face of the Syrian Civil War. In the 22 April 2007 election for the People's Council of Syria, the party gained 3 out of 250 in the parliament. In 2015, journalist Terry Glavin wrote that "But for a brief and friendly interregnum during the Baathist regime’s phoney national elections of 2012, the SSNP has been a member of Assad’s ruling coalition since 2005." Its Syrian leader is Ali Haidar, who has been one of the two non-Baath party minister's in the Damascus government since 2012, as Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs. Notable SSNP politicians in Syria include Diala Barakat, Issam Al Mahayri, Joseph Sweid, Bushra Massouh, and Issam Bagdi. Role in the Syrian Civil War The Syrian revolution and civil war "was an opportunity for the SSNP to take on a new dimension", regaining its strength (particularly among Christian and Shi'ite minority groups) and taking on a new purpose. During the civil uprising phase of the Syrian Civil War the SSNP participated in counter demonstrations in support of the government. Once the war broke out, the Syrian government reciprocated providing weaponry and training. In the meantime, SSNP officials had become a target for rebel militants and were kidnapped and assassinated. Bashar al-Yazigi, head of the political SSNP bureau in Syria stated that the "opposition is seeking to create sharp sectarian rifts and fragment Syrian society" with the party regarding both the ongoing Syrian Civil War and the Iraq War as attempts to partition those countries—and, eventually Lebanon—along ethno-sectarian lines. As of 2016, estimates of the number of SSNP fighters in Syria range from 6,000 to 8,000. Lebanese fighters are included in their ranks, even though the party claims that "their proportion within the group's total fighting force has decreased steadily, as more Syrians sign up". By February 2014, SSNP fighters were primarily deployed in the governorates of Homs and Damascus and were said to be the most formidable military force other than the Syrian Army in Suweida. SSNP fighters have participated in the battles of Sadad, Ma'loula or al-Qaryatayn, among others. In 2016, party officials say its membership has increased "by the thousands" since the start of the war as a result of its alleged "reputation as an effective fighting force in Syria". The party is taking on a larger role in Syria's official political system: it fielded 30 candidates for the 2016 parliamentary election, winning 7 seats.