Popular Unity Party (Iraq)

The Popular Unity Party is a political party in Iraq led by Youssif Hamdan. Initially set-up as Communist Party of Iraq (CPI) in 1995. The CPI split away from the Iraqi Communist Party during the latter period of Saddam Hussein's regime. Many saw the CPI as a puppet party of the regime, whose existence would give the outside world an impression that the country was a multi-party state. The party met with foreign delegations visiting Iraq. It seemed the intentions of the party would've been to join the government as a junior partner within the National Progressive Front, similar to the coalition of the same name set-up in neighbouring Syria, but the idea was later discarded. The CPI was never given possibility to register as a legal party, though its leader was in the Iraqi parliament as of 2001.[1]

Following the fall of the Saddam's regime in 2003, the party was reconstructed as the Popular Unity Party.

References

1. Jewish Political Studies Review Vol. 13. 2001. p. 234.