The National Progressive Front (, ''al-Jabha al-Waṭaniyyah al-Taqaddumiyyah'', NPF) is a
political alliance of parties in
Syria that supports the
Arab nationalist orientation of the government and accepts the "leading role" of the
Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, the largest party in the NPF.
History
The Front was established in 1972 by Syrian president
Hafez al-Assad to provide for a limited degree of participation in government by political parties other than the ruling Ba'ath Party.
Its constitution provides that the Ba'ath Party controls 50% plus one of the votes on its executive committee. A number of seats in the
People's Council of Syria are reserved for members of NPF parties other than the Ba'ath Party. These minor
parties
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
are legally required to accept the leadership of the Ba'ath Party. The non-Ba'athist parties in the Progressive Front, for example, are not allowed to canvass for supporters in the army or the student body which are "reserved exclusively for the Ba'ath."
From 1972 to 2011, only parties participating in the NPF had been legally permitted to operate in Syria. The Legislative Decree on Parties law of 2011, Legislative Decree on General Elections Law of 2011 and the new
Syrian constitution of 2012 introduced multi-party system in Syria.
After previously being a part of NPF,
Syrian Social Nationalist Party
The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) or is a Syrian nationalist party operating in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. It advocates the establishment of a Greater Syrian nation state spanning the Fertile Crescent, including present ...
joined the opposition,
Popular Front for Change and Liberation
The Popular Front for Change and Liberation ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية للتحرير والتغيير, ''al-Jabha aš-š‘abiyya li'l-taghayyir wa'l-taḥrīr'') is a coalition of Syrian political parties and is the leader of the official ...
, for the May 2012
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
to the parliament. However, the SSNP supported the re-election of Bashar al-Assad in the
June 2014 presidential election and subsequently rejoined the front.
Constituent parties
The NPF is currently composed of the following political parties:
Electoral history
Syrian People's Assembly elections
See also
*
National Progressive Front (Iraq)
The National Progressive Front (, ''al-Jabha al-Wataniyyah at-Taqaddumiyyah'', NPF, sometimes known as the Progressive Patriotic and National Front) was an Iraqi popular front announced on 16 July 1973 and constituted in 1974, ostensibly formed wi ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
1972 establishments in Syria
Arab nationalism in Syria
Arab socialist political parties
Organization of the Ba'ath Party
Organizations of the Syrian civil war
Parties of one-party systems
Political parties established in 1972
Political party alliances in Syria
Popular fronts
Socialist parties in Syria
Left-wing nationalist parties