Syrian Communist Party
Following Syria's independence in 1946, al-Ashmar became a supporter of the Syrian Communist Party. His backing was a major factor in the party's good performance in al-Midan during the 1954 parliamentary elections. He headed the communist Syrian Partisans of Peace and was a member of the World Peace Council. Al-Ashmar was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union in March 1956. He largely retired from politics around this time and died in Damascus in 1960.