DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTIONAL RALLY

also called Democratic Constitutional Assembly, formerly (196488) Destourian Socialist Party, or (193464) Neo-Destour, French Rassemblement Constitutionnel Dmocratique, Parti Socialiste Destourien, or No-Destour Tunisian political party that led the movement for independence from France (1956) and ruled Tunisia thereafter. The Neo-Destour was formed in 1934 by discontented young members of the more conservative Destour (q.v.). After a bitter struggle with the parent organization, it became the predominant party under the leadership of Habib Bourguiba in 1937. It was harassed by French authorities throughout the 1940s and began an armed rebellion in 1953 that led to Tunisian independence in 1956. A Neo-Destour government was then formed. In 1958 Bourguiba was appointed the first premier of Tunisia, and in 1959 he was overwhelmingly voted president. Internally, however, the Neo-Destour had begun to split in the early 1950s, one group supporting Bourguiba, the other aligning itself with Salah Ben Yusuf, who had led the party when Bourguiba was imprisoned by the French. Ben Yusuf was expelled from the party in 1955, established himself in Cairo, and initiated a six-year guerrilla campaign against the Neo-Destour, the French, and Bourguiba. He was found murdered on Aug. 14, 1961, and his followers soon disappeared. The party meanwhile consolidated its hold on all levels of Tunisian society and constituted itself (1963) as Tunisia's sole political party, renaming itself in 1964. Not until 1981 were opposition parties permitted. In 1987 Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali succeeded Bourguiba as leader of the party and president of Tunisia. Under Ben Ali the party pursued free market economic policies and a more open political atmosphere. To reflect these changes, the party's name was again changed in 1988.