Tunisia: Progressive Socialist Rally (Rassemblement socialiste progressiste, RSP); names of founders and leaders; address of main office/other offices in Tunisia and elsewhere in Tunisia (if possible, addresses and names of directors); political goals and popularity of the party within society; appearance of membership card; procedures to become a member and obtain such a card; treatments of the RSP members by the authorities; treatment of relatives of RSP members by the authorities; possible internal flight alternatives for RSP members who are targeted by the authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 7 December 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | TUN35778.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Tunisia: Progressive Socialist Rally (Rassemblement socialiste progressiste, RSP); names of founders and leaders; address of main office/other offices in Tunisia and elsewhere in Tunisia (if possible, addresses and names of directors); political goals and popularity of the party within society; appearance of membership card; procedures to become a member and obtain such a card; treatments of the RSP members by the authorities; treatment of relatives of RSP members by the authorities; possible internal flight alternatives for RSP members who are targeted by the authorities, 7 December 2000, TUN35778.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4beb120.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Progressive Socialist Rally (Rassemblement socialiste progressiste, RSP) was founded in 1983 by a group of young Tunisian activists from the left, but the party received legal recognition only in 1988 when Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali became president of the country (Jeune Afrique 22 Dec. 1998). Nejib Chabbi was among the founders of the RSP; he is now the General Secretary (ibid.). In an interview for Jeune Afrique, Nejib Chabbi specified that the founders of the RSP were democrats and socialists; more precisely, they adopted a social-democrat program (ibid.). He also stated that his party does not promote Arab nationalism which, according to Nejib Chabbi, is an ideology (ibid.). He qualifies the identity of the RSP as being [translation] "Arab-Islamic": "arabité" and "islamité" are two historical and cultural references within the Tunisian society that have to be taken into consideration (ibid.). For more information on the history of RSP, please see the interview with Nejib Chabbi in Jeune Afrique.
When asked by Jeune Afrique about the audience that his party has, Nejib Chabbi commented that it is hard to evaluate the audience of any party in Tunisia when the party in power represents 99.77 per cent of the population (ibid.). He added that in Tunisia there are no real instruments to measure the popular representation of a political party (ibid.).
The RSP does not have representation in Parliament (The North African Jounal 30 Sept. 1999; La Lettre 14 Oct. 1999): according to the Fédération des droits de l'homme (FIDH), the regime has always had reservations about the RSP from the beginning (ibid.). The Constitutional law of 1999 states that the leader of a political party which does not have seats in Parliament cannot run in elections for president and thus Nejib Chabbi was not able to participate in the 1999 presidential election (ibid.).
An article in Le Monde states that the RSP Website is no longer accessible inside Tunisia since mid-June 2000 (22 Sept. 2000). The authorities allegedly took this measure because the RSP had published on the site a resolution from the European Parliament dated 15 June 2000 expressing concerns about the lack of freedom in Tunisia (ibid.).
According to Reporters sans frontières, the official organ of the RSP is called Al-Maouqif (24 May 2000). However, because the RSP does not have seats in the Parliament, it does not receive funding allowed to the media of the political parties represented in the Tunisian parliament (ibid.). Because it always fears being banned by the authorities, the RSP does not express strong criticism of the government (ibid.). Nevertheless, it remains the only organ to publish releases from associations which are independent of the regime (ibid.).
According to a representative of the Association des droits de la personne au Maghreb, the RSP denounced the torture and the arrest of islamists from 1990 to 1993 (16 Nov. 2000). The RSP has had difficulties with the government (ibid.). Recently for instance, they were unable to organize their congress because they were not able to obtain authorization from authorities to rent a space (ibid.). Nejib Chabbi, as General Secretary of the RSP, has never been arrested, but members of the RSP have been subject to harassment and pressures from the authorities (ibid.). The representative added that every case has to be verified (ibid.)
No further information on the Rassemblement socialiste progressiste could be found among the sources consulted.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Association des droits de la personne au Maghreb, Ottawa. 16 November 2000. Telephone interview with a representative.
Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 22 December 1998. Rhida Kéfi. "L'arternance n'est pas à l'ordre du jour."
La Lettre de la Fédération internationale des droits de l'homme [Paris]. 14 October 1999. No. 25. "Les élections législatives et présidentielles du 24 octobre : un scrutin sans enfeu."
Le Monde [Paris]. 22 Septembre 2000. Florence Beaugé. "Promotion d'Internet et surveillance policière."
The North Africa Journal [London]. 30 September 1999. No. 66. "Opposition Parties in Tunisia at the Eve of the Elections. What do they Offer?"
Reporters sans frontières, Paris. 24 May 2000. "La censure : un élément du pouvoir du président Ben Ali."
Additional Sources Consulted
Le Monde
Le Monde diplomatique
Bases de données de la CISR
Notre ami Ben Ali
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
Le Maghreb des droits de l'homme
Internet sites including:
TUNISIA - anotherversion.com
Conseil national pour les libertés en Tunisie
www.kalimatunisie.com
Quid.fr
Tunisnews
Réalités
Political Handbook of the World
