Abdul Qadir Qaddura () was a

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was a leading member of the

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

-based wing of the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

, 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...

(in power 1970–2000). Qaddura served as speaker 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 al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

retired several main names from the

Hafez (), known by his pen name Hafez ( or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, “Ḥāfeẓ” designates someoone who has learned the Qurʾān by heart" also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyri ...

era.

Early life and education

Born in 1935 in the

Circassia Circassia ( ), also known as Zichia, was a country and a historical region in . It spanned the western coastal portions of the North Caucasus, along the northeastern shore of the Black Sea. Circassia was conquered by the Russian Empire during ...

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 (; 6 May 189130 June 1967) was a Syrian politician and statesman who was the first president of post-independence Syria, in 1943. He began his career as a dissident working towards the independence and unity of the Ottoman Em ...

?" Qaddura studied briefly at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

, then went into the Chemistry Department at

Damascus University Damascus University () is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus, with campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 as the Syrian University () through the merger of the Faculty of Medicine of Dama ...

. 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 (also spelled Adeeb) (Arabic:أديب) is a given name and a surname meaning enlighted writer or one who practises '' adab''. Notable people having this name: Given name Adeeb * Adeeb (1934–2006), Pakistani film actor * Adeeb Ahamed, Indi ...

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, only to be released after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. During his prison term, he spent time at the infamous Tadmor prison with ranking pre-Ba'ath politicians like

Rushdi al-Kikhya Rushdi al-Kikhya (; 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 five terms as a member of the ...

, of the

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

-based, People's Party.

Career

Qadddura become a ranking member of the Syrian government after

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, 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