The People's Party () was a Syrian political party that dominated Syrian politics during the 1950s and the early 1960s, until its dissolution following the 1963 Ba'athist coup.
The party was officially founded in August 1948 by Rushdi al-Kikhya, Nazim al-Qudsi and Mustafa Bey Barmada. It saw its greatest levels of support among Aleppo merchants, bankers and those in agriculture in surrounding areas. It supported closer ties with Hashemite-ruled Iraq and Jordan, although some members also supported closer ties with Lebanon. Similar to its rival, the National Party, it was also popular among landowners and landlords.
History Formation In 1947, soon after Syrian independence, the National Bloc fractured due to internal conflicts among factions. One faction has members primarily originating from Homs, Hama and Aleppo and wanted closer economic ties with the Kingdom of Iraq, with this faction eventually became the People's Party. The party viewed Aleppo as a vital centre for economic development in Syria, perhaps to counter the influence of Damascus merchants. Besides the party's founders, Rushdi al-Kikhya, Nazim al-Qudsi and Mustafa Bey Barmada, the party also received support from the Atassi family in Homs, including Adnan al-Atassi and Hashim al-Atassi.
Legislative performance The party performed well following the 1949 Syrian Constituent Assembly election where it secured a parliamentary majority. However, successive coups in December 1949 and 1951 placed Adib Shishakli briefly as Syrian leader. He was later removed in 1954 and the People's party restored its position as a major political party.
Between 1958 and 1961, the party briefly dissolved as Syria was a part of the United Arab Republic, with the party restored following the 1961 coup ending Syria's union with Egypt. In the 1961 parliamentary election held shortly afterwards, the People's party was elected as the largest party. The party held power until the 1963 Ba'athist coup, when the new NCRC banned all political parties outside of the Ba'ath party, meaning the People's party was forced to dissolve.
Potential revival Prior to the fall of the Assad regime, there had been discussions about reviving the party in some form following the liberalization of requirements for membership in the National Progressive Front, but this was never materialized.
Leaders Leader Tenure Position(s) Hashim al-Atassi 1949–51;1954–55 President Nazim al-Kudsi 1961–63 President Fares al-Khoury 1944–45;1954–55 Prime Minister Maarouf al-Dawalibi 1961–62 Prime Minister Rushdi al-Kikhya 1949–51 Speaker of parliament Rashad Barmada 1954–62 Minister of Defense Abd al-Wahhab Hawmad 1954–56 Minister of Finance
Election results ElectionSeatsStatus1949 1954 1961
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