The party's foundation was announced when former prime minister Beji Caid Essebsi on 20 April 2012 launched his Call for Tunisia as a response to post-revolutionary "instances of disturbing extremism and violence that threaten public and individual liberties, as well as the security of the citizens".

[9] It was officially founded on 16 June 2012 and describes itself as a "modernist"[10] and "social-democratic" party of the moderate left.

[13][14][15] The party has patched together former members of ousted president Ben Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally, secular leftists, progressive liberals and Destourians (followers of Tunisia's "founder" Habib Bourguiba).

They believe that Tunisia's secular forces have to unite to counter the dominance of the Islamist Ennahda Movement.

[17] Moreover, it participated in the formation of the broad oppositional National Salvation Front in July 2013.