Union of Popular Forces اتحاد القوي الشعبية | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | UPF |
| General Secretary | Abdussalam Razzaz |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Sana'a |
| Newspaper | Sawt ash-Shurah |
| Ideology | Liberalism Islamic modernism Arab nationalism |
| Political position | Center-left |
| Colours | Dark green |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 301 |
TheUnion of Popular Forces (Arabic:اتحاد القوي الشعبية,Ittiḥād al-Quwa ash-Sha'abiyah), sometimes also written asUnion of Yemeni Popular Forces orFederation of Popular Forces is aliberalZaydiShi'a political party inYemen. It was founded in 1961[1] and has been characterized as a small party of Zaydi intellectuals.[2] Like the IslamistHizb al-Haqq, it has been founded bySayyids, which are members of the traditional elite of the country's north who claimed descent from the family ofMuhammad.[3]
The Party's founder and leader was Ibrahim al-Wazir, who has also been active as a cleric since the 1940s.[4] Al-Wazir was an influential contemporary Islamic intellectual who had published dozens of books over his life, during some of which he lived in the diaspora. During his period inEgypt, he had contact with intellectuals such as the Islamist thinkerSayyid Qutb, the liberal trade unionistGamal al-Banna and theIslamic modernistMohammed al-Ghazali, which influenced his worldview.[1]
In summer 1995, the party's office in theSana'a was attacked and destroyed by the security police.[4] In November 2005, it was a founding member of the opposition allianceJoint Meeting Parties. In July 2006, it backed the alliance's presidential candidateFaysal bin Shamlan in thepresidential election.[5]
The party's general secretaryIbrahim al-Wazir died on 28 June 2014 in a hospital inLondon.[1]Muhammad Abdurrahman ar-Ruba'i, the party's next general secretary, died on 8 June 2019 after a long time of illness.[6] The current general secretary isAbdussalam Razzaz.[7]
The party has been described as aZaydiShi'aliberal party. Furthermore, it defined itself as anti-monarchist, particularly during the early days of therepublic and supported democracy, self-government, freedom and a participatory system. The party's leader al-Wazir was strongly influenced byIslamic modernist as well astrade unionist thinkers and advocated for a modernization ofZaydi doctrine.[1] In its program, the party is advocating forIslamic democracy andArab nationalist ideas.[8]
The party opposes theHouthi movement, considering itstakeover as return of the monarchy of theImamate it opposed and accuses the Houthis ofIranian backing. It supports the national struggle against the Houthis and calls for the reestablishment of legitimacy, as well as the creation of a federal democratic state.[7]
| Election year | # of total votes | % of overall vote | # of seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| House of Representatives | |||
| 1993 | 2,662 | 0.12%[9] | 0 / 301 |
| 2003 | 11,967 | 0.20%[10] | 0 / 301 |
