United Social Democratic Party

The United Social Democratic Party ( _pt. Partido Unido Social Democrático) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Guinea-Bissau.

Former Prime Minister Francisco Fadul was elected as the President of the PUSD on 18 December 2002 at a party convention in Bissau."Political Parties of the World" (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 272.]

In the legislative election held on 28 and 30 March 2004, the party won 17.6 % of the popular vote and 17 out of 100 seats. In the 2005 presidential election, Fadul, running as the PUSD candidate, won 2.85% in the first round. [ [http://africanelections.tripod.com/gw.html#2004_National_Peoples_Assembly_Election Elections in Guinea-Bissau] , African Elections Database.] Eight of the PUSD's 17 deputies were expelled from the party in August 2004.

In 2006, Fadul requested that Namuano Dias, a member of PUDS who was serving in the government as Minister of Justice, resign from the government because he had been accused of corruption. Dias and Prime Minister Aristides Gomes rejected this, however, and Fadul responded by resigning from the PUSD leadership and leaving politics. He returned to politics in the next year, establishing a new party, the Party for Democracy, Development and Citizenship (PADEC), in May 2007. [ [http://www.panapress.com/freenewspor.asp?code=por006802&dte=07/05/2007 "Ex-primeiro-ministro bissau-guineense cria partido político"] , Panapress, May 7, 2007 pt icon.]

On 12 March 2007, the PUSD formed a three-party alliance with the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and the Party for Social Renewal (PRS), and the three parties sought to form a new government. [ [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20070313231746241C654497 "Vieira rejects calls to dissolve government"] , AFP ("IOL"), March 14, 2007.] This led to a successful no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Aristides Gomes and his resignation late in the month; on 9 April, the choice of the three parties for the position of prime minister, Martinho Ndafa Kabi, was appointed prime minister by President João Bernardo Vieira, [ [http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20070410123233285C650762 "Guinea-Bissau appoints consensus premier"] , Reuters ("IOL"), April 10, 2007.] and on 17 April a new government was named, with the PUSD receiving two ministries out of 20. [Alberto Dabo, [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=86&art_id=nw20070417215703375C150752 "Guinea-Bissau's new government named"] , Reuters ("IOL"), April 18, 2007.]

Fadul challenged the leadership of the PUSD in court and maintained that he was the party's legitimate president. According to Fadul, the PUSD had a disputed leadership and therefore could not legitimately participate in the pact. [ [http://noticias.neo.pt/ler.php?id=6679 "Guiné-Bissau: Francisco Fadul exige demissão do governo e dissolução de Parlamento"] , LUSA (noticias.neo.pt), July 19, 2007 pt icon.]

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