But their name can't hide their communist past as they take their first tentative steps into the post-Saddam Hussein political arena.

"Our central goal is to establish a democratic, multiple party government," 61-year-old Abdel Hasin Hamid, who was jailed for eight years under Saddam's regime for his Marxist views, told AFP on Friday.

"We want to build a progressive Iraqi personality. Poverty, sickness and the immorality of looting are marked indications of the deformity of the Iraqi soul," he said.

Hamid and 19 fellow members of the newly-formed PDNG had gathered in the sunless courtyard of the building in central Nasiriyah to do what they love -- talk left-wing politics -- a freedom punishable by death under Saddam's reign.

They hope to unite with other groups that have a "leftist attitude" and form a "democratic nationalist", coalition Iraqi government.

But, well aware of the stigma associated with failed communist states and that the political theory's arch-enemy, the United States, is now in control of Iraq, Hamid and his comrades stressed they were now simply left-wing democrats.

"We are not a communist party. We are not a substitute for the communist party. We are not communists. We are democratic nationalists," 51-year-old accountant Taha Silman said.

Hamid added more gently: "We try to avoid the communist terms."

But communist sentiments still run strong within the PDNG, with one member describing the fall of Eastern European communist regimes in 1991 as "disasters".

Others talked with enthusiasm about a Labour Day rally in Baghdad in 1959 they said attracted 1.25 million communist supporters. "It's considered one of the biggest communist rallies in history outside of Moscow," Silman said.

Radih al-Ziheri, a 58-year-old engineer, was more emphatic about his loyalties.

"This gathering is as a result of the absence of the communist party on the Iraqi political scene," he said.

"But in the future if there's freedom for the communist party to emerge, I will withdraw from the gathering to be communist again."

His comments raised much debate within the group, with many saying they disagreed and had realised that communism would always fail.

"We believe in an open economy now," Hamid said. "But it should be controlled under the supervision of the government."

Others advocated freedem of religion -- anathema to die-hard communists.

Although there was not a unity of views, the 20 men, who are mostly school teachers, engineers and other professionals, enjoyed just being able to discuss politics in the open.

The Iraqi Communist Party was officially outlawed in 1985, which gave an official air to what had already been a long campaign of communist persecution under Saddam's ruling Baath Party.

When asked how many of them had been jailed under Saddam's regime for their political views, all of them raised their hands.

Hamid said he never saw sunlight during his eight years in a jail north of Baghdad, and was regularly tortured.

"They tied my hands behind my back and then hung me up from them," he said, as he pointed to his shoulders and grimaced.

Another member showed three round scars on his forerarm. "They used an electric drill here," he said.

But the men did not want to dwell on their persecution, preferring instead to dream of political power.

They said the PDNG had 3,000 supporters in Nasiriyah, with similar "gatherings" in at least six other towns, including Baghdad, and the southern cities of Basra and Najaf.

Hamid said the Nasiriyah gathering intended to open an official office in this town next week. And a general meeting of supporters from all towns is hoped for in the next few months, with Baghdad the Nasiriyans' preferred venue.

SPACE.WIRE