The president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic (

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: رئيس سوريا) is the

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

of the Syrian Arab Republic. They are vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at their sole discretion, to their

vice presidents A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

. They appoint and dismiss the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

and other members of the

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

(the cabinet) and military officers. Bashar al-Assad is the 19th and current president of Syria. Bashar Al-Assad is the son of former president, Hafez al-Assad, who was the longest-serving president serving 29 years. Al-Assad is currently the second longest-serving president marking the 22nd year of his presidency in 2022 when he entered the post on 17 July 2000.

Term of office

Article 88 of the 2012 constitution states that the president serves a seven year term and "can be elected for only one more successive term." Article 155 states that Article 88 applies to the president "as of the next presidential elections."

Eligibility criteria

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 organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and the ''ulama''. They labeled Assad as the "enemy of God" and called for a ''jihad'' against his rule.

Robert D. Kaplan Robert David Kaplan (born June 23, 1952) is an American author. His books are on politics, primarily foreign affairs, and travel. His work over three decades has appeared in ''The Atlantic'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York Times'', ''The ...

has compared Assad's coming to power to "an untouchable becoming

maharajah Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

in India or a Jew becoming

tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

in Russia—an unprecedented development shocking to the Sunni majority population which had monopolized power for so many centuries." The main objection to the constitution from demonstrators was that Islam was not specified as the state religion."Further rioting in Syria reported"
''The New York Times''. February 28, 1973. In response to riots, the

Syrian Constitution of 1973 The 1973 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic was adopted on 13 March 1973 and was in use until 27 February 2012. It describes Syria's character to be Arab, democratic, and republican. Further, in line with pan-Arab ideology, it positions th ...

was amended to stipulate that Islam was the religion of the president. A new constitution was approved in February 2012.MacFarquhar, Neil; Cowell, Alan (February 27, 2012)
"Syrians Said to Approve Charter as Battles Go On"
''The New York Times''. Article 84 of Syria's 2012 constitution requires that candidates for the presidency must: #Be at least 40 years old #Be Syrian by birth, of parents who are Syrians by birth #Enjoy civil and political rights and not convicted of a dishonorable felony, even if he was reinstated #Not be married to a non-Syrian wife #Have lived in Syria for 10 years continuously upon nomination Further eligibility requirements in the 2012 constitution include: *The religion of the President of the Republic is Islam; Islamic jurisprudence shall be a major source of legislation; The State shall respect all religions, and ensure the freedom to perform all the rituals that do not prejudice public order; The personal status of religious communities shall be protected and respected. (Article 3, which describes the office of the presidency. The requirements in the section including the age requirement are from the section on the requirements for nomination.) *A candidate must be supported by at least 35 members of the People's Assembly (Article 85) *The President cannot carry another nationality (Article 152)

Powers and removal

Powers: *Commander in Chief of the army and armed forces *Representing Syria in international relations *Developing and implementing national policy *Appointing and dismissing the Prime Minister and Ministers *Creating and overseeing the implementation of general state policy *Vetoing or accepting laws *Declaring a state of emergency *Concluding international treaties *Granting amnesty *Granting honors and medals *Dissolving the People’s Assembly *Passing laws when the legislature is not in session or in emergency situations *Submitting matters to binding national referendum *Drafting laws Removal *Upon submission of resignation to the People’s Assembly *At the end of 7-year term if not nominated for re-election, or second 7-year term if re-elected *In the case of permanent incapacity or death *Upon conviction for high treason by the Constitutional Court after proposal by one-third of Assembly and approval by two-thirds

Term of office

Eligibility criteria

Powers and removal

List of presidents

Latest election

References

External links