The Government of Syria - CountriesPedia

Syria - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Syria, it was name ultimately derived from the ancient Assyrians who dominated northern Mesopotamia, but whose reach also extended westward to the Levant; over time, the name came to be associated more with the western area. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq (Damascus), Halab (Aleppo), Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside), Tartus

National symbols

Hawk; national colors: red, white, black, green.

The flag

The National flag of Syria has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the current design dates to 1980.

note: similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band; Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

The National Anthem

Title	"Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland)
Lyric/music	Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL

note: adopted 1936, restored 1961; between 1958 and 1961, while Syria was a member of the United Arab Republic with Egypt, the country had a different anthem

More about the government of Syria

Constitution
Date of Independence	17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National holiday	Independence Day (Evacuation Day), 17 April (1946); note - celebrates the leaving of the last French troops and the proclamation of full independence
Legal system	mixed legal system of civil and Islamic (sharia) law (for family courts)
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICC
History	several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012; note – UN-sponsored talks, which began in late 2019 between delegates from government and opposition forces to draft a new constitution; in June 2022, the 8th round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee ended in Geneva with no results, and the 9th round, scheduled for July 2022, was cancelled due to lack of Russian and regime participation
Amendments	Proposed by the president of the republic or by one third of the People’s Assembly members; following review by a special Assembly committee, passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and approval by the president
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	the father must be a citizen of Syria; if the father is unknown or stateless, the mother must be a citizen of Syria
Dual citizenship recognized	yes
Residency requirement for naturalization	10 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	vacant; former President Bashar al-ASAD was overthrown by Islamist rebels on 8 December 2024; ASAD and his family flew to Moscow where they were granted political asylum
Head of government	Prime Minister Muhammad al-BASHIR (since 8 December 2024)
Cabinet	Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 May 2021 (next to be held in 2028); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister
Election results	2021: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 95.2%, Mahmoud Ahmad MAREI (Democratic Arab Socialist Union) 3.3%, other 1.5% 2014: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 88.7%, Hassan al-NOURI (independent) 4.3%, Maher HAJJER (independent) 3.2%, other/invalid 3.8%
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority preferential vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections	Last held on 15 July 2024 (next to be held in July 2028)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ba'ath Party 169, SSNP 3, other 13, independent 65; composition - NA
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Court of Cassation (organized into civil, criminal, religious, and military divisions, each with 3 judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members)
Judge selection and term of office	Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a judicial management body headed by the minister of justice with 7 members, including the national president; judge tenure NA; Supreme Constitutional Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the SJC; judges serve 4-year renewable terms
Subordinate courts	Courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court (established June 2012)
Diplomatic representation in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador (vacant); note - on 6 February 2012, the US suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus; Czechia serves as a protecting power for US interests in Syria
Mailing address	6110 Damascus Place, Washington DC 20521-6110
Email address and website	[email protected] https://sy.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	6 (all cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Ancient City of Damascus; Ancient City of Bosra; Site of Palmyra; Ancient City of Aleppo; Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din; Ancient Villages of Northern Syria