Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (PDKS)

One of the oldest Kurdish political parties in Syria, the PDKS (also referred to as KDPS) was founded in 1957 as an unrecognized political group advocating for Kurdish rights and democratic reform. It faced harsh repression from the Syrian government, being labelled a threat to national security and the integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic. In the 1960s, several groups splintered from PDKS over issues surrounding the goals of the party, including Kurdish autonomy, cooperation with communist parties, and ideological direction. In the decades following the splits, despite attempts to reconcile, the PDKS declined in both membership and influence, becoming far less significant in the Syrian political scene. After the breakout of civil war in 2011, the PDKS saw an increase in prominence. In April of 2014, several small Kurdish groups not affiliated with the larger PYD joined the KDPS coalition. The party’s current platform focuses on Kurdish autonomy, democratic reformism, and social conservatism; they are regarded as a centrist party in the largely left-wing Syrian-Kurdish political scene.