Hawk; national colors: red, white, black, green.
Title | "Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland) |
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Lyric/music | Khalil Mardam BEY/Mohammad Salim FLAYFEL and Ahmad Salim FLAYFEL |
Date of Independence | 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
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National holiday | Independence Day (Evacuation Day), 17 April (1946); note - celebrates the leaving of the last French troops and the proclamation of full independence |
Legal system | mixed legal system of civil and Islamic (sharia) law (for family courts) |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICC |
Constitution | |
History | several previous; latest issued 15 February 2012, passed by referendum and effective 27 February 2012; note – UN-sponsored talks, which began in late 2019 between delegates from government and opposition forces to draft a new constitution; in June 2022, the 8th round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee ended in Geneva with no results, and the 9th round, scheduled for July 2022, was cancelled due to lack of Russian and regime participation |
Amendments | Proposed by the president of the republic or by one third of the People’s Assembly members; following review by a special Assembly committee, passage requires at least three-quarters majority vote by the Assembly and approval by the president |
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 |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Hussein ARNOUS (since 30 August 2020) |
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 26 May 2021 (next to be held in 2028); the president appoints the vice president and prime minister |
Election results | 2021: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD (Ba'th Party) 95.2%, Mahmoud Ahmad MAREI (Democratic Arab Socialist Union) 3.3%, other 1.5% 2014: Bashar al-ASAD elected 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 simple majority preferential vote to serve 4-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 15 July 2024 (next to be held in July 2028) |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ba'ath Party 169, SSNP 3, other 13, independent 65; composition - NA |
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 (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 serve 4-year renewable terms |
Subordinate courts | Courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court; Counterterrorism Court (established June 2012) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); note - on 6 February 2012, the US suspended operations at its embassy in Damascus; Czechia serves as a protecting power for US interests in Syria |
Mailing address | 6110 Damascus Place, Washington DC 20521-6110 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://sy.usembassy.gov/ |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 6 (all cultural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Ancient City of Damascus; Ancient City of Bosra; Site of Palmyra; Ancient City of Aleppo; Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din; Ancient Villages of Northern Syria |
Want to know more about Syria? Check all different factbooks for Syria below.