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Syria has had various constitutions, the first being the Syrian Constitution of 1930. The most recent constitution was in force from 26 February 2012 until the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024. A new constitution will be drafted by the Syrian Transitional Government by 2025.[1]
Timeline of the Syrian constitutions
Early constitutions
The Syrian Constitution of 1930, drafted by a committee under Ibrahim Hananu, was the founding constitution of the First Syrian Republic. The constitution required the President to be of Muslim faith (article 3). It was replaced by the Constitution of 5 September 1950, which was restored following the Constitution of 10 July 1953 and the Provisional Constitution of the United Arab Republic.
Constitutions of Ba'athist Syria
The provisional Constitution of the United Arab Republic was eventually replaced by the Provisional Constitution of 25 April 1964 which itself was replaced by the Provisional Constitution of 1 May 1969.
Constitution of 1973
A new constitution was adopted on 13 March 1973 and was in use until 27 February 2012. It entrenched the power of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, its §8 describing the party as "the leading party in the society and the state", even if Syria was not, as is often believed, a one-party system in formal terms.[2] The constitution has been amended twice. Article 6 was amended in 1981.[3] The constitution was last amended in 2000 when the minimum age of the President was lowered from 40 to 34.[4]
Constitution of 2012
Following the 2011 Syrian revolution, the Syrian government drafted a new constitution and put it to a referendum on 26 February 2012, which was unmonitored by international observers. The modifications in the constitution were cosmetic and part of Ba'athist government's response to the nation-wide protests. Since the move monopolized power of the Government of Syria and was drafted without consultation outside loyalist circles, Syrian opposition and revolutionary parties boycotted the referendum, resulting in very low participation as per government data.[5] The referendum resulted in the adoption of the new constitution, which came into force on 27 February 2012.[6] This constitution will be phased out once the new constitution by the Syrian Transitional Government takes place.[7]
On 23 January 2017, Russian diplomats presented a draft constitution for a new Syrian constitution which was rejected by the opposition delegates.[8][9]
Upcoming constitution of 2025
A new constitution by the Syrian Transitional Government is expected to be drafted.[10] On 12 December 2024, spokesman of the transitional government said that during the government's three-month term the constitution and parliament would be suspended, adding that a 'judicial and human rights committee' would be established to review the constitution prior to making amendments.[11]
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