Syria: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic conventional short form: Syria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah local short form: Suriyah former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt) etymology: 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 |
|---|---|
| Government type | presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime |
| Capital | Damascus
Damascus
geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins midnight on the last Friday in March; ends at midnight on the first Friday in November |
| Administrative divisions | 14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah (Latakia), Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq (Damascus), Halab, Hamah, Hims (Homs), Idlib, Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside), Tartus |
| Independence | 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 17 April (1946) |
| Constitution | several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum 26 February 2012 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law (for family courts) |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| 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 |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib KHAMIS (since 22 June 2016); Walid al-MUALEM (since 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Fahd Jasim al-FURAYJ, Lt. Gen. (since 2012) 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 3 June 2014 (next to be held in June 2021); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as 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 proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 13 April 2016 (next to be held in 2020) election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 80%, other 20%; seats by party - NPF 200, other 50 |
| 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 or 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 appointed for 4-year renewable terms subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court |
| Political parties and leaders | legal parties/alliances: Arab Socialist Union of Syria or ASU (Safwan al-QUDSI) National Progressive Front or NPF (Bashar al-ASAD, Suleiman QADDAH) (alliance includes Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (President Bashar al-ASAD), Socialist Unionist Democratic Party (Fadlallah Nasr al-DIN) Syrian Communist Party (two branches) (Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL) Syrian Social Nationalist Party or SSNP (As'ad HARDAN) Unionist Socialist Party (Fayez ISMAIL)) Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Kurdish Azadi Party Kurdish Democratic Accord Party (al Wifaq) Kurdish Democratic Party (al Parti-Ibrahim wing) Kurdish Democratic Party (al Parti-Mustafa wing) Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria or KDP-S Kurdish Democratic Patriotic/National Party Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party or KDPP-Darwish Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party or KDPP-Muhammad Kurdish Democratic Union Party or PYD (Salih Muslim MOHAMMAD) Kurdish Democratic Unity Party Kurdish Democratic Yekiti Party Kurdish Future Party (Rezan HASSAN) Kurdish Left Party Kurdish Yekiti (Union) Party Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party other: Syrian Democratic Party (Mustafa QALAAJI) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Free Syrian Army Syrian Muslim Brotherhood or SMB (Muhammad Riyad al-SHAQFAH) (operates in exile in London) Syrian Opposition Coalition or National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (Anas al-ABDAH) note: there are also hundreds of local and provincial political and armed opposition groups that organize protests, provide civilian services, and stage armed attacks |
| International organization participation | ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mounir KOUDMANI (since 1 June 2012) chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 232-6313 FAX: (1) (202) 234-9548 note: Embassy ceased operation and closed on 18 March 2014 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); US Special Envoy for Syria Michael RATNEY (since 27 July 2015); note - on 6 February 2012, the US closed its embassy in Damascus embassy: Abou Roumaneh, 2 Al Mansour Street, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: (963) (11) 3391-4444 FAX: (963) (11) 3391-3999 |
| Flag description | 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 |
| National symbol(s) | hawk; national colors: red, white, black, green |
| National anthem | name: "Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland) lyrics/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 |