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Politics of Syria refers to the political arrangement inSyria. Syria is currently apresidentialrepublic governed by atransitional government under theConstitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic. Legislative power is vested in theparliament, executive power is in thepresident and theCouncil of Ministers, while judicial power is headed by theSupreme Judicial Council.
DuringFrench Syria, theNational Bloc emerged as a major group opposing French rule and supportingSyrian nationalism. During the formation of the1928 Constituent Assembly of Syria to draft a constitution, the National Bloc had a majority had insisted on several elements that French authorities refused.[1] Afterwards, the1930 Syrian constitution was ratified without their involvement, which established theFirst Syrian Republic under the French mandate. French rule continued until the British pressured for a French withdrawal during theLevant Crisis, which they eventually did in 1946.[2]
FollowingSyrian independence, the political sphere was dominated by two main successors of the National Bloc: theNational Party and thePeople's Party. There were alsoseveral coups in Syria in the early years of independence, leading to political instability. In 1958,a Syrian referendum to join theUnited Arab Republic passed with overwhelming majority,[3] and Syria became part of the UAR until the1961 Syrian coup d'état restored an independent Syria.[4]
In 1963,Ba'athist Syria was established following the1963 Syrian coup d'état, which brought theSyrian Ba'ath Party to power. From 1963 until April 2011, Syria's Emergency Law suspended most constitutional protections justified on the grounds of thecontinuing war withIsrael and the threats posed by terrorists. This ended when presidentBashar al-Assad signed a decree repealing this law amidst widespread discontent in theSyrian revolution andSyrian civil war.[5][6]
From 1972 to 2011, only parties in the Ba'athistNational Progressive Front were legally permitted to operate in Syria. This restriction ended in 2011 with new legislative decrees regulating political parties[7] and general elections,[8] along with ratification of the new2012 Syrian Constitution, which introduced amulti-party system in Syria.[9] At the same time, the government also disbanded non-Ba'athist militias and sidelined satellite parties of the National Progressive Front by increasing Ba'athist representation in the legislature.[10][11][12]
On 8 December 2024, the Ba'athist political system ended with thefall of the Assad regime. Then on 29 January 2025, theSyrian Revolution Victory Conference officially banned parties that were part of the Ba'athist-eraNational Progressive Front.[13] On 5 October 2025, the2025 Syrian parliamentary election was held as anindirect election to compose a new legislature.[14]
Since theSyrian Revolution Victory Conference banned the Ba'athist-eraNational Progressive Front, there has not yet been a new law to regulate political parties in the country, and major political parties have not yet emerged.[15] There have been discussions among political figures in forming a new "Syrian National Bloc" to counteract the "centralizedauthoritarianism" of theSyrian transitional government.[16]
In September 2025, a poll on Syrian public opinion regarding the political future of Syria widely demonstrated support fordemocratic principles withcompetitiveelections as the basis of governance.[17]
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