meeting on 24–25 August 2008, the UPADS Political Bureau expelled nine executive members from the party; these included Christophe Moukouéké and Victor Tamba-Tamba, both founding members of UPADS. This decision was said to have been taken in order to restore harmony and discipline within the party. Along with the Union for Democracy and the Republic (UDR-Mwinda) and the Rally for Democracy and Development (RDD), UPADS formed the Alliance for the New Republic opposition coalition on 11 May 2007. Complaining that the 2007 parliamentary election and the 2008 local elections were "masquerades", this coalition withdrew from participation in national and local electoral commissions in August 2008. It wanted a new and independent electoral commission, in addition to an "all-inclusive national dialogue" prior to the 2009 presidential election. Former Prime Minister Ange Edouard Poungui was chosen as the UPADS candidate for the 2009 presidential election by the UPADS National Council in a primary election on 30 November 2008. His sole rival for the nomination, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia Mboungou, withdrew from the vote, complaining of "lack of transparency in the process", and Poungui, as the only candidate, received about 85% of the vote. However its candidacy was later rejected by the Contitutional Court on the ground that he had failed to establish his continuous residency in Congo-Brazzaville for at least two years. In the three following parliamentary elections, always under the leadership of Pascal Tsaty Mabiala, UPADS never managed to weaken PCT's absolute majority, remaining the main opposition force (tied with UDH-Yuki in 2017 and 2022) but always obtaining between 7 and 8 seats. Tsaty Mabiala was also the party's presidential candidate for the 2016 presidential election, finishing fourth with 4.67% of the votes, while the party did not contest the following presidential election in 2021. Electoral history Presidential elections National Assembly elections References External links Old UPADS website (archived) 1991 establishments in the Republic of the Congo Pan-Africanist political parties in Africa Political parties in the Republic of the Congo Political parties established in 1991