The National Progressive Front (Arabic: الجبهة الوطنية التقدمية, al-Jabha al-Waṭaniyyah al-Taqaddumiyyah, NPF) was a state organised coalition of left-wing parties that supported the Arab nationalist and Arab socialist orientation of the now defunct Syrian Ba'athist regime and accepted the "leading role" of the ruling Syrian Ba'ath party. The coalition was modelled after the popular front system used in the Communist Bloc, through which Syrian Ba'ath party governed the country while permitting nominal participation of smaller, satellite parties. The NPF was part of Ba'ath party's efforts to expand its support base and neutralize prospects for any sustainable liberal or left-wing opposition, by instigating splits within independent leftist parties or repressing them.[2][3][4][5][6]
The NPF model was created by the Ba'athist system to enforce a highly centralized presidential system.[7] The satellite parties within the NPF had smaller political power and largely functioned as networks for mobilizing loyalty to the government. Student activism and political activities in armed forces were strictly prohibited for non-Ba'athist parties in the NPF, amongst other restrictions.[8][9]
History
The NPF 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.[10] While NPF had little influence in central bodies such as the People's Assembly, it was given more say at the local level, where non-Ba'athists and independent candidates were fielded. While the Ba'ath Party controlled vast majority of votes in the central committees, a number of seats in the local were allotted for members of other NPF parties and independents. These minor parties were legally required to accept the leadership of the Ba'ath Party. The non-Ba'athist parties in the Progressive Front, for example, were not allowed to canvass for supporters in the army or the student body which were "reserved exclusively for the Ba'ath."[11]
From 1972 to 2011, only parties participating in the NPF were legally permitted to operate in Syria. The Legislative Decree on Parties law of 2011,[12] Legislative Decree on General Elections Law of 2011[13] and the new Syrian constitution of 2012[14] introduced multi-party system in Syria.
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Based on 2020 elections. IPU election results by party not released for 2024 yet. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2024)
The NPF was composed of the following political parties and associated organisations:
^Seale, Patrick (1989). "19: The Enemy Within". Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East. Los Angeles, USA: University of California Press. pp. 175–176. ISBN0-520-06667-7.
^Batatu, Hanna (1999). Syria's Peasantry, the Descendants of Its Lesser Rural Notables, and Their Politics. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Princeton University Press. pp. 121, 274, 275. ISBN0-691-00254-1.
^Batatu, Hanna (1999). "13: The Post-1970 Asad-molded, Career-oriented Ba'ath". Syria's Peasantry, the Descendants of Its Lesser Rural Notables, and Their Politics. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Princeton University Press. p. 187. ISBN0-691-00254-1.
^Seale, Patrick (1989). Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East. Los Angeles, USA: University of California Press. p. 176. ISBN0-520-06667-7.
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