{{Short description|Head of state and government of Syria}} {{For|a list of officeholders|List of presidents of Syria}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox official post | post = President | body = the Syrian Arab Republic | native_name = {{native name|ar|رئيس الجمهورية العربية السورية}} | insignia = Emblem of Syria (2025–present).svg | insigniasize = | insigniacaption = Emblem of Syria | insigniaalt = | flag = Flag of Syria (2025-).svg | flagsize = | flagalt = | flagborder = yes | flagcaption = Flag of Syria | image = Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria, in March 2026.jpg | imagesize = | alt = | imagecaption = | incumbent = Ahmed al-Sharaa | acting = | incumbentsince = 29 January 2025 | department = {{ubl|Executive branch of the Syrian Government|General Secretariat of the Presidency}} | style = {{ubl|Mr. President (informal)|His Excellency (diplomatic)}} | type = {{ubl|Head of state|Head of government|Commander-in-chief}} | status = | abbreviation = | member_of = {{ubl|Council of Ministers|National Security Council|Supreme Council For Economic Development}} | reports_to = | residence = People's Palace | seat = Damascus | nominator = | appointer = | appointer_qualified = | termlength_qualified = | constituting_instrument = Constitutional Declaration (2025) | formation = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1922|6|29}}<br>{{Start date and age|df=yes|2025|1|29}} (current form) | first = {{ubl|Subhi Barakat (French Mandate)|Shukri al-Quwatli (first president of post-independence Syria)}} | last = | abolished = | superseded_by = | precursor = Prime Minister | succession = | unofficial_names = | deputy = Vice President | salary = | website = <!-- {{url|example.com}}--> | footnotes = }}
The '''president of Syria''', officially the '''president of the Syrian Arab Republic''' ({{langx|ar|رئيس الجمهورية العربية السورية|Ra'īs al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah}}), is the head of state and head of government of Syria. The president directs the executive branch of the Syrian government and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces. The president represents the nation in international relations and formalizes treaties with foreign countries.
In 1922, French authorities created the Syrian Federation under the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, with Subhi Barakat serving as its president. The federation was short-lived and was replaced by the State of Syria in 1925. Barakat briefly remained president until the outbreak of the Great Syrian Revolt later that year, which led to his resignation. He was succeeded by Ahmad Nami, who served as president until his removal in 1928.
In the following years, the Syrian presidency underwent several changes in leadership, including a coup by Husni al-Za'im in March 1949, followed by another led by Adib Shishakli in 1951. Following the 1958 referendum, Syria joined the United Arab Republic, and its president Gamal Nasser, also became the Syrian president in the same referendum. This lasted for three years until the 1961 coup, when Syria restored its independence and subsequently restored the 1950 constitution until the Ba'athist-led 1963 Syrian coup d'état that established a one-party state in Syria.
Internal power struggles within Ba'athist factions would led to further coups in 1966 and 1970, with the latter bringing Hafez al-Assad to power. Under Assad, Syria became a hereditary dictatorship. After his death in 2000, his son Bashar al-Assad succeeded him and ruled until his overthrow in 2024. Following Assad's fall, Ahmed al-Sharaa, commander of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham at the time, assumed the ''de facto'' duties of head of state until his official appointment as president by the Syrian General Command during the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference.
After the fall of the Assad regime, a constitutional declaration was implemented on 13 March 2025 and remains in effect today. The constitutional declaration establishes Syria as a presidential system, with executive power vested in the president. It grants the president the authority to establish executive, regulatory, and control measures, and to issue presidential orders and decisions in accordance with the law. The president's official residence is the People's Palace, located in the capital, Damascus. The position is currently held by Ahmed al-Sharaa in a transitional capacity since 29 January 2025.
== History == === Mandatory Syria === In 1922, French authorities created the Syrian Federation under the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon, and Subhi Barakat was its president.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6486997n/f4.item |title=Arrêtés Nos. 1, 2 & 3 - Bulletin hebdomadaire des actes administratifs du Haut-Commissariat |publisher=BnF Gallica |date=8 October 1922 |page=268 |language=fr |access-date=22 March 2025 |archive-date=1 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701154046/https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6486997n/f4.item |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="100years">{{Cite web |last=Moubayed |first=Sami |title=From Barakat to Assad: The Syrian presidency in 100 years |publisher=Al Majalla |date=16 December 2024 |url=https://en.majalla.com/node/323494/documents-memoirs/barakat-assad-syrian-presidency-100-years |access-date=22 March 2025 |archive-date=22 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250322212651/https://en.majalla.com/node/323494/documents-memoirs/barakat-assad-syrian-presidency-100-years |url-status=live }}</ref> The federation system did not last, and was replaced as the State of Syria by 1925. Barakat briefly retained the role of president until the beginning of the Great Syrian Revolt that year caused him to resign.<ref name="100years" /> Ahmad Nami replaced Barakat as president, until he was removed in 1928.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moubayed |first=Sami M. |year=2006 |chapter=Nami, Ahmad (1879-1960) |title=Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000 |publisher=Cune Press |page=299 |isbn=978-1-885942-40-1 }}</ref> By 1930, Syrian pressure led the French authorities to promulgate the Syrian Constitution of 1930, establishing the First Syrian Republic. Under the constitution, the president must be a Muslim, and would be elected by a majority of the Syrian parliament.<ref>Constitution of Syria (1930) Part I, Ch. 1, Art. 3; Part II, Ch. 3</ref>
=== Post-independence === [[File:Portrait of Shukri al-Quwatli in 1943 (3x4 cropped).jpeg|thumb|Shukri al-Quwatli, the first president of post-independence Syria]] Following the withdrawal of French troops from Syria in 1946, Syrian officials approved the Syrian Constitution of 1950, which maintained a parliamentary system. As such, the president would be elected by a majority of parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Syria Constitution (1950) - Article 53 |url=https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Syria-constitution1950.txt |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211228003807/https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Syria-constitution1950.txt |archive-date=28 December 2021}}</ref> In the following years, Syria's presidency experienced several upheavals, including by Husni al-Za'im following his March 1949 coup and later by Adib Shishakli in through the 1951 coup.<ref name="100years" /> During Shishakli's rule, he published the Syrian Constitution of 1953, which established a presidential system with direct elections to the presidency. However, this constitution lasted less than a year, as the reinstated president Hashim al-Atassi returned the country to the 1950 constitution following the 1954 coup only a year later.<ref>{{cite book |last=Haddad |first=Ghassan Mohammed Rashad |title=The Political History of Syria: The Making of the Syrian Constitution |publisher=Dar Al-Nahar |location=Beirut |year=2007 |page=78 |language=ar }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Torrey |first=Gordon |title=The Syrian Constitution of 1950: A Study in Constitutional Development |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1964 |page=223 }}</ref> Following the 1958 referendum, Syria joined the United Arab Republic, and its president, Gamal Nasser, also became the Syrian president in the same referendum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Syrien, 21. Februar 1958: Gamad Abd al-Nasser als Präsident der Vereinigten Arabischen Republik |publisher=Direct Democracy |url=https://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=sy021958 |archive-date=19 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919130830/https://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=sy021958 }}</ref> This lasted for three years until the 1961 coup, when Syria restored its independence and the 1950 constitution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitutional history of Syria |url=https://constitutionnet.org/country/syria |access-date=23 March 2025 |website=ConstitutionNet |language=en |archive-date=29 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329193441/https://constitutionnet.org/country/syria |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) === Following the 1963 Syrian coup d'état, the first decision of the "Revolution Command Council," chaired by Lu'ay al-Atassi, was to suspend the provisional constitution of the United Arab Republic, arrest President Nazim al-Qudsi and Prime Minister Khalid al-Azm, and impose a state of emergency that lasted for 48 years until it was lifted in April 2011.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 April 2011 |title=Assad ends five decades of emergency rule |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20110421-syrian-president-assad-proclaims-end-nearly-five-decades-emergency-law-rule |publisher=France 24}}</ref> A new Provisional Constitution was adopted on 25 April 1964, which itself was replaced by the Provisional Constitution of 1 May 1969.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Fourth Republic |date=2018 |work=Syria, the Strength of an Idea: The Constitutional Architectures of Its Political Regimes |pages=252–337 |editor-last=Atassi |editor-first=Karim |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/syria-the-strength-of-an-idea/fourth-republic/7E2047DE4D4D3B97B85F7A3B27D5579A |access-date=20 March 2025 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-18360-5}}</ref>
==== Hafez al-Assad (1971–2000) ==== [[File:President Hafez al-Assad of Syria greets President Nixon on his arrival at Damascus airport - NARA - 194584.tif|thumb|Hafez al-Assad greeting Richard Nixon on the latter's arrival at Damascus Airport, 15 July 1974]] On 31 January 1973, Hafez al-Assad implemented a 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Alianak |first=Sonia |title=Middle Eastern Leaders and Islam: A Precarious Equilibrium |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8204-6924-9 |page=55}}</ref> The main objection to the constitution from demonstrators was that Islam was not specified as the state religion.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news |date=28 February 1973 |title=FURTHER RIOTING IN SYRIA REPORTED |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/28/archives/further-rioting-in-syria-reported-toll-in-religious-disorders-in.html |access-date=7 February 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=30 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730184019/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/28/archives/further-rioting-in-syria-reported-toll-in-religious-disorders-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In response to riots, the Syrian Constitution of 1973 was amended to stipulate that Islam was the religion of the president.<ref name="nytimes" /> The constitution has been amended twice. Article 6 was amended in 1981.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=18 June 2018 |title=Amending the Syrian constitution... Achieving a quota or reaching a solution? |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2018/06/amending-the-syrian-constitution-achieving-a-quota-or-reaching-a-solution/ |access-date=24 March 2025 |archive-date=18 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618121938/https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2018/06/amending-the-syrian-constitution-achieving-a-quota-or-reaching-a-solution/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After securing his control over the Syrian government, Assad initially chose his brother, Rifaat al-Assad, as his successor, but Rifaat's attempted power grab while Hafez was in a coma in 1984 led to his exile in Europe.<ref name="rnt94">{{cite news |date=21 June 1994 |title=Assad son dies in car accident |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19940121&id=E7RMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6789,4869942 |accessdate=13 July 2012 |newspaper=Rome News Tribune |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108162649/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19940121&id=E7RMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6789,4869942 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the incident, Bassel al-Assad was groomed to succeed his father.<ref name="jas7fall">{{cite journal |last=Brownlee |first=Jason |date=Fall 2007 |title=The Heir Apparency of Gamal Mubarak |url=https://webspace.utexas.edu/jmb334/www/documents/article.ASJ.2008.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Arab Studies Journal |pages=36–56 |accessdate=2 March 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404150833/https://webspace.utexas.edu/jmb334/www/documents/article.ASJ.2008.pdf |archivedate=4 April 2012 }}</ref> Hafez's efforts to make Bassel the next president of Syria intensified in the early 1990s;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ghadbian |first=Najib |title=The New Asad: Dynamics of Continuity and Change in Syria |url=https://offiziere.ch/wp-content/uploads/The-New-Assad.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212184217/https://offiziere.ch/wp-content/uploads/The-New-Assad.pdf |archive-date=12 December 2018 |page=55 (4): 624–641}}</ref> after Hafez's election victory in 1991 in an election where Hafez was the only candidate, the president was publicly referred to as "Abu Basil" (Father of Bassel).<ref name="cook96dec">{{cite journal |last=Cook |first=Steven A. |date=December 1996 |title=On the Road: In Asad's Damascus |url=http://www.meforum.org/414/on-the-road-in-asads-damascus |journal=Middle East Quarterly |pages=39–43 |accessdate=24 March 2013 |archive-date=17 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417200336/https://www.meforum.org/414/on-the-road-in-asads-damascus |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Bashar al-Assad (2000–2024) ==== Shortly after Bassel died in a car accident in 1994, Bashar al-Assad was recalled to the Syrian Army. State propaganda soon began elevating Bashar's public image as "the hope of the masses" to prepare the public for a continuation of the rule of the Assad family.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 November 2008 |title=Iran Report: June 19, 2000 |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1342883.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515140405/https://www.rferl.org/a/1342883.html |archive-date=15 May 2022 |access-date=15 May 2022 |newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wedeen |first=Lisa |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo22776830.html |title=Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric and Symbols in Contemporary Syria |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-226-33337-3 |location=Chicago |pages=28, 39, 60–61 |access-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202182756/https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo22776830.html |archive-date=2 December 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> Soon after the death of Bassel, Hafez al-Assad decided to make Bashar the new heir apparent.{{sfn|Zisser|2007|p=35}} After the death of Hafez al-Assad on 10 June 2000, the Constitution was amended. The minimum age requirement for the presidency was lowered from 40 to 34, which was Bashar's age at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rise-syrias-controversial-president-bashar-al-assad/story?id=46649146 |title=The rise of Syria's controversial president Bashar al-Assad |date=7 April 2017 |work=ABC News |access-date=19 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616193132/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rise-syrias-controversial-president-bashar-al-assad/story?id=46649146 |archive-date=16 June 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> A 9-member committee was founded, headed by Abdul Halim Khaddam, to oversee the transition period.<ref name="aps19jun">{{cite news |date=19 June 2000 |title=Bashar Aims to Consolidate Power in the Short-Term and to Open up Gradually |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Syria%3a+Bashar+Aims+To+Consolidate+Power+In+The+Short-Term+%26+To+Open...-a073738730 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610225825/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Syria%3A+Bashar+Aims+To+Consolidate+Power+In+The+Short-Term+%26+To+Open...-a073738730 |archive-date=10 June 2019 |access-date=26 March 2013 |newspaper=APS Diplomat News Service}}</ref> He was appointed by this committee as interim President of Syria on 10 June and was in consideration to be Assad's permanent successor, but instead helped Assad's son, Bashar.<ref name="majalla">{{cite news |last=Bowen |first=Andrew |date=17 September 2012 |title=Syria's Future and Iran's Great Game |url=http://www.majalla.com/eng/2012/09/article55234032 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028230828/http://www.majalla.com/eng/2012/09/article55234032 |archive-date=28 October 2012 |access-date=23 December 2012 |work=The Majalla}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Takieddine |first=Randa |date=1 April 2020 |title=Godfather of the Assad regime takes Rafik Hariri secrets to the grave |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1650791/middle-east |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220620002352/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1650791/middle-east |archive-date=20 June 2022 |access-date=1 April 2020 |publisher=Arab News}}</ref> [[File:Khamenei meets with Bashar al-Assad D.jpeg|thumb|Bashar al-Assad with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, 8 May 2022]] The sole candidate of the presidential referendum,<ref name="Reuters %" /> Bashar al-Assad was subsequently confirmed president on 10 July 2000,<ref name="WaPo %" /> with 97.29% support for his leadership.<ref name="CBS %">Klatell, James (27 May 2007). [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrians-vote-in-presidential-referendum/ "Syrians Vote in Presidential Referendum"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406134454/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrians-vote-in-presidential-referendum/|date=6 April 2017}}. CBS News.</ref> On 17 July 2000, Assad became president, succeeding his father, Hafez.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 February 2004 |title=ICG Middle East Report: Syria Under Bashar |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/icg%20report%2011-02-2004/icg%20report%2011-02-2004en.pdf |access-date=30 November 2024 |website=European Parliament}}</ref> In line with his role as President of Syria, he was also appointed the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party.<ref name="facing down rebellion2">{{cite web |date=21 October 2015 |title=Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: Facing down rebellion |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10338256 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411120901/https://www.bbc.com/news/10338256 |archive-date=11 April 2019 |access-date=21 June 2018 |work=BBC News}}</ref> The existing personality cult portrays him as the "Young Leader" and the "Hope of the People."<ref name="Pipes1995">{{Cite book |last=Pipes |first=Daniel |title=Syria Beyond the Peace Process |publisher=Washington Institute for Near East Policy |year=1995 |isbn=0-944029-64-7 |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=6, 7, 13–17 |chapter=}}</ref> Drawing influence from North Korea's hereditary leadership model,<ref name="HalasaOmareenMahfoud2014">{{Cite book |last1=Halasa |first1=Malu |title=Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline |last2=Omareen |first2=Zaher |last3=Mahfoud |first3=Nawara |publisher=Saqi Books |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-86356-787-2 |location=London |pages=125, 147–156, 161}}</ref> official propaganda in Syria ascribed divine features to the Assad family, and reveres the Assad patriarchs as the founding fathers of modern Syria.<ref name="Shamaileh2017">{{Cite book |last=Shamaileh |first=Ammar |title=Trust and Terror: Social Capital and the Use of Terrorism as a Tool of Resistance |publisher=Routledge |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-138-20173-6 |location=New York |pages=66, 70–72, 82 |chapter=}}</ref> A new constitution was approved in February 2012 after the start of the Syrian revolution.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=MacFarquhar |first1=Neil |last2=Cowell |first2=Alan |date=27 February 2012 |title=Syrians Said to Approve Charter as Battles Go On |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/world/middleeast/syrian-violence-continues-as-west-dismisses-new-charter.html |access-date=7 February 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=7 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250207155616/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/world/middleeast/syrian-violence-continues-as-west-dismisses-new-charter.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A series of state elections were held every seven years which Assad won with overwhelming majority of votes. The elections are unanimously regarded by independent observers as a sham process and boycotted by the opposition.{{efn|Sources:<ref name="WaPo %">{{cite news|date=28 May 2007|title=Syrians Vote For Assad in Uncontested Referendum|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|location=Damascus|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052701117.html|access-date=13 March 2015|archive-date=17 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717152244/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052701117.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reuters %">{{Cite news|last=Yacoub Oweis|first=Khaleb|date=17 May 2007|title=Syria's opposition boycotts vote on Assad|work=Reuters|location=Damascus|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-vote-opposition-idUSOWE75174320070517|access-date=11 October 2021|archive-date=6 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406134644/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-vote-opposition-idUSOWE75174320070517|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CBS %"/><ref>Chulov, Martin (14 April 2014). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/apr/13/certainty-syria-election-assad-will-win "The one certainty about Syria's looming election – Assad will win"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621100122/https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/apr/13/certainty-syria-election-assad-will-win |date=21 June 2017 }} The Guardian.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6700021.stm |work=BBC News |title=Syria's Assad wins another term |date=29 May 2007 |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=5 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505061141/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6700021.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/28/syria.ianblack |title=Democracy Damascus style: Assad the only choice in referendum |work=The Guardian |date=28 May 2007 |access-date=9 October 2016 |archive-date=20 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420124315/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/28/syria.ianblack |url-status=live }}</ref>}}{{efn|Sources:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cheeseman|first=Nicholas|title=How to Rig an Election|date=2019|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-24665-0|pages=140–141|oclc=1089560229}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Norris|first1=Pippa|last2=Martinez i Coma|first2=Ferran|last3=Grömping|first3=Max|date=2015|title=The Year in Elections, 2014|url=https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/projects/expert-survey-2/the-year-in-elections-2015|journal=Election Integrity Project|language=en|quote=The Syrian election ranked as worst among all the contests held during 2014.|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415091339/https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/projects/expert-survey-2/the-year-in-elections-2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Presidential and Legislative Elections|url=https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190258658-e-23|last=Jones|first=Mark P.|editor3-first=Matthew S|editor3-last=Shugart|editor2-first=Robert J|editor2-last=Pekkanen|editor1-first=Erik S|editor1-last=Herron|date=2018|website=The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems|language=en|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.001.0001|isbn=9780190258658|access-date=21 May 2020|quote=… unanimous agreement among serious scholars that... al-Assad's 2014 election... occurred within an authoritarian context.|archive-date=22 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122054620/https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190258658-e-23|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=reuterscontested>{{cite news|last=Makdisi|first=Marwan|title=Confident Assad launches new term in stronger position|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-assad-idUSKBN0FL0NN20140717|work=Reuters|date=16 July 2014|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903040841/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-assad-idUSKBN0FL0NN20140717|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-assad-idUSBREA3R0LH20140428?irpc=932 |title=Assad seeks re-election as Syrian civil war rages |work=Reuters |first1=Dominic |last1=Evans |date=28 April 2014 |access-date=13 March 2015}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27419552 |title=UK's William Hague attacks Assad's Syria elections plan |work=BBC News |date=15 May 2014 |access-date=13 March 2015 |archive-date=26 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026161021/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27419552 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} The last two elections – held in 2014 and 2021 – were conducted only in areas controlled by the Syrian government during the country's ongoing civil war and condemned by the United Nations.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite news |date=28 May 2014 |title=Syrians in Lebanon battle crowds to vote for Bashar al-Assad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/28/syrians-lebaanon-vote-assad-embassies-refugees-boycott |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320122744/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/28/syrians-lebaanon-vote-assad-embassies-refugees-boycott |archive-date=20 March 2019 |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news |date=16 July 2014 |title=Bashar al-Assad sworn in for a third term as Syrian president |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10970476/Bashar-al-Assad-sworn-in-for-a-third-term-as-Syrian-president.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10970476/Bashar-al-Assad-sworn-in-for-a-third-term-as-Syrian-president.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |access-date=17 December 2016 |website=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Kossaify">{{Cite news |last=Kossaify |first=Ephrem |date=22 April 2021 |title=UN reiterates it is not involved in Syrian presidential election |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846771/%7B%7B |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422181511/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846771/middle-east |archive-date=22 April 2021 |work=Arab News}}</ref> The 2012 constitution ceased to be in effect after the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024 and was officially phased out on 29 January 2025.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |title=Syrian opposition leader says state institutions will be preserved in 18-month transition |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-opposition-leader-says-state-institutions-should-be-preserved-and-rebels-accomodated |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=29 January 2025 |title=Syria suspends constitution, declares Ahmed al-Sharaa transitional president |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/01/syria-suspends-constitution-declares-ahmed-al-sharaa-transitional-president |access-date=13 March 2025 |website=al monitor}}</ref>
=== Post-Ba'athist Syria (2024–present) === [[File:President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa (2025) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Ahmed al-Sharaa with US President Donald Trump and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 14 May 2025|226x226px]] After the fall of the Assad regime, the position became ''vacant'' on 8 December 2024. The duties of the head of state were carried out by the caretaker government, with Ahmed al-Sharaa serving as the ''de facto'' leader as the commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and head of the new Syrian administration.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 December 2024 |title=Syrian rebels say Syria is free of Assad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/dec/07/syria-rebels-reach-damascus-bashar-al-assad?page=with%3Ablock-675514d48f08065f386f3466#block-675514d48f08065f386f3466 |access-date=8 December 2024 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref name="defactoleader">{{Cite web |date=31 January 2025 |title=Ahmed al-Sharaa named Syria's transitional president |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d9r0vg6v7o |access-date=22 March 2025 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB|quote=Ahmed al-Sharaa has been Syria's de facto leader since leading the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad}}</ref> In an interview with ''al-Arabiya'' on 29 December, al-Sharaa said that he expected the process of writing a new constitution of Syria to take two or three years, with elections expected after four years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Salame |first=Richard |date=29 December 2024 |title=Syrian elections may not be held for 4 years, says de facto leader |url=https://www.ft.com/content/bf11898a-8e0a-416b-bd37-b7835bc8fd1c |archive-url= |archive-date= |website=Financial Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=29 December 2024 |title=Syria's leader says elections could take 4 years: Al Arabiya interview |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241229-syria-s-leader-says-elections-could-take-4-years-al-arabiya-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230160824/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241229-syria-s-leader-says-elections-could-take-4-years-al-arabiya-interview |archive-date=30 December 2024 |access-date=30 December 2024 |work=France 24}}</ref>
Currently, Syria operates under a unitary system, with the president serving as both head of state and head of government.<ref>{{cite web |title=Syria summary |url=https://www.britannica.com/summary/Syria |publisher=Britannica |quote=Syria is a unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house; its head of state and government is the president, who by law must be a Muslim.}}</ref>
==== Appointment of Ahmed al-Sharaa ==== On 29 January 2025, during the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference in Damascus, the Syrian General Command officially appointed al-Sharaa as president for the transitional period.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 January 2025 |title=General Command appoints Ahmed al-Sharaa as President of Syria |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2025/01/general-command-appoints-ahmed-al-sharaa-as-president-of-syria/ |accessdate=15 February 2025 |website=Enab Baladi}}</ref> Following his appointment, al-Sharaa delivered a brief speech outlining the government's immediate priorities, which included filling the power vacuum, maintaining civil peace, building state institutions, developing the economy, and restoring Syria's international and regional standing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 January 2025 |title=President al-Sharaa: Priority today is for maintaining civil peace, building state institutions |url=https://sana.sy/en/politics/345605/ |website=sana.sy}}</ref> In his first address as president on 31 January, al-Sharaa also announced plans to issue a “constitutional declaration” to serve as a legal reference following the repeal of the Syrian Constitution of 2012.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=31 January 2025 |title=Syria's interim president vows to preserve 'civil peace' in first address |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250130-syria-qatar-discuss-reconstruction-during-emir-s-visit |access-date=31 January 2025 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=30 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130145224/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250130-syria-qatar-discuss-reconstruction-during-emir-s-visit |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Constitutional Declaration and transitional period ==== [[File:Vladimir_Putin_and_Ahmed_al-Sharaa_(2026-01-28).jpg|thumb|Ahmed al-Sharaa with Russian president Vladimir Putin, 28 January 2026]] On 12 February 2025, the caretaker government announced the formation of a preparatory committee for the then-upcoming Syrian National Dialogue Conference, which comprised seven members: Hassan al-Daghim, Maher Alloush, Mohammed Mastet, Youssef al-Hijr, Mustafa al-Mousa, Hind Kabawat, and Houda Atassi.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 February 2025|title=Syrian Negotiating Committee and Coalition Prepare for Dissolution in Meeting with President Sharaa|url=https://syrianobserver.com/syrian-actors/syrian-negotiating-committee-and-coalition-prepare-for-dissolution-in-meeting-with-president-al-sharaa.html|url-status=live|access-date=13 March 2025|website=Syrian Observer|archive-date=19 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219234247/https://syrianobserver.com/syrian-actors/syrian-negotiating-committee-and-coalition-prepare-for-dissolution-in-meeting-with-president-al-sharaa.html}}</ref> On 2 March, al-Sharaa declared the establishment of a committee tasked with drafting a constitutional declaration to guide the country's transition following the ousting of the Assad regime, and on 13 March he signed a constitutional declaration for a five-year transitional period, enshrining Islamic law as a primary source of jurisprudence and promising to protect the rights of all of Syria's ethnic and religious groups.<ref name=":0322">{{Cite web |date=13 March 2025 |title=Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group's rule for 5 years |url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-constitution-assad-alsharaa-4caa2074f20155c2399451d9669e435b |access-date=13 March 2025 |website=Associated Press News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 March 2025 |title=Syria forms committee to draft constitutional declaration for country's transition |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syria-forms-committee-to-draft-constitutional-declaration-for-country-s-transition/3498058 |url-status=live |access-date=13 March 2025 |website=Anadolu Agency |archive-date=18 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318024915/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syria-forms-committee-to-draft-constitutional-declaration-for-country-s-transition/3498058 }}</ref>
The Constitutional Declaration establishes a presidential system in which executive power is held by the president, who appoints the ministers, without the position of prime minister. On 29 March, al-Sharaa announced the Syrian transitional government at a ceremony at the People's Palace in Damascus, where the new ministers were sworn in and delivered speeches outlining their agendas, replacing the caretaker government that had been formed following the fall of the Assad regime.<ref>{{cite news |title=At protest, Tel Aviv mayor vows to shut down the country if the government ignores a High Court ruling |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-march-29-2025/ |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |issn=0040-7909}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.watanserb.com/en/2025/03/12/syrias-constitutional-draft-set-for-release-as-fact-finding-committee-begins-investigations/|title=Syria's Constitutional Draft Set for Release as Fact-Finding Committee Begins Investigations|publisher=Watan News|date=12 March 2025|accessdate=16 March 2025}}</ref><ref name=":022">{{Cite web |title=نص الإعلان الدستوري لسوريا 2025 |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/encyclopedia/2025/3/14/2025-نص-الإعلان-الدستوري-لسوريا |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=الجزيرة نت |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 March 2025 |title=Syria's new constitution gives sweeping powers, ignores minority rights |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20250314-syria-s-new-constitution-gives-sweeping-powers-ignores-minority-rights |accessdate=15 March 2025 |publisher=rfi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 March 2025 |title=وزراء الحكومة السورية يقدمون خططهم ويؤدون القسم الدستوري |url=https://www.syria.tv/وزراء-الحكومة-السورية-يقدمون-خططهم-ويؤدون-القسم-الدستوري |access-date=29 March 2025 |website=Syria TV |language=ar}}</ref>
The official United Nations list of heads of state and government of member states was updated in July 2025 to list Ahmed al-Sharaa as the "President of the Syrian Arab Republic" and as the head of state.<ref name="UN Heads pdf">{{cite web|title=HEADS OF STATE HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MINISTERS FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS |url=https://www.un.org/dgacm/sites/www.un.org.dgacm/files/Documents_Protocol/hspmfmlist.pdf |access-date= |publisher=United Nations}}</ref> On 6 December, at the Doha Forum, al-Sharaa told Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Anchor, that the national dialogue conference had resulted in a temporary constitutional declaration granting him a five-year mandate to enact new laws and draft a new constitution ahead of elections scheduled four years later.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-06|title=President al-Sharaa outlines Syria’s path toward stability, rebuilding, and recovery|url=https://sana.sy/en/presidency/2281990/|access-date=2025-12-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
== General Secretariat of the Presidency == {{Main|General Secretariat of the Presidency (Syria)}}The General Secretariat was established by a decree issued by President Bashar al-Assad on 13 December 2023 as part of a broader restructuring of the Syrian presidency, which dissolved the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and transferred all its staff and responsibilities to the new secretariat that reports directly to the president rather than operating as a separate ministry.<ref>{{cite web |date=2024-02-16 |title=What lies behind the changes of the Syrian regime |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2024/02/what-lies-behind-the-changes-of-the-syrian-regime/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |publisher=Enab Baladi}}</ref><ref name="sana2023">{{cite web |date=2023-12-13 |title=President al-Assad issues a decree on establishing General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic |url=https://archive.sana.sy/en/?p=321876 |access-date=2025-10-29 |publisher=Syrian Arab News Agency}}</ref>
The Secretary-General to the President is considered one of the highest-ranking positions in the Syrian state under the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic, supervising the presidential staff and representing the president at official events.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 April 2025 |title=Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's brother gets senior role in government |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/ahmed-al-sharaas-brother-gets-senior-role-syria-government |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250417144429/https://www.newarab.com/news/ahmed-al-sharaas-brother-gets-senior-role-syria-government |archive-date=17 April 2025 |access-date=17 April 2025 |website=The New Arab}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 April 2025 |title=Maher Al-Shara Takes Over as Secretary General of the Syrian Presidency |url=https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-20/Middle-East/Maher-Al-Shara-Takes-Over-as-Secretary-General-of-the-Syrian-Presidency-40869 |access-date=20 October 2025 |website=Jordan News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=yaser.alwesaby |title=ماهر الشرع أميناً عاماً للرئاسة السورية |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250520093501/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9 |archive-date=20 May 2025 |access-date=20 October 2025 |work=العربي الجديد |language=ar-AR}}</ref> The Secretary-General is responsible for managing the administrative and organizational affairs of the Presidency, overseeing the President's schedule, organizing official meetings and visits, and coordinating with government institutions to implement presidential directives. The current Secretary-General is Abdul Rahman al-Aama.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 April 2025 |title=ماهر الشرع يتسلّم الأمانة العامة لرئاسة الجمهورية السورية |trans-title=Maher al-Sharaa assumes the General Secretariat of the Syrian Presidency |url=https://www.syria.tv/ماهر-الشرع-يتسلّم-الأمانة-العامة-لرئاسة-الجمهورية-السورية |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250409145026/https://www.syria.tv/%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%91%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9 |archive-date=9 April 2025 |access-date=6 April 2025 |website=Syria TV |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-04 |title=Keda holds a meeting with the President and members of the Arab Writers Union in Syria - Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) |url=https://sana.sy/en/local/362671/ |access-date=2025-10-29 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 April 2025 |title=ماهر الشرع يتسلّم الأمانة العامة لرئاسة الجمهورية السورية |url=https://www.syria.tv/%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%91%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9 |access-date= |website=www.syria.tv}}</ref> Following the fall of the Assad government on 8 December 2024 and the establishment of a transitional administration under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the General Secretariat continued its operations, while the position of Assistant Secretary-General gained prominence in 2025, particularly after the appointment of Ali Keda on 26 May, whose role focused on Cabinet affairs amid efforts to stabilize the new government and coordinate policy implementation across ministries.<ref>{{cite news |date=2025-05-26 |title=علي كده في أول ظهور رسمي.. معاون أمين عام الرئاسة |url=https://www.enabbaladi.net/756228/علي-كده-في-أول-ظهور-رسمي-أمين-عام-الرئاسة |access-date=2025-10-29 |publisher=Enab Baladi |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2025-04-06 |title=Ahmed al-Sharaa's brother 'gets senior role in Syria government' |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/ahmed-al-sharaas-brother-gets-senior-role-syria-government |access-date=2025-10-29 |publisher=The New Arab}}</ref>
==Powers and roles== {{Politics of Syria}}
=== Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) === The 1973 Constitution of Ba'athist Syria made the president head of state, chief executive, and commander-in-chief.<ref name="Rob897">Robbers, 2007, p.897</ref> Candidates were nominated by the Ba'ath Party, approved by parliament, and confirmed by referendum for a renewable seven-year term.<ref name="Rob896">Robbers, 2007, p.896.</ref> The president held extensive powers, including appointing and dismissing ministers, senior officials, and judges, as well as dissolving parliament and appointing vice presidents.<ref name="Rob896" /> The 2012 Constitution expanded these powers further,<ref name="2254p7">{{Cite book |url=https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/peace/conflict_resolution/syria-conflict/principles-and-constitutional-provisions-may-8-2016.pdf |title=Syria’s Transition: Governance & Constitutional Options Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254 |publisher=The Carter Center |year=2016 |page=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330211835/https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/peace/conflict_resolution/syria-conflict/principles-and-constitutional-provisions-may-8-2016.pdf |archive-date=30 March 2023}}</ref> granting the president broad control over the executive, legislature, and judiciary.<ref name="syrconst">{{Cite web |date=26 February 2021 |title=Syrian Arab Republic: Constitution, 2012 |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305071852/https://www.refworld.org/docid/5100f02a2.html |archive-date=5 March 2019 |website=refworld}}</ref> It remained in force until the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and was replaced by the Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic on 13 March 2025.<ref name="Szmolk 2017 132–133">{{Cite book |last=Szmolk |first=Inmaculada |title=Political Change in the Middle East and North Africa: After the Arab Spring |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4744-1528 6 |location=Edinburgh, United Kingdom |pages=132–133}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
=== Post-Ba'athist Syria (2025–present) === [[File:Ilham Aliyev had expanded meeting with President of Syria, July 2025 (5).jpg|thumb|Ahmed al-Sharaa with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev, 12 July 2025]] [[File:President Ahmed al-Sharaa met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in January 2026 (1).jpg|thumb|Ahmed al-Sharaa with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, 9 January 2026]] Under the Constitutional Declaration, the president of the Syrian Arab Republic serves as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and is responsible for:<ref name="newinterimconstition">{{Cite web |date=13 March 2025 |title=Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic |url=https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/2025.03.13%20-%20Constitutional%20declaration%20%28English%29.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318030710/https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/2025-03/2025.03.13%20-%20Constitutional%20declaration%20%28English%29.pdf |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=18 March 2025}}</ref>
* Managing national governance * Preserving territorial integrity and security * Protecting the interests of the people
The president has the authority to:<ref name="newinterimconstition" />
* Appoint, remove, and accept the resignations of ministers * Establish executive, regulatory, and control measures, as well as issue presidential orders and decisions following the law * Act as the state's representative in international relations and formalize treaties with foreign nations and international organizations * Declare general mobilization and war with the approval of the National Security Council * Grant special pardons and restore honor * Appoint and dismiss heads of diplomatic missions abroad and receive the credentials of foreign diplomatic representatives in Syria * Propose laws, issue laws approved by the People's Assembly, and veto laws within one month of receipt. If the People's Assembly passes a veto law with a two-thirds majority, the president is required to enact it by decree.
In the event of a severe threat to national unity, sovereignty, or the proper functioning of state institutions, the president may:<ref name="newinterimconstition" /> * Impose a state of emergency, either fully or partially, for up to three months, after: ** Securing approval from the National Security Council ** Consulting with the speaker of the People's Assembly and the president of the Constitutional Court * Extend the state of emergency only with the approval of the People's Assembly
== Selection process == === Election === {{Main|Next Syrian presidential election}}
A presidential election in Syria is planned to take place within five years of the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.<ref name="reuters">{{Cite news |date=3 February 2025 |title=Syria's Sharaa says it will take 4-5 years to hold presidential election |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrias-sharaa-says-it-will-take-4-5-years-hold-presidential-election-2025-02-03/ |work=Reuters}}</ref> Until then, Syria will be governed by a transitional government led by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Press |first=the Associated |date=2025-03-13 |title=Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group's rule for 5 years |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/13/middleeast/syria-constitution-ap-intl/index.html |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The last Syrian presidential election in Ba'athist Syria was held in 2021, before its overthrow during the 2024 Syrian opposition offensive.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Picheta |first1=Rob |last2=Regan |first2=Helen |date=December 9, 2024 |title=After decades of brutal rule, Bashar al-Assad's regime has been toppled. |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/09/middleeast/syria-assad-rebels-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=December 22, 2024 |website=CNN}}</ref>
=== Religion === Article 3 of the Constitutional Declaration states, "The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam; Islamic jurisprudence is the principal source of legislation.<ref name="newinterimconstition" />
=== Inauguration === The Constitutional Declaration provides the following oath or affirmation for the president, which must be taken before the People's Assembly.<ref name="newinterimconstition" /> {{blockquote|text={{lang|en|I swear by Almighty God to faithfully preserve the sovereignty of the State, the unity of the country, the integrity of its territories, and the independence of its decision, and to defend them, and to respect the law, protect the interests of the people, and strive with all sincerity and honesty to secure a decent life for them, achieve justice among them, and consolidate noble values and virtuous morals.}}|source={{lang|en|Constitutional Declaration, Article 33, Sec. 2}}}}
== Official residence == [[File:(قصر الشعب (دمشق.jpg|thumb|People's Palace, the official residence]] The People's Palace is the official residence of the President of Syria. It is located in the western part of Damascus, on Mount Mezzeh, just north of the Mezzeh neighborhood and next to Mount Qasioun, overlooking the city. The entire plateau of Mount Mezzeh is part of the palace compound, which is surrounded by a security wall and guard watchtowers. In front of the building is a large fountain, and the palace itself mostly consists of empty rooms clad in Carrara marble.<ref>{{cite news |author=Stephen Talbot |year=2004 |title=Syria/Lebanon: The Occupier and the Occupied |url=https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/elections/syria.lebanon/ |access-date=29 January 2013 |publisher=PBS |archive-date=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009181311/https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/elections/syria.lebanon/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Carol Morello |date=8 May 1990 |title=Only Mystery Lives In Syria's Presidential Palace |url=http://articles.philly.com/1990-05-08/news/25888307_1_assad-presidential-palace-diplomat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313032729/http://articles.philly.com/1990-05-08/news/25888307_1_assad-presidential-palace-diplomat |archive-date=March 13, 2012 |access-date=29 January 2013 |publisher=Philadelphia Media Network}}</ref> The Syrian caretaker government, and later the transitional government, began using the palace for diplomatic events.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-01-03 |title=French and German foreign ministers 'want new relationship with Syria' |url=https://theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/03/french-german-foreign-ministers-meet-syria-de-facto-leader |accessdate=2024-01-04 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>
Before the construction of the new People's Palace on Mount Mezzeh in the early 1990s, Tishreen Palace served as the primary residence of the Assad family.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-12-18 |title=As Bashar al-Assad got rich, he planted the seeds of his downfall |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-19/inside-syria/104734690 |access-date=2025-04-06 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU |archive-date=1 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250401051741/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-19/inside-syria/104734690 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 8 December 2024, during the fall of the Assad regime, anti-Assad forces took control of the palace.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-08 |title=Opposition fighters declare Syria's Damascus 'liberated', al-Assad ousted |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/8/opposition-fighters-take-syrian-capital-damascus |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Iskandarani |first=Aya |date=2024-12-08 |title=Rebels declare end of Assad rule in Syria |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/12/rebels-declare-end-assad-rule-syria |url-access=limited |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Al-Monitor |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-12-08 |title=Syrian rebels enter Damascus: everything we know so far |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/08/syrian-rebels-enter-damascus-everything-we-know |access-date=2024-12-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> After the regime fell, Syrians ransacked and looted the palace, inviting much of the public.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-12-09 |title=Bashar al-Assad's palace burned and ransacked – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2024/dec/09/bashar-al-assads-palace-burned-and-ransacked-in-pictures |access-date=2024-12-13 |work=the Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Joy, fear and confusion in Damascus as Syrians welcome life after Assad |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/09/syria-damascus-rebels-assad-hts/ |access-date=2024-12-13 |archive-date=10 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210203621/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/09/syria-damascus-rebels-assad-hts/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Candid photos of Syria's Assad expose a world beyond the carefully crafted and repressive rule |url=https://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-underwear-photos-76746e3b2a5f00b79d01f3ff1c43fa81 |publisher=AP news |access-date=6 April 2025 |archive-date=19 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219185242/https://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-underwear-photos-76746e3b2a5f00b79d01f3ff1c43fa81 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Succession == {{Presidential orders of succession}} Article 34 of the Constitutional Declaration states, "In the event of a vacancy in the presidency, the Vice President shall assume the powers of the President of the Republic.".<ref name="newinterimconstition" />
== List of presidents ==
{{Main|List of presidents of Syria}}
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}}
==See also== * List of heads of state of Syria * List of Syrian monarchs * First Lady of Syria
== Explanatory notes == {{notelist-la}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==Sources== * {{Cite book |last=Solomon |first=Christopher |title=In Search of Greater Syria: The History and Politics of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-8386-0640-4 |location=New York |chapter=1:Introduction |quote=}} * {{Cite book |last=Zisser |first=Eyal |title=Commanding Syria: Bashar Al-Asad And the First Years in Power |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-84511-153-3 }}
==External links== *{{Twitter|SyPresidency}} *{{Twitter|AH_AlSharaa|Ahmed al-Sharaa}}
{{Presidents of Syria}} {{Heads of state and government of Asia}} {{Syria topics}}
Category:Presidents of Syria Category:1922 establishments in Syria Category:Heads of state of Syria