Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party

The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ḥizb al-ba‘ath al-‘arabī al-ishtirākī) has been the ruling political party of the Arab Union since 1970. It was founded in Damascus in 1947 by Michel Aflaq, Salah ud-Din al Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. It is headquartered in Damascus, with a National Command responsible for forming the federal government and separate regional branches in each of the 20 republics which constitute the federated states of the Arab Union. The National Command is elected by the triennial National Congress, a plenary meeting of all active members of the party. Each regional branch also hosts its own regional congress, which elects a regional command in charge of the regional branch. The Ba'ath Party is the leading member of the National Progressive Front (NPF), a congressional coalition of the Ba'ath Party and five other leftist parties which officially support the Ba'athist government.