Homeland Party (Libya)

{{short description|Political party in Libya}}

{{distinguish|Union for Homeland}}

{{Other uses|Al-Watan (disambiguation){{!}}Al-Watan Party}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox political party

| country = Libya

| name = Homeland Party

| native_name = حزب الوطن
{{transl|ar|Ħizb al-Waṭan}}

| logo = AlWattanLogo.jpg

| founder = Ali al-Sallabi

| native_name_lang = ar

| secretary_general =

| leader1_title =

| leader1_name =

| slogan =

| founded = November 2011

| youth_wing =

| headquarters =

| ideology = Islamism
Islamic democracy
Conservatism{{Citation |first=Umar |last=Khan |title=Three-day event in Tripoli to announce "Nation Party"|url=http://www.libyaherald.com/2012/04/10/three-day-event-in-tripoli-to-announce-nation-party/|work=Libya Herald|date=10 April 2012|access-date=5 December 2012}}

| international = Muslim Brotherhood

| colorcode = #8E4585

| website = http://wattan.ly/, https://www.facebook.com/alwattan.ly/

}}

The Homeland Party[http://www.biyokulule.com/view_content.php?articleid=4800 Libya: Analysis by Kamil Al-Tawil of Jihadi Types` Attitudes to Political Life] or Libyan National Party{{Citation |first=Margaret |last=Coker |title=Libya Election Panel Battles Ghosts |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=22 June 2012 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303444204577462401509471274}} (also styled Alwattan Party, {{langx|ar|حزب الوطن}} {{transl|ar|Ħizb al-Waṭan}} or {{transl|ar|Ħizb el-Waṭan}}) is a conservative Islamist political party in Libya, founded in November 2011,{{Citation |first=Peter |last=Beaumont |title=Political Islam poised to dominate the new world bequeathed by Arab spring |newspaper=The Guardian |date=3 December 2011 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/03/political-islam-poised-arab-spring |access-date=31 January 2012 |location=London}} 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 Abdelhakim Belhadj, Mahmoud Hamza, Ali Zeidan and Mansour Saif Al-Nasar.{{cite news|date=15 September 2011|url =https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/world/africa/in-libya-islamists-growing-sway-raises-questions.html?pagewanted=all|title=Islamists' Growing Sway Raises Questions for Libya|access-date=2012-06-10|work=The New York Times|first1=Rod|last1=Nordland|first2=David D.|last2=Kirkpatrick}} At the time of its establishment, it had the provisional name of National Gathering for Freedom, Justice and Development.{{fact|date=February 2025}}

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.{{Citation |first=Richard |last=Spencer |title=Libyan cleric announces new party on lines of 'moderate' Islamic democracy |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=19 November 2011 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8879955/Libyan-cleric-announces-new-party-on-lines-of-moderate-Islamic-democracy.html |access-date=31 January 2012|location=London}}

The Arabic word waṭan can be translated as "nation" or "homeland".{{cite web|date=20 June 2012|url=http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://wattan.ly/%3Fp%3D40&usg=ALkJrhgN5gIIn66FEGpeNdxt7Sk-jxD66g#|title=The Hizb Al Watan official homepage.|access-date=2012-06-20}} The party claims to have offices in 27 Libyan cities. The party won no seats in the Libyan General National Congress election of 2012.