Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party

Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria
Partiya Dîmoqratî Pêşverû Kurd li Sûriyê
Secretary-GeneralAbd al-Hamid Darwish[2] (formerly)
Founded1965[2]
Split fromPDK-S
HeadquartersAmuda, al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria
Paramilitary wingNone de jure
LJASS and YPG de facto
Membershipc. 9,600 (2011 estimate)[3]
IdeologyFederalism[4]
Kurdish nationalism[2]
Socialism[5]
Political positionCentre-left to centre-right
National affiliationKurdish Democratic Alliance in Syria (1994–?)
ENKS (2011–15)
People's Council
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Democratic Council
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The Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria (Kurdish: Partiya Dîmoqratî Pêşverû Kurd li Sûriyê; abbreviated PDPKS, KDPP or Pêşverû) is one of the oldest Kurdish parties in Syria, having been active since seceding from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria the 1960s. Prominently led by Abd al-Hamid Darwish for much of its history, who was described as "one of the last remaining of the original Kurdish political activists",[6] the PDPKS serves as the Syrian sister party of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Known for its moderate and conciliatory politics, the party has sided at different times during the Syrian Civil War with the Syrian opposition, the Ba'athist government, the Kurdish National Council (of which it was a founding member), and the Democratic Union Party.

  1. ^ KurdWatch (2011), pp. 14, 19.
  2. ^ a b c Hevian (2013).
  3. ^ KurdWatch (2011), pp. 24, 25.
  4. ^ Madar al-Youm (3 January 2017). "Abdulhamid Darwish Shifts: Regime is Better Than the Coalition". Syrian Observer. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference waffenstillstand was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Who's who: Abdulhamid Darwish". Syrian Observer. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2017.