National Democratic Rally (Syria)
Encyclopedia
The National Democratic Rally or National Democratic Gathering (Arabic
, at-tajammuʻ al-waţanī ad-dīmūqrāţī) is a banned opposition alliance in Syria
, comprising five political parties of a secularist, pan-Arabist, Arab nationalist and socialist bent.
Hassan Ismail Abdelazim, leader of the Democratic Arab Socialist Union, is the official spokesman of the Rally.
In 2006, a sixth party joined the coalition:
, which is a leftist-nationalist party coalition
established under the leadership of the Syrian Baath Party
. A few parties also had sister parties or factions in other Arab
countries, such as Nasserist
Egypt
or Baathist
Iraq
. Its first spokesman was Democratic Arab Socialist Union chairman Jamal al-Atassi
. At his death in the year 2000, his role was inherited by his successor at the helm of DASU, Hassan Ismail Abdelazim.
The Rally took part in the opposition movement of 1980 - a period of civil protest by leftist, Islamist, liberal
and nationalist groups which coincided with an armed uprising by Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood
and more radical factions. This led to severe repression of the Rally by the Syrian regime; several of its main leaders were given long prison sentences (eg. Riad al-Turk, jailed 1980-98). The Rally was later active in the Damascus Spring
of 2000, holding seminars and advocating political freedom. However, its member parties are now relatively marginal on the Syrian political scene, even if they remain an important segment of the organized opposition, due to decades of severe repression and denial of freedom to organize
. Most leaders and many members are today old men, after joining or founding their respective parties in the early 1960s to late 1970s, and have had relatively poor success in appealing to younger generations of Syrians.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, at-tajammuʻ al-waţanī ad-dīmūqrāţī) is a banned opposition alliance in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, comprising five political parties of a secularist, pan-Arabist, Arab nationalist and socialist bent.
Hassan Ismail Abdelazim, leader of the Democratic Arab Socialist Union, is the official spokesman of the Rally.
Member parties
The founding member parties were:- The Democratic Arab Socialist Union - a splinter of the Arab Socialist Union, formerly the main NasseristNasserismNasserism is an Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of the former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was a major influence on pan-Arab politics in the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to have significant resonance throughout the Arab World to this day. It also...
party in Syria. - The Syrian Democratic People's PartySyrian Democratic People's PartyThe Syrian Democratic People's Party is a left-wing, democratic opposition party in Syria that is banned by the Syrian government....
- Riad al-Turk's group, formerly called the Syrian Communist Party - Political Bureau, and an offshoot of the Syrian Communist PartySyrian Communist PartyThe Syrian Communist Party was a political party in Syria, founded in 1944. It became a member of the National Progressive Front in 1972...
. - The Workers' Revolutionary Party - a leftist-Marxist offshoot of the Baath PartyBaath PartyThe Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
from the 1960s, which for some time had active branches in LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
as well. - The Movement of Arab Socialists - an Arab socialist group with roots in Akram al-HawraniAkram al-HawraniAkram al-Hawrani |transcribe]]d Hourani or Hurani) , was a Syrian politician who played a prominent role in the formation of a widespread populist, nationalist movement in Syria and in the rise of the Ba'th Party...
's pre-Baath peasant movementPeasant movementPeasant movement is a social movement involved with the agricultural policy.Peasants movement have a long history that can be traced to the numerous peasant uprisings that occurred in various regions of the world throughout human history. Early peasant movements were usually the result of stresses...
. - The Arab Socialist Democratic Baath Party - a remnant of Salah JadidSalah JadidSalah Jadid was a Syrian general and political figure in the Baath Party, and the country's de facto leader from 1966 until 1970.- Rise to power :...
's far-left faction of the Baath PartyBaath PartyThe Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
, led by his former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Makhous.
In 2006, a sixth party joined the coalition:
- The Communist Action Party - the recreation of a hardline communist group repressed in the 1980s, which originally had its roots in 1970s Syrian student radicalism, with pro-Sandinista, GuevaraGuevaraGuevara can refer to:*Amado Guevara, Honduran football player*Alvaro Guevara Mexican composer*Ángel Aníbal Guevara, Guatemalan politician*Antonio de Guevara, Spanish chronicler and moralist*Armando Guevara, Venezuelan boxer...
ist, Trotskyite and MaoistMaoismMaoism, also known as the Mao Zedong Thought , is claimed by Maoists as an anti-Revisionist form of Marxist communist theory, derived from the teachings of the Chinese political leader Mao Zedong . Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was widely applied as the political and military guiding...
tendencies.
History
The National Democratic Rally was formed in January 1980 by the five member parties listed above, and its membership has not changed since. In several cases these parties were originally opposition wings of parties that had joined the governing National Progressive FrontNational Progressive Front
The National Progressive Front , established in 1972, is a coalition of political parties in Syria that support the socialist and Arab nationalist orientation of the government and accept the "leading role in society" of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, .The Front was established by Syrian...
, which is a leftist-nationalist party coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
established under the leadership of the Syrian Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
. A few parties also had sister parties or factions in other Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
countries, such as Nasserist
Nasserism
Nasserism is an Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of the former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was a major influence on pan-Arab politics in the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to have significant resonance throughout the Arab World to this day. It also...
Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
or Baathist
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Its first spokesman was Democratic Arab Socialist Union chairman Jamal al-Atassi
Jamal al-Atassi
Jamal Al-Atassi was a Syrian nationalist, politician and author. He was one of the earliest ideologues of the nascent Syrian Baath Party, which he joined soon after it was founded...
. At his death in the year 2000, his role was inherited by his successor at the helm of DASU, Hassan Ismail Abdelazim.
The Rally took part in the opposition movement of 1980 - a period of civil protest by leftist, Islamist, liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and nationalist groups which coincided with an armed uprising by Islamists in the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
and more radical factions. This led to severe repression of the Rally by the Syrian regime; several of its main leaders were given long prison sentences (eg. Riad al-Turk, jailed 1980-98). The Rally was later active in the Damascus Spring
Damascus Spring
The Damascus Spring was a period of intense political and social debate in Syria which started after the death of President Hafiz al-Asad in June 2000 and continued to some degree until autumn 2001, when most of the activities associated with it were suppressed by the government.- Background...
of 2000, holding seminars and advocating political freedom. However, its member parties are now relatively marginal on the Syrian political scene, even if they remain an important segment of the organized opposition, due to decades of severe repression and denial of freedom to organize
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...
. Most leaders and many members are today old men, after joining or founding their respective parties in the early 1960s to late 1970s, and have had relatively poor success in appealing to younger generations of Syrians.
External links
- National Democratic Gathering - website, Arabic/FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. [last updated in 2004]