Popular front

A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, usually made up of leftists and centrists. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal (or "bourgeois") forces as well as social-democratic and communist groups. Popular fronts are larger in scope than united fronts.

In addition to the general definition, the term "popular front" also has a specific meaning in the history of Europe and the United States during the 1930s, and in the history of Communism and the Communist Party. During this time in France, the "front populaire" referred to the alliance of political parties aimed at resisting Fascism.

The term "national front", similar in name but describing a different form of ruling, using ostensibly non-Communist parties which were in fact controlled by and subservient to the Communist party as part of a "coalition", was used in Central and Eastern Europe during the Cold War.

Not all coalitions who use the term "popular front" meet the definition for "popular fronts", and not all popular fronts use the term "popular front" in their name. The same applies to "united fronts".

Popular Front (Tunisia)

The Popular Front for the Realization of the Objectives of the Revolution (Arabic: الجبهة الشعبية لتحقيق أهداف الثورة‎; French: Front populaire pour la réalisation des objectifs de la révolution), short Popular Front (ej-Jabha), is a leftist political alliance and electoral alliance in Tunisia, made up of nine political parties and numerous independents.

The coalition was formed in October 2012, bringing together 12 mainly left wing Tunisian parties including the Democratic Patriots' Movement, the Workers' Party, Green Tunisia, the Movement of Socialist Democrats (which has left), the Tunisian Ba'ath Movement and Party of the Democratic Arab Vanguard, two different parties of the Iraqi branch of Ba'ath Party, and other Progressive parties. The number of parties involved in the coalition has since decreased to nine. Approximately 15,000 people attended the coalition's first meeting in Tunis.

History

The 2011 Tunisian Revolution saw the departure of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the dissolution of his party, the Constitutional Democratic Rally, and the holding of fresh elections for the creation of a new constitution. This saw the Tunisian political scene dominated by the Islamist Ennahda Movement, and its allies the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties, the Progressive Democratic Party, and the Congress for the Republic.

Popular Front of India

The Popular Front of India is a Kerala Muslim organisation formed as a successor to National Development Front (NDF)in 2006 and then acquired multi-state dimension by merging with National Development Front, Manitha Neethi Pasarai, Karnataka Forum for Dignity etc. The PFI has about 80,000 members and sympathisers all over the country. The organisation has various wings to cater to different section of the society like the National Women's Front for the womenfolk, and the Campus Front of India for students.

PFI works in cooperation with the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations and other Human rights activists in bid to curb human rights violation in the nation. The organisation has undertaken the task of campaigning for the Muslim Reservation in line with the Mishra Commission (National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities) report to address the inequality faced by Muslims. In 2012, the organisation conducted protests against the use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act [UAPA] to detain innocent citizens. The Front formed broad-based alliance of different minority and civil rights leaders and groups against growing authoritarian and communal tendencies where steps taken included a national movement against UAPA, the Sikh-Muslim mission for communal harmony, the joint platform that has commemorated anti-Sikh riot of 1984 and Babri Masjid demolition of 1992.