Abd al-Qadir Qaddura ( ar, عبد القادر قدورة) was a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

who was a leading member of the

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

-based wing of the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused ...

, in the era of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 1 ...

(in power 1970–2000). Qaddura served as

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the People's Council—the Syrian parliament—for much of the 1990s. He lost his post on the Ba'ath Party's leading board, the Regional Command, in 2005, as President

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

retired several main names from the Hafiz era.

Early life and education

Born in 1935 in the

Circassia Circassia (; also known as Cherkessia in some sources; ady, Адыгэ Хэку, Адыгей, lit=, translit=Adıgə Xəku, Adıgey; ; ota, چرکسستان, Çerkezistan; ) was a country and a historical region in the along the northeast ...

n village of Bariqa, Qaddura was the son of Ibrahim al-Mughribi, chief of the Damascus Police during the era of President Mohammad Ali al-Abid (1932–1936). Mughrabi, of Libyan origin, often advised his son not to work in politics, saying, "A stranger should behave...what do you think you are going to become, another

Shukri al-Quwatli Shukri al-Quwatli ( ar, شكري القوّتلي, Shukrī al-Quwwatlī; 6 May 189130 June 1967) was the first president of post-independence Syria. He began his career as a dissident working towards the independence and unity of the Ottoman E ...

?" Qaddura studied briefly at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

, then went into the Chemistry Department at

Damascus University The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

. During the 1950s, Qaddura rose to fame as a student activist in the Ba'ath Party, long before it came to power, and co-staged demonstrations to bring down the regime of President

Adib al-Shishakli Adib al-Shishakli (1909 – 27 September 1964 ar, أديب الشيشكلي, ʾAdīb aš-Šīšaklī) was a Syrian military leader and President of Syria from 1953 to 1954. Early life Adib Shishakli was born (1909) in the Hama Sanjak of Ott ...

in 1954. During the early years of Ba'ath Party rule, he was arrested twice, spending a total of two years in jail, and was expelled from the party by its strongman,

Salah Jadid Salah Jadid (1926 – 19 August 1993, ar, صلاح جديد, Ṣalāḥ Jadīd) was a Syrian general, a leader of the left-wing of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Syria, and the country's ''de facto'' leader from 1966 until 1970, when h ...

, only to be released after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. During his prison term, he spent time at the infamous

Tadmor prison Tadmor prison ( ar, سجن تدمر) was located in Palmyra (''Tadmor'' in Arabic) in the deserts of eastern Syria approximately 200 kilometers northeast of Damascus. Tadmor prison was known for harsh conditions, extensive human rights abuse, to ...

with ranking pre-Ba'ath politicians like

Rushdi al-Kikhya Rushdi al-Kikhya ( ar, رشدي الكيخيا; 1899– 14 March 1987) was a Syrian political leader who founded the People's party in 1948. Kikhya was elected as a Speaker of the Parliament of Syria between 1949 and 1951, and he was elected fiv ...

, of the

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

-based, People's Party.

Career

Qadddura become a ranking member of the Syrian government after

Hafiz al-Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 197 ...

came to power in 1970. He served in the state-run public sector, as CEO of Tameco, manufacturing medicine, and became Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs in 1980–1985. Twice he served as Acting Prime Minister but left his job to become Head of the Economic Bureau at the Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party in the 1980s. Qaddura became Speaker of the Syrian Parliament in 1987, and held this job non-stop, until he was replaced in 2003. Qaddura is the longest serving speaker in Syrian history, followed immediately by

Faris al-Khoury Faris al-Khoury ( ar, فارس الخوري, Fāris al-Khūrī) (November 20, 1877 – January 2, 1962) was a Syrian statesman, minister, prime minister, speaker of parliament, and father of modern Syrian politics. Faris Khoury went on to become p ...

, who stayed at the job for 9-years.

Personal life

He was married to a Damascene lady from the Jouakhi family and had four children, Nourallah, Louai, Azzah, and Layla. His eldest son Nourallah, an ophthalmologist, poet, and musician, who married the niece of Syrian Ambassador to the UK, Sami Khiyami. His son Qays died in a car accident in 1992, while studying medicine at Damascus University. Qaddura died on 30 July 2013.وفاة عبد القادر قدورة رئيس مجلس الشعب الأسبق
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qaddura, Abd al-Qadir Speakers of the People's Assembly of Syria Deputy Prime Ministers of Syria Members of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region Damascus University alumni 1935 births 2013 deaths Syrian Sunni Muslims People from Quneitra Governorate Syrian people of Circassian descent