We use essential storage to run PoliticaHub. Under EU and Swedish rules, analytics and advertising stay off unless you actively allow them. Analytics includes Google Analytics plus Microsoft Clarity session recordings and heatmaps. Advertising consent is also required before any personalized Google ads can load. Privacy Policy.
The Sunday briefing, from North
One email a week. Elections worth watching, sharpest pages of the week, the thing most people misread about a country you'd recognise. No hot takes, no churn.
One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime — I don't take it personally.
Democratic Union Party — Syria · founded 2003 | PoliticaHub
PoliticaHub Reference Sheet
Democratic Union Party
Party · Printed May 12, 2026 · politicahub.com/party/democratic-union-party-sy
The PYD (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat) is the dominant Kurdish political party in Syria and the political wing of the Rojava self-administration in northeastern Syria. Ideologically rooted in Abdullah Öcalan's democratic confederalism — a form of libertarian municipalism combining feminism, ecology, and stateless democracy — the PYD established the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) during the civil war. Turkey regards the PYD as an extension of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and designates it as a terrorist organisation. The party's armed wing, the YPG, formed the core of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces against Islamic State.
The United States regards the YPG/PYD as a reliable security partner against IS but declines to formally designate it a terrorist organisation despite Turkish pressure. Turkey designates the PYD/YPG as a terrorist extension of the PKK and has conducted multiple military operations against SDF-held territory (Operation Euphrates Shield 2016, Operation Olive Branch 2018, Operation Peace Spring 2019). The post-Assad transitional government in Damascus has demanded SDF disarmament and reintegration, while the SDF insists on recognition of AANES autonomy as a precondition for any agreement.
key positions
Democratic confederalism: governance through grassroots councils rather than a centralised state; co-presidency system requiring a man and a woman at every level of governance; ecological sustainability; cultural and linguistic rights for Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, and Yazidis under a pluralistic AANES framework; opposition to Syrian centralism and Turkish military intervention; strategic ambiguity toward Damascus — neither integrating into nor formally declaring independence from the Syrian state.
Democratic Union Party was founded in 2003, about 23 years ago.
Where does Democratic Union Party operate?
Democratic Union Party operates in Syria.
What is Democratic Union Party?
The PYD (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat) is the dominant Kurdish political party in Syria and the political wing of the Rojava self-administration in northeastern Syria. Ideologically rooted in Abdullah Öcalan's democratic confederalism — a form of libertarian municipalism combining feminism, ecology, and stateless democracy — the PYD established the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) during the civil war. Turkey regards the PYD as an extension of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and designates it as a terrorist organisation. The party's armed wing, the YPG, formed the core of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces against Islamic State.
Overview
The PYD was founded in 2003 as the Syrian branch of the wider Kurdish political movement influenced by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's ideology of democratic confederalism. When the Assad regime withdrew from northeastern Syria in 2012 — concentrating forces against rebel factions — the PYD rapidly established administrative control of the Kurdish-majority regions, creating the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES, also known as Rojava). The PYD's armed wing, the YPG, became the U.S.'s primary partner against Islamic State, receiving weapons, training, and air support from 2015 onward.
overview
The PYD was founded in 2003 as the Syrian branch of the wider Kurdish political movement influenced by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's ideology of democratic confederalism. When the Assad regime withdrew from northeastern Syria in 2012 — concentrating forces against rebel factions — the PYD rapidly established administrative control of the Kurdish-majority regions, creating the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES, also known as Rojava). The PYD's armed wing, the YPG, became the U.S.'s primary partner against Islamic State, receiving weapons, training, and air support from 2015 onward.
status
Active — governing party of Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When was Democratic Union Party founded?
A: Democratic Union Party was founded in 2003, about 23 years ago.
Q: Where does Democratic Union Party operate?
A: Democratic Union Party operates in Syria.
Q: What is Democratic Union Party?
A: The PYD (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat) is the dominant Kurdish political party in Syria and the political wing of the Rojava self-administration in northeastern Syria. Ideologically rooted in Abdullah Öcalan's democratic confederalism — a form of libertarian municipalism combining feminism, ecology, and stateless democracy — the PYD established the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) during the civil war. Turkey regards the PYD as an extension of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and designates it as a terrorist organisation. The party's armed wing, the YPG, formed the core of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces against Islamic State.
The PYD (Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat) is the dominant Kurdish political party in Syria and the political wing of the Rojava self-administration in northeastern Syria. Ideologically rooted in Abdullah Öcalan's democratic confederalism — a form of libertarian municipalism combining feminism, ecology, and stateless democracy — the PYD established the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) during the civil war. Turkey regards the PYD as an extension of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and designates it as a terrorist organisation. The party's armed wing, the YPG, formed the core of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces against Islamic State.
party
DU
Visual Context
Related people, parties, or institutions mentioned in the page.
Country in the Levant undergoing a historic political transition after the December 2024 collapse of the Assad regime. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham controls the capital Damascus; the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces administer the northeast. Syria's political order remains unsettled — multiple armed factions, no working constitution, and a fragmented opposition are competing to define the post-Ba'athist state.
