The National Progressive Front (, ''al-Jabha al-Waṭaniyyah al-Taqaddumiyyah'', NPF) was a Ba'athist Syrian state controlled coalition of

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

parties that supported the Arab nationalist and Arab socialist orientation of the now defunct Assad regime and accepted the "leading role" of the ruling Syrian Ba'ath party. The coalition was modelled after the popular front system used in the

Communist Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

, through which the Syrian Ba'ath party governed the country while permitting nominal participation of smaller, satellite parties. The NPF was part of the Ba'ath party's efforts to expand its support base and neutralize prospects for any sustainable liberal or left-wing opposition, by instigating splits within independent leftist parties or repressing them. The coalition was officially outlawed by the Syrian transitional government on 29 January 2025 after the collapse of the Ba'athist regime. The NPF model was created by the Ba'athist system to enforce a highly centralized

presidential system A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

. The satellite parties within the NPF had smaller political power and largely functioned as networks for mobilizing loyalty to the government.

Student activism Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. In addition to education, student groups often play central roles in democratization and winning civil rights. Modern stu ...

and political activities in

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

were strictly prohibited for non-Ba'athist parties in the NPF, amongst other restrictions.

History

The NPF was established in 1972 by Syrian president

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 ...

to provide for a limited degree of participation in government by political parties other than the ruling Ba'ath Party. While the NPF had little influence in central bodies such as the People's Assembly, it was given more say at the local level, where non-Ba'athists and independent candidates were fielded. While the Ba'ath Party controlled the vast majority of votes in the central committees, several seats in the local were allotted for members of other NPF parties and independents. These minor

parties A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

were legally required to accept the leadership of the Ba'ath Party. The non-Ba'athist parties in the Progressive Front, for example, were not allowed to canvass for supporters in the army or the student body which were "reserved exclusively for the Ba'ath." From 1972 to 2011, only parties participating in the NPF were legally permitted to operate in Syria. The Legislative Decree on Parties law of 2011, Legislative Decree on General Elections Law of 2011 and the new Syrian constitution of 2012 introduced multi-party system in Syria. After previously being a part of NPF, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party joined the opposition's Popular Front for Change and Liberation for the May 2012 parliamentary election. However, in the June 2014 presidential election, the SSNP supported the re-election of Bashar al-Assad and subsequently rejoined the front. Following the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

in December 2024, the Ba'ath Party indefinitely halted all activities , and the Syrian Communist Party (Unified), the National Covenant Party and the SSNP attempted to distance themselves from neo-Ba'athist rule. The NPF and its member parties were dissolved by the Syrian transitional government on 29 January 2025 and prohibited from re-forming.

Constituent parties

The NPF was composed of the following political parties and associated organisations:

Electoral history

Syrian People's Assembly elections

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1972 establishments in Syria 2024 disestablishments in Syria Ba'athist Syria Arab nationalism in Syria Arab socialist political parties Defunct political party alliances in Syria History of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region Left-wing nationalist parties Organization of the Ba'ath Party Organizations of the Syrian civil war Parties of one-party systems Political parties disestablished in 2024 Political parties established in 1972 Popular fronts Socialist parties in Syria