Chaldean National Congress

The Chaldean National Congress () was an Assyrian-separatist political party that was founded in 2002. The party was founded in the United States, and primarily operated from the 2000's and early 2010's.

From its founding, the CNC underwent controversy due to its denial of Assyrian identity at a critical time for Iraqi Assyrians. As of 2024, the party is largely considered inactive in modern Assyrian politics in Iraq.

History

The Chaldean National Congress was originally founded on April 29, 2002 in San Diego, under the leadership of Dhia Putros and Ghassan Hanna. The formation of the party was announced at a rally by Sarhad Jammo, a Chaldean Catholic priest who was also based in San Diego. The party held a position of advocating for the rights of Chaldeans in the emerging government of Iraq following the U.S. invasion, albeit in the form of declaring them a distinct ethnicity from Assyrians. This was shared by Ghassan Hanna, who although tried to consolidate Chaldeans and Assyrians as one ethnic group, he continued to categorically reject a unifying ethnic background by noting the demographic changes between the two groups.

In July of 2003, the organization of the Baghdad branch of the part was decided on, being led by Fouad Bodagh. Around the same time, the party had been vocal about wanting Chaldean representation in the forthcoming Council of Representatives of Iraq, anxious about the possibility of a Shiite theocracy.

In the 2010 Iraqi parliamentary election, the party received 6,608 votes across all governorates, landing them behind the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council and the Rafidain List in terms of number of votes but failing to win any seats. In 2012, Dhia Putros resigned from his position as secretary to join the Human Rights Commission of Iraqi Kurdistan as a chairman, beginning his position in 2013.

Electoral history

The CNC was initially scheduled to participate in the January 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election, but ended up dropping from the race. The party ran as part of a list with other KDP affiliated parties during the December 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election, and although the coalition received a good number of votes, the party didn't win any representation in parliament.

Additionally, the party won no seats in the 2009 Iraqi governorate elections, the 2009 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, or the 2010 Iraqi parliamentary election. The last election the CNC participated in was the 2013 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, where they yet again achieved no success in voting.

Criticism

From its founding, the Chaldean National Congress received heavy amounts of criticism from the Assyrian diaspora. Sarhad Jammo's involvement prompted concerns from The Holy See, as they believed the formation of the party was not only suspicious, but that it would threaten the ideals of Pro Oriente and the Common Christological Declaration between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. The formation of the party also received criticism from the Assyrian community and members of the Chaldean church, who felt that the separatist agenda was contrary to the needs of the Assyrian people in forming proper representation in Iraqi society after the invasion.

The party has also received criticism for its affiliation with the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Before the 2018 Iraqi parliamentary election, the Assyrian Policy Institute wrote a report discussing the activities of sectarian political parties in the Assyrian community, noting that the CNC had received very little support from voters. It was noted that in Ankawa, a city where many Chaldean Catholic Assyrians still live, a "Unified Chaldean List" that had the CNC and the Chaldean Democratic Party only received just over 200 votes. The report also noted that the party received KDP funding through the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council.

On August 31, 2017, on the ankawa.com website, the party released a criticism of a speech by Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, accusing him of interfering the Chaldean Catholic Church with their political matters. In response, Cardinal Sako branded organizations such as the Congress as those who had been previously harming Assyrians and other Christian communities in Iraq, asserting that the Congress had unrealistic viewpoints about the future of the Nineveh Plains, and that the CNC had not contributed substantively to securing the decimated and vulnerable Christian presence there. He lamented that the criticisms were as of the result of inner party divisions, and that "some use the Chaldean name for personal interests."

In a retrospective interview, Ghassan Hanna stated that the party was created as a way to bring Chaldean Catholics into the policy of the Iraq War after being greatly disconnected from their roots. However, he had noted that the party was unsuccessful in gaining momentum within the diaspora, and was unable to provide viable alternatives to other Assyrian parties in Iraq despite it being the first high-profile Chaldean organization. The party had apparently sent multiple letters to American officials to represent Chaldeans against the backdrop of Assyrian inclusion, but such efforts were unsuccessful and the choosing of Assyrian leaders was more opposed by the church as opposed to political actors.

Modern Activity

The Chaldean National Congress is largely considered inactive in the realm of modern politics in Iraq, especially regarding Iraqi Assyrians, owing to its lack of electoral history since the 2013 Kurdish election.

However, there have been some occurrences where the party has shown up in name. In 2023, the party denounced the revocation of Louis Raphaël I Sako's decree, calling on then Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid to reverse his decision. In 2024, following the revocation of minority seats in the Kurdish parliament, the party boycotted that year's Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, calling the ruling an "attack on coexistence and a violation of the constitution." Two months later, the party was signed onto a political alliance of Armenian and inactive Assyrian organizations called "The Christian Alliance", announced by Ano Abdoka. The alliance, however, received criticism and dismay by members of the Assyrian community, mostly due to the lack of support of parties that signed on to the coalition and their inactivity.

See also

Assyrian politics in Iraq

References

{{Assyrian/Syriac/Chaldean political parties

Assyrians in Iraq
Assyrian political parties
Political parties in Iraq
Political parties in Kurdistan Region
Political parties of minorities in Iraq
Political parties of minorities in the United States
Assyrian organizations