Nationalist Democratic Assembly | |
Native Name: | التجمع القومي الديمقراطي |
Leader: | Hassan Ali |
Headquarters: | Zinj[1] |
Ideology: | Ba'athism |
Seats1 Title: | Council of Representatives |
Seats2 Title: | Consultative Council |
Colors: | Black, Red, White and Green |
Native Name Lang: | ar |
International: | Iraqi-led Ba'ath Party |
Website: | al-qawmi.org |
Country: | Bahrain |
The Nationalist Democratic Assembly (Arabic: Al-Tajamu'u Al-Qawmi Al-Dimuqratiyah) is a political party in Bahrain. It is the Bahraini regional branch of the Iraqi-led Ba'ath Party.[2] The party is led by Secretary General Hassan Ali and Deputy Secretary General Mahmoud Kassab.[3] It was established by Bahrainis who had studied in Ba'athist Iraq during the 1960s and 1970s. The party boycotted the 2002 parliamentary election but not the 2006 election.[4] The 2011 parliamentary by-election was boycotted by the party in solidarity with the Bahraini uprising.[5] It is headquartered in Zinj.[1]
The party opposes the government's naturalisation policies, and contends that it is unfair for ethnic Bahrainis to compete equally with foreign workers for jobs.[2] It remains pro-Saddam Hussein[1] and, according to its webpage, supports the Arab Spring.[6] It opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, considering it an act of brutality against the Iraqi people.[7] The party actively supports the overthrow of the existing monarchy, with a peaceful transition to democracy.[8]
It is part of a four-party alliance opposing the government, which comprises two Shia Islamist parties (Al Wefaq and the Islamic Action Society) and the leftist National Democratic Action Society.