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President of Syria
President of Syria
رئيس سوريا‎
	Seal of the President of Syria
	Incumbent; Vacant; since 8 December 2024
	Executive branch of the Syrian Government
Style	Mr President; (informal); His Excellency; (diplomatic)
Status	Head of state; Commander-in-chief;
Member of	Council of Ministers; High Judicial Council;
Residence	Presidential Palace
Seat	Damascus, Syria
Appointer	Popular vote
Inaugural holder	Subhi Barakat (French Mandate) ; Shukri al-Quwatli (current constitution)
Formation	17 April 1946; 78 years ago
Deputy	Vice President

According to the 2012 constitution, the president of Syria (Arabic: رئيس سوريا) is the head of state of Syria. They are vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at their sole discretion, to their vice presidents. They appoint and dismiss the prime minister and other members of the Council of Ministers (the cabinet) and military officers.^[1]

The position has been vacant since 8 December 2024, when Bashar al-Assad was overthrown following the success of the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives.^[2] The duties of the head of state are currently being conducted by a transitional government led by Mohammed al-Bashir in the role of prime minister. Ahmed al-Sharaa has been acting as the de facto leader of Syria since the transitional government was established.

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."^[3]^[4] Article 155 states that Article 88 applies to the president "as of the next presidential elections."^[3]

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.^[5] Robert D. Kaplan has compared Assad's coming to power to "an untouchable becoming maharajah in India or a Jew becoming tsar in Russia—an unprecedented development shocking to the Sunni majority population which had monopolized power for so many centuries."^[6] The main objection to the constitution from demonstrators was that Islam was not specified as the state religion.^[7] In response to riots, the Syrian Constitution of 1973 was amended to stipulate that Islam was the religion of the president.^[7]

A new constitution was approved in February 2012.^[8] Article 84 of Syria's 2012 constitution requires that candidates for the presidency must:^[3]

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:^[3]

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)
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

The President of Syria is constitutionally responsible for the following:^[9]

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

The president of Syria can be removed from the position under the following circumstances:^[9]

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

Latest election


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Bashar al-Assad	Ba'ath Party	13,540,860	95.19
	Mahmoud Ahmad Marei	Democratic Arab Socialist Union	470,276	3.31
	Abdullah Sallum Abdullah	Socialist Unionist Party	213,968	1.50
Total			14,225,104	100.00

Valid votes			14,225,104	99.90
Invalid/blank votes			14,036	0.10
Total votes			14,239,140	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			18,107,109	78.64
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency^[10]

Notes

^ Syria currently has no president. Ahmed al-Sharaa has been acting as the de facto leader of Syria since the transitional government was established. The status of presidency remains dubious until a new constitution is drafted.