The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Lebanon Region, commonly known as the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in Lebanon ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي في لبنان ''Ḥizb al-Ba‘th al-‘Arabī al-Ishtirākī fī Lubnān'') and officially the Lebanon Regional Branch, is a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

. It is the regional branch of the

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

-based Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. The leadership has been disputed since 2015; however, Fayez Shukr was the party leader from 2006 to 2015, when he succeeded Sayf al-Din Ghazi who in turn succeeded

Assem Qanso Muhammad Assem Qanso ( ar, عاصم قانصوه, born 1937 in Baalbek) is a Lebanese politician. He is a former leader of the Lebanese Ba'ath Party. Political career Qanso joined the Lebanese Ba'ath in 1953. During the Lebanese war, the Leba ...

History

The Lebanese branch of the undivided Ba'ath Party had been formed in 1949–1950.

is the longest-serving secretary (leader) of the Lebanese Ba'ath Party; first from 1971 to 1989 and again from 2000 to 2005. In 1953 it merged with Arab Socialist Party headed by Akram Hourani, and the current title was adopted. One of its secretary generals was Abdullah Al Amin, and the headquarters is in Beirut. During the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

, the party had an armed militia, the Assad Battalion. The party joined forces with Kamal Jumblatt's

Progressive Socialist Party The Progressive Socialist Party ( ar, الحزب التقدمي الاشتراكي, translit=al-Hizb al-Taqadummi al-Ishtiraki) is a Lebanese political party. Its confessional base is in the Druze sect and its regional base is in Mount Lebanon ...

in organizing the Lebanese National Movement, seeking to abolish the confessional state. The Lebanese National Movement was later superseded by the Lebanese National Resistance Front, in which the party participated. The party organized resistance against Israeli forces in Lebanon. In July 1987 it took part in forming yet another front, the Unification and Liberation Front. In the 2009 parliamentary election, the party won two seats as part of the

March 8 Alliance The March 8 Alliance ( ar, تحالف 8 آذار, taḥāluf 8 adhār}) is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their pro-Syrian stance and their opposition to the March 14 Alliance. I ...

. The parliamentarians of the party are Assem Qanso and Qassem Hashem. The Lebanese Ba'ath Party is also militarily involved in the Syrian Civil War, and has sent forces under its control to aid

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 ...

's government against the

Syrian opposition The Syrian opposition ( ar, المعارضة السورية ', ) is the political structure represented by the Syrian National Coalition and associated Syrian anti-Assad groups with certain territorial control as an alternative Syrian gover ...

. One contingent, allegedly 400 fighters strong, took part in the Daraa offensive (June 2017). Its commander, Hussein Ali Rabiha from Nabatieh, was killed during this operation. Prior to the

2018 Lebanese general election General elections were held in Lebanon on 6 May 2018. Although originally scheduled for 2013, the election was postponed three times in 2013, 2014 and 2017 under various pretexts, including the security situation, the failure of the Parliamen ...

, the Lebanese Ba'ath Party had suffered a split, with Regional Secretary Assem Qanso and Numan Shalq heading in different directions. Both factions had nominated candidates for the elections, but none was accepted into a list and were thus eliminated from the polls. Reportedly, the Syrian ambassador,

Ali Abdul Karim Ali Abdul Karim ( ar, علي عبد الكريم) (born 1953) is a Syrian diplomat. He is the first Syrian ambassador to Lebanon. Before that he served as the ambassador to Kuwait and as the general manager of the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), ...

, had lobbied against any list accepting Qanso's candidates, as his group is not recognized from Damascus. A Baathist politician, Kassem Hachem, was included in a list in South III as Amal candidate, but not on behalf of the party. Former Regional Secretary Fayez Shukr headed a list in Bekaa III. On 7 April 2019, the Lebanese Ba'ath Party and other parties staged pro-Syrian demonstrations in Beirut; this was the "first such show of its kind" since 2005.

Party leaders

*Mahmoud Baydoun (1966–1969) *Magali Nasrawin (1969–1971) *

(1971–1989) *Abdullah Al Amin (1989–1993) *Abdallah Chahal (1993–1996) *Sayf al-Din Ghazi (1996–2000) *

(2000–2005) *Sayf al-Din Ghazi (2005–2006) *Fayez Shukr (2006–2015) *Disputed (2015–present)

Legislative Elections

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arab Socialist Baath Party - Lebanon Region 1953 establishments in Lebanon Arab nationalism in Lebanon Arab nationalist militant groups Ba'athist parties

Factions in the Lebanese Civil War Lebanese National Movement Lebanese National Resistance Front March 8 Alliance Nationalist parties in Lebanon Political parties established in 1953 Pro-government factions of the Syrian civil war Socialist parties in Lebanon Axis of Resistance

History

Party leaders

Legislative Elections

See also

References

External links