Free Patriotic Union
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Free Patriotic Union
الاتحاد الوطني الحرّ |
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| fr name | Union patriotique libre |
| Chairperson | Slim Riahi |
| Founded | May 19, 2011 |
| Headquarters | Immeuble Forum du Lac Les Berges du Lac 1053 Tunis |
| Newspaper | Tounès El Horra |
| Ideology |
Economic liberalism Secularism |
| Political position | Centre to Centre-right |
| International affiliation | None |
| Colours | Red |
| Assembly of the Representatives of the People |
16 / 217
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| Website | |
| www |
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The Free Patriotic Union (Arabic: الاتحاد الوطني الحرّ, translit. el-Itiḥād el-Waṭanī el-Ḥurr; French: Union patriotique libre), known by its French acronym UPL, is a political party in Tunisia.
Established in May 2011 as Union patriotique libérale and renamed to Union patriotique libre in June 2011, the party was founded and has been led by the British-Tunisian petroleum entrepreneur Slim Riahi who had been raised in his family's Libyan exile and had returned from London right after the Tunisian revolution in January 2011.
The party proposes free-market economy and a modern society and rejects Islamism.
The UPL has mainly been noted for its expensive and lavish electoral campaign. It has offered bus trips to party rallies to potential voters. As opposed to most other parties that rely on the voluntary commitment of their members, the Free Patriotic Union can afford to pay its candidates and campaigners. This has earned the party the accusation of "buying" candidates and supporters. Party leader's Riahi decision to buy 20% of the Dar Assabah media group raised suspicions of mixing business interests with political activity. At the same time, the party came into conflict with Tunisia's Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) because it continued its advertising campaign from 12 to 30 September, ignoring ISIE's ban of canvassing during this period.
In the parliamentary election in October 2011, the party received only 1.26% of the votes. However, in the Siliana district, the party managed to receive 6.3% of the votes and Noureddine Mrabti won the party's only seat for the Constituent Assembly. Together with twelve defectors from the Aridha Chaabia list, Mrabti founded the Liberty and democracy parliamentary group, which was later reorganized into the Democratic transition parliamentary group. However, only Hanène Sassi remained a permanent member of the party.
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