President of Syria

The president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state of the Syrian Arab Republic. He is vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at his sole discretion, to his vice presidents. He appoints and dismisses the prime minister and other members of the Council of Ministers (the cabinet) and military officers.[2]

President of the Syrian Arab Republic
رئيس الجمهورية العربية السورية
Incumbent
Bashar al-Assad
since 17 July 2000
ResidencePeople's Palace and Tishreen Palace, Damascus
Term lengthSeven years, renewable[1]
Inaugural holderSubhi Barakat (French Mandate)
Shukri al-Quwatli (current constitution)
Formation17 April 1946
DeputyVice President of Syria
Syrian Arab Republic
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Member State of the Arab League (Suspended)

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Term of office

The president runs for a 6-year term after he is elected, and can be Re-elected for as many terms as he would.

Eligibility criteria

According to articles 84 and 85 of the Syrian constitution, the candidate for the office of President of the Republic must:

  1. Acquire the support of at least 35 members of the People's Assembly
  2. Be above the age of 34 (as of a new law)
  3. Have lived continuously in Syria for 10 years before the election
  4. Be Syrian by birth, of parents who are Syrians by birth
  5. Not be married to a non-Syrian spouse

Also, the Constitution states that "The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam".[3]

On 31 January 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented the new Constitution, which led to a national crisis. Unlike previous constitutions, this one did not require that the president of Syria must be a Muslim, leading to fierce demonstrations in Hama, Homs and Aleppo organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and the ulama. They labeled Assad as the "enemy of God" and called for a jihad against his rule.[4] Robert D. Kaplan has compared Assad's coming to power to "an untouchable becoming maharajah in India or a Jew becoming tsar in Russia—an unprecedented development shocking to the Sunni majority population which had monopolized power for so many centuries."[5]

Powers

Apart from executive authority relating to a wide range of governmental functions including foreign affairs, the president has the right to dissolve the People's Council, in which case a new council must be elected within ninety days from the date of dissolution.

List of presidents

Latest election
Candidate Party Votes %
Bashar al-AssadBa'ath Party10,319,72388.7
Hassan al-NouriNIACS500,2794.3
Maher HajjarIndependent372,3013.2
Invalid/blank votes442,1083.8
Total11,634,412100
Registered votes/turnout15,845,57573.42
Source: SANA, SANA
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References
  1. Article 88 of the Syrian Constitution
  2. "Syria - The President and the Cabinet".
  3. "Constitution of the Syrian Arabic Republic – Syrian Arab News Agency". sana.sy. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  4. Alianak 2007, p. 55.
  5. Kaplan, Robert (February 1993). "Syria: Identity Crisis". The Atlantic.
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