Abdulwahab Darawshe was born on 12 October 1943 in Iksal, Mandatory Palestine.

He studied at Nazareth High School, before graduating from the University of Haifa with a degree in education and history.

He worked as a teacher and headmaster, also serving as a national supervisor for the Ministry of Education, a member of the board of the Teachers' Union's central committee, a member of the Education Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence's board, and chairman of the Arab Association for Education and Grants in Nazareth.

On 15 February 1988, he left the alliance to found his own single member faction, which was named the Arab Democratic Party on 7 March.

[1] His new party won 1.2% of the vote in the November 1988 election, just crossing the electoral threshold (1%), and winning a single seat, taken by Darawshe.