition force (tied plus UDH-Yuki insyd 2017 den 2022) but always obtaining between 7 den 8 seats. Tsaty Mabiala sana be de party ein presidential candidate for de 2016 presidential election, finishing fourth plus 4.67% of de votes, while de party do not contest de following presidential election insyd 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
2002	Kignomba Kia Mbougou	33.154	2.76%			Lost
2009	Candidate rejected
2016	Pascal Tsaty Mabiala	65,025	4.67%			Lost

National Assembly elections

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

External links

• Official website
• Old UPADS website (archived)