Socialist Destourian Party

1964–1988 ruling party of Tunisia

Politics of Tunisia
Political parties
Elections

The Socialist Destourian Party (Arabic: الحزب الاشتراكي الدستوري el-Ḥizb el-Ishtirākī ed-Dustūrī ; French: Parti socialiste destourien) was the ruling political party of Tunisia from 1964 to 1988. Bahi Ladgham was the first Prime Minister from the party and Hédi Baccouche was the last. It was founded on 22 October 1964 and disbanded on 27 February 1988. Habib Bourgiba was the first president of the Socialist Destourian Party from 1964 to 1987. He was succeeded by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from 1987 to 1988.

History

Independence of Tunisia from France was negotiated largely by the Neo Destour's Bourguiba. The effective date was March 20, 1956. The next year the Republic of Tunisia was constituted, which replaced the Beylical form of government. Tunisia became a one-party state, with Neo Destour as the ruling party under Prime Minister and later President Habib Bourguiba.^[1] Later the Neo Destour party was renamed the Socialist Destourian Party in 1964, to signal the government's commitment to a socialist phase of political-economic development. This phase failed to fulfill expectations, however, and was discontinued in 1969 with the dismissal of Ahmad ben Salah as economics minister by President Bourguiba. During its existence between 1964 and 1988, the Constitutional Socialist Party witnessed several shocks, the first of which resulted from its abandonment of the socialist experiment in the fall of 1969 without abandoning its name at that time..^[2]^[3]^[4]

The party was dissolved by President Ben Ali in 1988 and replaced by the Democratic Constitutional Rally.^[5]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

Election	Party candidate	%	Result
1964	Habib Bourguiba	100%	Elected Y
1969		100%	Elected Y
1974		100%	Elected Y

Chamber of Deputies elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Result
1964	Habib Bourguiba	1,255,153	100%	101 / 101	101	1st	Sole legal party
1969		1,363,939	100%	101 / 101		1st	Sole legal party
1974		1,570,954	100%	112 / 112	11	1st	Sole legal party
1979		1,560,753	100%	121 / 121	9	1st	Sole legal party
1981		1,828,363 in alliance with the UGTT	94.2%	136 / 136	15	1st	SDP–UGTT coalition government
1986		in alliance with the UGTT		125 / 125	11	1st	SDP–UGTT coalition government

References

^ Brace, Morocco Algeria Tunisia (Prentice Hall 1964) pp. 114-116, 121-123, 140-143.
^ Perkins, A History of Modern Tunisia (Cambridge University 2004) at 146-147.
^ Jean R. Tartter, "Government and Politics" at 234-238, in Tunisia. A Country Study (Washington, D. C. 1987).
^ Abadi, Tunisia since the Arab Conquest (Ithaca 2013) pp. 139-141.
^ "Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) | Tunisia, Party, History, & Ideology | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-12-15.