Democratic Left Movement (Lebanon)

File:Lebanese democratic left movement.jpg

Democratic Left Movement Logo

The Democratic Left Movement (DLM, Arabic, ĥarakatu-l-yasāri-d-dimuqrātī, Arabic acronym HYD), is a political party in Lebanon founded in September 2004.

Formation

The DLM was formed as a result of a combined effort among leftist intellectuals, activists who had previously split from the Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) and leftist student groups. The Preparatory Committee, which had previously issued statements highly critical of the Syrian hegemony over Lebanon and calling for the birth of a new left, arranged for a general assembly in which a founding committee was elected in September 2004 and the movement was officially born.

History

By the late 1980s, unknown people embarked on an assassination spree that resulted in purging known leftist intellectuals such as Hussein Mroue and Mahdi Amel among others . This was coupled with the downfall of the number one supporter of leftists in Lebanon, the Soviet Union. It also marked the beginning of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon that lasted until April 26, 2005.

Living under Syrian tutelage stirred a dilemma among the leftists' leadership, intellectuals' and rank and file. Should the left contend to this existence under the pretext of fending off external danger? Or should it seek democracy first as a means for the liberation of the Arab people and the key to fending off all kinds of danger, whether external or internal.

The leftist division survives to this day and has, since its eruption, witnessed several developments. The first and foremost of these developments was the resignation of George Hawi, the Lebanese Communist Party's (LCP) leader and strong figure, in 1992. Hawi was quoted as saying that he better "leave the boat before it wrecks," in reference to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Following Hawi, several communist voices started calling for the rejection of the soviet model and the revival of the party's role as a spearhead in the fight for Lebanon's sovereignty and independence.

The first breach among the leftists, however, occurred among the rank and file of students with the spontaneous creation of what came to be called as the Independent Leftist Groups. These groups scored some initial success which in turn encouraged opposition factions within the LCP to revolt against the leadership and start calling for the renewal of the structure, thought and perceptions of the left.

At the time, the gap between the LCP leadership and leftist intellectuals was further widening. To add insult to injury, the LCP leadership expelled a number of its student members in an attempt to shutdown opposition voices within the party.

The expelled students, however, had different ideas and showed signs of determination and strong will as they created what came to be known as the Communist Students Organization. The organization led to further breaches within the LCP.

Divisions within the LCP reached their climax in 2004 when during the Ninth Assembly; quasi-Stalinists found their way to top echelons of the leadership after the party witnessed wide mismanagement of its elections and democratic process. The undemocratic elections for their part saw officials tampering with membership lists in order to keep their loyalists enlisted while scratching the names of the supporters of their opponents.

This time, LCP's opposition factions walked out on their party and alongside other leftist intellectuals as well as the ILGs, formed what came to be known as the Democratic Left Movement.

Ideological profile

DLM predominantly advocates a European-style social democracy to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor without compromising freedom or economic productivity. However, DLM supports the existence of courants each possibly having a different leftist ideology and platform. Thus, DLM's ideology is a broad leftist platform that forms the common denominator among its constituents.

DLM is one of the few parties in Lebanon that call for a secular state. The movement is, however, more pragmatic on this issue and believes that Lebanon should gradually overcome sectarianism following a series of changes rather than a single radical change.

DLM has actively participated in the Independence Uprising that had its peak on March 14, 2005, when over a million demonstrators gathered to put an end to the Syrian hegemony over Lebanon. During these protests, the movement warned against racist and chauvinist slogans.

Structure

DLM is the only political party in Lebanon to encourage courants and decentralization within the movement.

The general assembly elects a National Committee on the basis of proportional representation, where every courant forms a list. The National Assembly sets up the political priorities, alliances and rhetoric, and elects an Executive Bureau for daily follow-up on various issues.

Finally, Regional Assemblies and Syndic Assemblies also elect their committees. However, these committees enjoy a relative autonomy and are not controlled by the Executive Bureau nor by the National Assembly.

Electoral results

At the last legislative elections, May and June 2005, DLM won one seat in the Lebanese Parliament, becoming the first leftist secular political party to be represented in the parliament.

There are unusually many Political parties in Lebanon. The current paliamentary majority is supported by the following alliance:

• Current for the Future (Tayyar Al Mustaqbal), 36
• Progressive Socialist Party (Hizb al-Taqadummi al-Ishtiraki), 16
• Lebanese Forces, 6
• Qornet Shehwan Gathering, 6
  • Phalangist or Kataeb Party (Hizb al-Kataeb)
  • National Liberal Party (Hizb al-Ahrar al-Watani)
  • independents
• Tripoli Bloc, 3
• Democratic Left Movement, 1
• Democratic Renewal, 1

Hawi and Kassir assassinations

On June 2, 2005, Samir Kassir, one of the founders of the movement, and a prominent Lebanese journalist and political analyst, was assassinated. Less than one month later, on June 21, 2005, George Hawi, the former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party , was also assassinated by a car bomb in Beirut. The movement blames Damascus and the government of President Bashar al-Assad, and Syrian allies in the Lebanese security apparatus responsible.

External links

• Democratic Left Movement - official website
• Alternative Online - online edition
• Middle East Intelligence Bulletin - Press Release