Founder Ali al-Sallabi | Founded November 2011 | |
Ideology Islamism
Islamic democracy
Conservatism | ||
The Homeland Party or Libyan National Party (also styled Alwattan Party, Arabic: حزب الوطن Ħizb al-Waṭan or Ħizb el-Waṭan) is a conservative Islamist political party in Libya, founded in November 2011, after the Libyan Civil War and the overthrow of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. It is endorsed and led by Ali al-Sallabi, an influential Salafist cleric. Members include also Abdelhakim Belhadj, Mahmoud Hamza, Ali Zeidan and Mansour Saif Al-Nasar. At the time of its establishment, it had the provisional name of National Gathering for Freedom, Justice and Development.
Al-Sallabi has strong ties to both Yusuf al-Qaradawi, spiritual leader of the international Muslim Brotherhood, and Abdelhakim Belhadj, former "emir" of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. The party calls for "moderate" Islamic democracy, but demands to base a new Libyan constitution on Sharia law.
The Arabic word waṭan can be translated as "nation" or "homeland". The party claims to have offices in 27 Libyan cities. Regardless, the party won no seats in the Libyan General National Congress election of 2012.