Rushdi al-Kikhya

Rushdi al-Kikhya was a Syrian political leader who founded the People's Party in 1948. He was a prominent figure in the Syrian nationalist movement and opposed the French mandate. He was elected five times as a member of the Syrian Parliament and served as the Speaker of the Parliament from 1949 to 1951. He also held the position of Minister of Interior in 1949. He was involved in drafting the Syrian constitution of 1950, which granted more rights and freedoms to the citizens. He advocated for a union with Iraq to counter the Israeli threat and the Egyptian influence. He withdrew from politics after the formation of the United Arab Republic in 1958. He died in 1987 in Nicosia, Cyprus, and was buried there.