The National Progressive Front (, ''al-Jabha al-Wataniyyah at-Taqaddumiyyah'', NPF, sometimes known as the Progressive Patriotic and National Front) was an

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i popular front announced on 16 July 1973 and constituted in 1974, ostensibly formed within the framework of a "joint action programme" to establish a coalition between the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, the

Iraqi Communist Party The Iraqi Communist Party ( '; ) is a communist party and the oldest active party in Iraq. Since its foundation in 1934, it has dominated the left in Iraqi politics. It played a prominent role in shaping the political history of Iraq between it ...

, the Kurdistan Revolutionary Party, a pro-

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

section of the

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling Political party, party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. ...

, and miscellaneous independents. The Iraqi Communist Party were removed from the NPF in 1979, while the Kurdish Democratic Party suffered restrictions when Saddam Hussein came to power after 1979. The creation of the Front ensured the leading role of the Ba'athists in state and society, whilst allowing limited autonomy for other participating parties loyal to the government. Saddam once spoke of it as "one of the essential forms to voice our will and to deepen democracy and political participation of the people and the national forces in building the new experiment in all fields." In effect, the Front was controlled and maintained solely by the Ba'ath, with all other legal political forces acting in subservience to it.

Origins and development

The origins of the Front lay in July 1970 when the government under

Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr Field Marshal Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (1 July 1914 – 4 October 1982) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fourth president of Iraq, from 17 July 1968 to 15 July 1979. He was a leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party a ...

, amid fighting the militant Iraqi Communist Party-Central Command and dealing with Kurdish separatist militancy, offered the formation of the Front to moderate sections of the Iraqi Communists under conditions guaranteeing Ba'athist dominance over the state and political exclusivity within the armed forces. To quell Kurdish separatist sentiment, an autonomy agreement was agreed to in 1970 to create

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

while attempts were made to get the

to join the Front in the 1973-1974 period. This resulted in a majority section led by

Mustafa Barzani Mustafa Barzani (14 March 1903 – 1 March 1979), also known as Mullah Mustafa, was a Kurdish nationalist leader and one of the most prominent political figures in modern Kurdish politics. In 1946, he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan ...

continuing to rebel against the state. In contrast, a smaller faction led by Hashim Aqrawi and Ahmad Muhammad Saeed al-Atrushi joined the Front. The Iraqi Communists, despite entry into the Front, continued to experience repression such as the arrest of factory members, execution of members within the armed forces, and strong censorship of the ICP's daily newspaper. By 1979, the leadership of the ICP was either arrested or in exile, with the party formally withdrawing from the Front by 1980 to openly oppose the government. In the 1995-2000 period, a small pro-government

led by Yusuf Hamdan was proclaimed, and its existence was tolerated. However, it was not a formal member of the Front. Upon the formation of Iraq's National Assembly in 1980, the Front was tasked with nominating candidates to stand in elections. Throughout its existence the Secretary General of the Front was . It was disbanded in 2003 following the overthrow of the Ba'athist Government in the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

.''The Europa World Year Book 2004'' Volume I. London: Taylor & Francis. 2004. p. 2200.

Electoral history

National Assembly elections

References

{{Ba'ath Party Arab nationalism in Iraq Arab socialist political parties Defunct political party alliances in Iraq Defunct socialist parties in Iraq Ba'athist Iraq Iraqi Communist Party Nationalist parties in Iraq Organization of the Ba'ath Party Parties of one-party systems Political parties disestablished in 2003 Political parties established in 1974 Popular fronts

Origins and development

Electoral history

National Assembly elections

See also

References