The Rally for Democracy and Social Progress (French: Rassemblement pour la démocratie et le progrès social, RDPS) is a political party in the Republic of the Congo, founded by Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya.
Rally for Democracy and Social Progress | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Jean-Marc Thystère-Tchicaya |
| Secretary-General | Julien Makoundi Tchibinda |
| Founder | Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya |
| Founded | 29 October 1990 |
| Split from | National Union for Democracy and Progress |
| Headquarters | Pointe-Noire |
| Political position | Centre |
| Seats in the National Assembly | 3 / 151 |
| Seats in the Senate | 1 / 72 |
History
editThystère Tchicaya founded the RDPS on 29 October 1990, after splitting from another opposition group, the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP).[1] The RDPS won nine seats in the June–July 1992 parliamentary election.[2]
Initially part of the National Alliance for Democracy (AND), a coalition of left-wing parties that supported Pascal Lissouba, the RDPS soon broke with the AND and joined the Union for Democratic Renewal (URD) opposition coalition, led by Bernard Kolélas.[3] Together with the Union for the Republic (UR) and the Movement for Democracy and Salvation (MDS), the RDPS formed an alliance, the Movement for Unity and Reconstruction (MUR), in November 1996.[4] A few days after rebels loyal to Denis Sassou Nguesso captured Brazzaville, the capital, at the end of the civil war in October 1997, Tchicaya announced the support of the RDPS for Sassou Nguesso.[5]
In the parliamentary election held on 24 June and 5 August 2007, the party won two out of 137 seats.[6]
RDPS President Thystère Tchicaya died on 20 June 2008.[7] Bernard Batchi succeeded him as Interim President of the RDPS.[8] Later, the party was led by Thystère Tchicaya's son, Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya. On 10 August 2015 he was nominated Minister of Hydrocarbures, allowing RDPS to formally join the government.[9] In January 2016, the party pledged its support for Denis Sassou Nguesso in the March 2016 presidential election.[10]
The party contested the 2017 parliamentary election as part of the presidential majority winning only three out of 151 seats.[11] Following the election Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya was reconfirmed ad Minister of Hydrocarbures in the newly formed Clément Mouamba's second cabinet.[12] In the 2021 presidential election the party supported once again Sassou Nguesso's candidacy, that was reelected for his fourth term.[13] The following year, in the occasion of the 2022 parliamentary election the party obtained only two seats, one down from the previous election.
Electoral history
editPresidential elections
edit| Election year | Candidate | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Votes | % Votes | # Votes | % Votes | |||
| 1992 | Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya | 45,466 | 5.80% | — | Lost 
| |
National Assembly elections
edit| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya | 9 / 125
|
New |  4th
|
Snap elections | ||
| 1993 | 10 / 101
|
1
|
 4th
|
Opposition | |||
| 2002[a] | 30 / 137
|
20
|
2nd
|
Coalition (PCT–FDU) | |||
| 2007 | 2 / 137
|
 28
|
10th
|
Support | |||
| 2012 | Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya | 5 / 139
|
3
|
4th
|
Support 2012-15 | ||
| Coalition 2015-17 (PCT-MCDDI-RDPS-MAR-RC-UFD-UR-Club 2002) | |||||||
| 2017 | 3 / 151
|
2
|
5th
|
Coalition (PCT-MAR-RDPS-RC-PRL-UFD-Club 2002) | |||
| 2022 | 2 / 151
|
1
|
8th
|
Coalition (PCT-MAR-Club 2002–RDPS) |
- ^ Run within the United Democratic Forces coalition.
References
edit- ^ Patrice Yengo, La guerre civile du Congo-Brazzaville, 1993-2002: "chacun aura sa part" (2006), KARTHALA Editions, page 62 (in French).
- ^ IPU-PARLINE page on the 1992 parliamentary election.
- ^ "Le fait du jour - Isidore Mvouba, pathétique !", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 25 June 2008 (in French).
- ^ Joachim Emmanuel Goma-Thethet, "Alliances in the political and electoral process in the Republic of Congo 1991–97", in Liberal Democracy and Its Critics in Africa: Political Dysfunction and the Struggle for Social Progress (2005), ed. Tukumbi Lumumba-Kasongo, Zed Books, page 118.
- ^ "Congo: Pointe-Noire mayor declares his party's support for Sassou-Nguesso", Radio France Internationale, 20 October 1997.
- ^ For detailed results see Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007 and "L'alliance présidentielle occupe 125 des 137 sièges parlementaires", Xinhua (Jeuneafrique.com), 25 August 2007 (in French).
- ^ "Décès à Paris de l'ancien président de l'assemblée nationale, Jean Pierre Thystère Tchicaya", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 21 June 2008 (in French).
- ^ Frenette Antsoua Loembet, "Les Ponténégrins ont rendu un hommage mérité à Jean-Pierre Thystere Tchicaya", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 11 July 2008 (in French).
- ^ "Congo-Brazzaville: le président remanie son gouvernement" [Congo-Brazzaville: the president reshuffles his government]. RFI. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018.
- ^ Roger Ngombé, "Election présidentielle : Le RDPS promet de soutenir la candidature de Denis Sassou N’Guesso ", ADIAC, 8 February 2016 (in French).
- ^ "Elections au Congo-Brazzaville: le parti du président Sassou-Nguesso majoritaire" [Elections in Congo-Brazzaville: the majority party of President Sassou-Nguesso]. RFI (in French). 26 July 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ "Remaniement ministériel au Congo: le ministre des Hydrocarbures maintenu" [Ministerial reshuffle in Congo: the Minister of Hydrocarbons maintained]. Energies-media. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ "Sassou-Nguesso déjà en campagne" [Sassou-Nguesso already in the campaign]. Congopage (in French). 19 February 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2022.