Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party
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", 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.
Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria Partiya Dîmoqratî Pêşverû Kurd li Sûriyê | |
|---|---|
| Secretary-General | Abd al-Hamid Darwish (formerly) |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Split from | PDK-S |
| Headquarters | Amuda, al-Hasakah Governorate, Syria |
| Paramilitary wing | None de jure LJASS and YPG de facto |
| Membership | c. 9,600 (2011 estimate) |
| Ideology | Federalism Kurdish nationalism Socialism |
| Political position | Centre-left to centre-right |
| National affiliation | Kurdish Democratic Alliance in Syria (1994–?) ENKS (2011–15) |
| People's Council | 0 / 250
|
| Democratic Council | 0 / 43
|
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