Constitution of Syria
Encyclopedia
The Constitution
of Syria
delineates the basic function of that state's government. Among other things, it determines Syria's character to be Arab
, Socialist
and republic
an. Further, in line with the official pan-Arabist
ideology, it describes the country as a region of the wider Arab world
.
Older versions of the Constitution include one drafted by Ibrahim Hananu
and subsequent Provisional Constitution of 25 April 1964. The modern constitution, which has undergone only minor changes since its adoption in 1973, entrenches the power of the Baath party
. Its §8 describes this organization as "the leading party in the society and the state", even if Syria is not, as is often believed, a single-party system in formal terms. Effective power in Syria rests with the President of the Republic (since 2000, Bashar al-Asad, reelected in 2007), who, according to §84 of the constitution, is elected in an uncontested popular referendum
on the proposal of the Syrian branch of the Baath Party.
The constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities under the law, supplemented by labor laws which guarantee equal pay and maternity benefits for women.
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
delineates the basic function of that state's government. Among other things, it determines Syria's character to be Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Socialist
Arab socialism
Arab socialism is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and socialism. Arab socialism is distinct from the much broader tradition of socialist thought in the Arab world, which predates Arab socialism by as much as fifty years...
and republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
an. Further, in line with the official pan-Arabist
Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism is an ideology espousing the unification--or, sometimes, close cooperation and solidarity against perceived enemies of the Arabs--of the countries of the Arab world, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism, which asserts that the Arabs...
ideology, it describes the country as a region of the wider Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
.
Older versions of the Constitution include one drafted by Ibrahim Hananu
Ibrahim Hananu
Ibrahim Hananu or Ibrahim Hanano , one of the more charismatic and intriguing figures to emerge from the morass of war in post-1918 Aleppo, was an Constantinople-educated member of a notable landholding family of Kurdish origin in northern Syria. He was born in Kafr Takharim, a fertile...
and subsequent Provisional Constitution of 25 April 1964. The modern constitution, which has undergone only minor changes since its adoption in 1973, entrenches the power of the Baath party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
. Its §8 describes this organization as "the leading party in the society and the state", even if Syria is not, as is often believed, a single-party system in formal terms. Effective power in Syria rests with the President of the Republic (since 2000, Bashar al-Asad, reelected in 2007), who, according to §84 of the constitution, is elected in an uncontested popular referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on the proposal of the Syrian branch of the Baath Party.
The constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities under the law, supplemented by labor laws which guarantee equal pay and maternity benefits for women.
External links
- Constitution of Syria as of 1973 at the International Constitutional Law (ICL) Project