The Syrian National Front

The who’s who ( 1 / 2 )

ALL4SYRIA- with cooperation with Syria Today –July 2005
The right of the Ba’ath Party to lead the state and country is written into Article 8 of the Syrian constitution. That’s not to say there aren’t other political organisations working. Here Syria Today lists the major players in Syrian politics and interviews the heads of six of the key parties.

The NPF:
Ten parties make up the National Progressive Front (NPF), formed on March 7, 1972, a coalition of nine parties aligned with the Ba’ath – who is the dominant member – which sit in the People’s Assembly and pass new legislation.
Name Secretary General

1- Al-Ba’ath Arab Socialist Party Bashar Assad

2- Syrian Communist Party Youssef Faisal
Split from the mother party of Khaled Bakdash in 1986 over differences about how democratic the party could be. The party now aims to achieve a democratic communist theory.

Interview with Youssef Faisal

What are the demands of your party?
Our demands are to split the Ba’ath Party from the state. This decision was actually taken in the 9th regional conference of 2000 but was not implemented. We also demand to end all the advantages given to Ba’ath members in the social and internal life in the country. It is qualifications, knowledge and level of education that should get people jobs. We also call to delete the decision which connects all current vocational and peoples’ organisations and unions with the Ba’ath. We also demand the lifting of the country’s emergency laws and the release of all political prisoners. On the economic file we demand protection for the public sector. We ask for the market economy to be explained as a concept.
Will the Communists be increasing their demands when they become a legalised party?
Of course, we will be increasing our demands and every party now will have a political agenda. All parties will increase their participation. Now the Communists have 4 MPs and 1 minister, the Irrigation Minister, and representatives in all unions.
Why is the Syrian Communist Party inside the NPF and thus under the dominance of the Ba’ath Party?
First, we are not affiliated to the Ba’ath. We are an independent party, we are an equal member in the NPF. The idea of us being affiliated to the Ba’ath by being in the NPF should be cancelled. The Ba’ath Party lays down all the issues to the NPF and we together take the decisions. For example, we discussed the Party’s Law, which the regional conference decided on.
So your role is limited?
Yes, but they take our opinions into consideration. I’m not satisfied, of course, because we are demanding to split the party from the state.
How many seats would you like to see your party taking in a fully open election?
We now have 4 MPs. At the end of a fully democratic election our MP seats would be between 7 and 10, not more than that. In Syrian society we know there are religious themes, so the Communist party cannot get more than this. The Syrian system is a secular system, but the society is not. We have secular groups and also important religious groups. Nowadays, the religious and Islamic parties are more activated.
Why?
Because pan-Arab parties and Nasserite groups have decreased and Communist parties, after the collapse of Soviet Union, have decreased. So religious parties have taken their position. The important point now is that national parties are stronger. Why? Because they include leftists, pan-Arab nationalists and religious groups.

3- Syrian Communist Party Wesal Farht Bekdash
Formed in 1924 by Foad Shamal in Lebanon and the late leader Khaled Bakdash. The party aims to follow Marxist and Leninist theories.

4- Arab Socialist Movement Ahmed al-Ahmed
Formed in 1947 and unified with the Ba’ath in 1953. Following the split between Syria and Egypt, the party seperated from the Ba’ath in 1961, but continues to share its principles.

Interview with Ahmed al-Ahmed

Are you happy with your share of power?
Since March 7, 1972 until now we have 4 MPs in parliament and representatives in the unions, and we now run the Construction and Housing Ministry. Even if there were free and fair elections, we would be with the Ba’ath party as a collective. The Ba’ath has the majority among the Syrian people. Among all democratic states the party who has the majority is that which forms the government. So we are very happy with our share. All basic and important decisions are taken by the NPF.
Can you give an example of when a draft bill has been opposed or modified successfully?
The last example is about the local administration law. We put forward the suggestion for this law. As a result, by 2007 we will have a free list for candidates running in local elections. We hope to improve political life in Syria by opening the list for free elections.
How important is introducing an open list?
It’s to enlarge the democratic margin in Syria. Syria’s democracy is a national democracy, not imported from the West or East. We have our national experience and our democracy develops day by day to satisfy the citizens’ demands.
Could these moves towards democracy go so far as tackling Article 8 of constitution?
The Ba’ath Party now leads the state and country because it is the majority and so, from my point of view, in a democratic way, the Ba’ath should lead the country. Article 8 was written into the constitution after it was voted for by the Syrian people. So when we talk about lifting the article we are working against the people’s will. It’s only a concept for a foreigner that Syria is not a democracy. Do you want a democracy like Lebanon with the list drawn up by the United States? Democracy in Lebanon now is run by militia chiefs. One of them killed 10,000 people. Is that democracy?

5- National al-A’had Party Ghassan Abdul Aziz Othman
Founded by Abdul Aziz Othman, the party is a branch of the Arab Socialist Movement and was separated in 1994 into two factions. Believes in Arab union and social justice.

6- Arab Socialist Union Safwan Qoudssi
In 1964, the merger of 4 existing parties gave birth to the ASU: the Arabic Nationalist Action in Syria, the United Arab Front, the Socialist Unitarian Party and the Socialist Union party. Influenced by Nasserite ideology and always backs Ba’athist policies.

7- Democratic Arab Union Party Ghassan Ahmed Othman
DAUP was founded in 1992 by Youssef J’eedani. It seeks to modernize and update the Nasserite pan-Arab policy by making Syria as a state its priority, seconded by the Arab world in general.

8- Syrian Socialist National Party (centralist wing) Issam Mahayiri
In 1932, Lebanese Antoon Sa’adeh founded the SSNP based on the principles of separating the church from the state, struggling against confessionalism and working for the unity of the Greater Syria that includes Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, and Kuwait. Joined the NPF in 2005.

Interview with Issam Mahayiri
hy did you take the SSNP into the NPF?
In the past the party was working in an elite way. Now after joining the NPF we can work among the people and create more popular support for ourselves. Now we have headquarters in all the governorates and we attend all public meetings.
Our party is distinguished from other member of the NPF who call for pan-Arab unity and work on socialist principles. The SSNP calls for the unity of the Greater Syrian nation. This prevented us from joining the NPF before now. So our joining the NPF is an important sign that NPF parties accept other parties.
Is it a realistic political aim to try to unite the ‘Greater Syria’?
It is a realistic aim because we have branches in all those states, except Cyprus, which is now not one of our basic issues. We work to unify the economic, social and cultural ties between these states.
What were the demands of the SSNP to the Ba’ath Congress?
We demanded that the Ba’ath Party be split from the state. The Ba’ath represents authority and power. But the state is for all people. We must review and reform Article 8. We must also squeeze the use of the emergency laws and keep them only for national security purposes.
What are the main achievements of the SSNP’s work in political life in Syria?
For 50 years we were banned as a party. Our main achievement is to remain fixed to our principles, even under great pressure. Our party overcomes all ethnic and religious division because we are founded on a principle of social unity, not ethnic unity. We live in a large society full of ethnic and religious sects, but our party maintains unity rather than divisions. So we welcome the Parties’ Law, and agree that parties should not be formed on ethnic or religious division. We are a secular party open to all Syrians.

9- Democratic Socialist Unitarian Party Fadllah Nasir Adeen
Founded in 1974 by Ahmad Al Assad, the DSUP was born from the separation of various Unitarian Socialist parties from the NPF. It rejoined the NPF in 1998.

10- Socialist Unitarian Party Fayz Issm’ael
Founded in 1962 and led since then by Faez Issm’ael, the party separated from the Ba’ath party after the latter accepted the end of the union with Egypt. It aims to realize Arab union and follows Nasserite ideology.