The march of the Syrian constitution from 1920 to 2025

Throughout its modern history, Syria has witnessed repeated constitutional transformations, which reflects the nature of the political and social conflicts that the country has gone through. From the declaration of the independence of the Syrian Arab Kingdom in 1920 and until the 2012 constitution, constitutional attempts have varied between efforts to consolidate the democratic constitutional rule, and other attempts to strengthen absolute power and party hegemony.

In this context, this article reviews the march of the Syrian constitutions from 1920 until today, highlighting its most prominent items, the political conditions that surrounded it, and its impact on the political and social scene in the country.

The Constitution of the Syrian Arab Kingdom in 1920

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Faisal bin Al -Hussein, the commander of the northern Arab armies of the European allies, announced the formation of an independent government in Damascus in the name of his father, Sharif Hussein, in October 1918, and included all Syrian lands.

Faisal wanted to organize the country constitutionally, so the Syrians called for a conference representing the Syrian territories, and the members of the conference were elected in 1919 according to the Ottoman electoral law consisting of two degrees: the first of the people directly, and the second of the deputies.

These elections were the first popular parliamentary elections in the history of modern Syria, and the Syrian conference turned into a parliament after the mandate.

The conference was held 3 major sessions between June 1919 and July 1920, and during this period the Constitution Committee set a project from 148 articles for the Syrian Kingdom of the Arab Kingdom, and chose the constitutional parliamentary system in a parliamentary civil government (Article 1), while making the government responsible before the Parliament (Article 27).

On March 10, 1920, the House of Representatives, Hashem Al -Atassi, was elected head of the first Syrian Constitution Drafting Committee, which recognized the King of Prince Faisal and his children on Syria’s lands, and stipulated the necessity of the king to return to the House of Representatives before taking any decision concerning the country in the state of peace and war.

The draft constitution restricted the monarchy, and distributed the legislative authority to two councils: the deputies and the elderly, with the quotation of this idea of ​​European constitutional royal systems.

The constitution defined the Syrian citizen as each of the people of the Syrian Arab Kingdom, regardless of his religion or race (Article 9).

The first Syrian constitution was secular, defining the king’s religion in Islam, and the Arab identity emerged more than the Islamic identity.

He also absorbed the political and social changes that took place in the country after the exit of the Ottoman Turks. The issues of this constitution constituted a starting point for controversy and discussion between the people and the elites, which continued after independence.

The constitutional experience ended in the stage of Al -Faisaly, after the entry of French forces led by General Guru Damascus in 1920, and France imposed the mandate on Syria and Lebanon according to the San Remo Treaty and the Decision of the League of Nations.

Since the beginning of the mandate, France has worked to divide a Syrian into ethnic and regional states on the ruins of the Syrian Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Aleppo, Damascus, Al -Zour, Mount Druze, the Alawi Mountains and the Grand State of Lebanon.

In order to facilitate its control, the French general, Wagan, issued a decree in 1924 to establish a federal state in Syria, with the exception of the Great Lebanon, the Alawites and Druze countries, and this racist French policy led to the escalation of popular protests, which reached its climax in the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 1925, and an attempt to calm the situation, and the French Commissioner agreed to hold elections for a Syrian founding association to establish a new constitution for the country.

The constitution of the Syrian state in 1930

After the end of the Great Syrian Revolution in 1927, the patriots sought to establish a new political organization that represents the demands of the Syrian people to end the occupation and unify the Syrian territories, so Al -Atassi met with a group of patriots in Beirut on October 23, 1927 to announce the birth of the “national bloc”, which has reassured the occupation politically.

In April 1928, the French government called for the election of a foundation council and the writing of a new constitution for the country. The national bloc won a majority of seats and elected Al -Atassi as head of the 115 articles of constitution.

After the election of the Constituent Assembly in 1928, the association held 15 meetings, and within one month, studies within the preparatory committee and the Constitution Committee prepared, and the committee studied the project extensively, using the finest global constitutions.

In its entirety, the articles of the constitution focused on the issues of independence, national sovereignty and the “natural Syria” unit. The association preferred the Republican regime over the royal (Article 3), as the system adopted by most modern nations after the First World War.

The 1928 constitution was a progressive constitution, and expanded the powers of Parliament, but reflected the will of the elite that it developed, which adopted a democratic concept that responded to the general social mood, especially with regard to determining the religion of the President of the Republic in Islam.

Although Christians objected to this article, the influence of religious, commercial and civil circles was strong, which made the material remain the same, which was what had a prominent role in the implementation of the 1928 constitution.

The National Bloc expanded to intensify its efforts to obtain popular support for the constitution through festivals and national meetings in Damascus, Aleppo and others, but the French Commissioner suspended the constitution because he saw it in violation of the articles of assignment, and in May 1930 issued a decision to publish a “average” Syrian constitution.

The constitution entered the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and went out in terms of compatible with the interests of France, which added to him Article 116, which guarantees the recognition of the French assignment to Syria, and modified and conducted the materials in line with its interests, and made the ruling in Syria under its authority and mercy.

Regarding the parliamentary elections held in 1931 under the decree of the French Commissioner, the Syrian Parliament has made 70 members on the basis of ethnic and regional, including 52 members of the Sunni and 14 deputies from various minorities.

Hashem Al -Atassi refused to recognize Article 116, and France disrupted the work of the council and its solution on February 5, 1929, then the French High Commissioner in Syria, Henry Bosno, announced in 1932 a parliamentary elections for the Constituent Assembly, but it was not in favor of the national bloc.

At the beginning of 1936, the national bloc announced a 60 -day strike due to the narrowing of the French occupation of its actions, and the suppression of peaceful demonstrations calling for independence.

The strike led France to enter into negotiations with the national bloc, and an agreement was reached to stop the strike in exchange for the release of all political detainees.

After the strike, a delegation of the members of the national bloc led by Atassi went to France to meet the French government and signed the French -Syrian treaty in 1936, and France broke out the demands of independence, and parliamentary and presidential elections were held in which Al -Atassi won the position of President of the Republic on December 21, 1936.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahzl6w337fg

Constitution 1950

The 1950 constitution is one of the best constitutions in the history of Syria, because it was approved after independence from the French Mandate, and it came as a result of extensive discussions within an elected constituent association.

Also, all the constitutions that were written after him came as a result of military coups, and it was suspended after the second coup of Adeib Al -Shishakli on November 29, 1951 on Hashem Al -Atassi.

Work began to formulate the 1950 constitution in the fall of 1949, and it came at a difficult time after the fall of the Hosni Al -Zaeem regime, which brought shock in Syrian political life.

After this military coup, a feeling prevailed that the country needed a new start, which pushed towards formulating a new constitution.

One of the most prominent achievements of the interim government during that period was the election law, which within the right of women to vote and reduce the legal age to participate in the elections to 18 years, which facilitated the involvement of young people in the political process.

On the political point of view, the 1950 constitution reflects a fragile balance between the executive and parliament, as it came with an emphasis on the weakening of the executive authority, as the constitution prevented the President of the Republic from issuing legislative decrees and obliging him to sign bills issued by the House of Representatives within 7 days.

He also reduced the president’s powers on the issue of dissolving Parliament, which reflected the desire of the Constitutional Committee to limit the executive influence and transfer power to Parliament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdwsid9zv20

Despite this focus on Parliament, the 1950 constitution was characterized by its presentation of a set of individual rights and freedoms, such as freedom of expression and the rights of detainees, in addition to interest in social justice issues, which focus on redistributing wealth and providing free education, and opening the door to peasant support programs and poor classes.

But with the passage of time, it became clear that this constitution, despite its social aspirations, was unable to face political challenges, which led to an increase in military intervention in politics, and the army was more able to manage the country in an organized manner, which contributed to the growth of the army’s influence at the expense of the political class, and contributed to stimulating the military coups that the country witnessed in that period.

What distinguishes the constitution of 1950 are two things; The first is that it was formulated by an elite group of the most prominent politicians and senior law men in Syria, headed by Nazem Al -Qudsi, who has a doctorate in international law from the University of Geneva, and the second matter was distinguished by being comprehensive and advanced in its organization of the form of the state and the principles of government, which made it mainly based on every historical turn in Syria.

Besides, the writer Karim Al -Atassi states in his book “Syria The Power of Idea” that the 1950 constitution carried in his folds the vow of the turmoil that Syrian society witnessed in the subsequent era through successive coups.

He combined the usual articles in the declaration of rights (as did the 1920 constitution, and 1928) and added articles of an economic and social nature, and then carried the nature of the law and the constitution together.

Its aim was to make Syria a welfare state by establishing an economic and social system that guarantees social justice, protects workers and farmers, guarantees equal rights and duties among all citizens, and imposes escalating taxes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lomhkdfshoy

The Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic 1973

The 1973 constitution was issued in Syria on March 13, 1973, after Hafez al -Assad seized power in 1970, and had a pivotal role in establishing his rule and strengthening the dominance of the Arab Socialist Baath Party.

The most prominent included in this constitution is the eighth article that stipulates that “the Arab Socialist Baath Party is the leader of the state and society,” which gave the party absolute control over the joints of the state.

The main constitution also gave wide powers in various fields, which made the regime more focused in the hands of the president, while controlling the executive and legislative authority.

This constitution remained valid throughout the rule of Hafez al -Assad, and achieved a major goal in consolidating his rule and directing the state according to his vision.

The amendments to the constitution during the Assad’s rule were rare, but after his death in 2000, the President of the Republic modified in a formal step, and the parliament agreed to the amendment that was considered the fastest in the world, and the way for Bashar al -Assad, the son of Hafez al -Assad, for his succession in the rule, which dedicated to the continuation of family and political tyranny in Syria.

Constitution 2012

With the escalation of the popular protests that accompanied the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011 against the Bashar al -Assad regime, the latter rushed to the approval of a new constitution on February 26, 2012, in an attempt to absorb popular anger and respond to the demands of reform.

The constitution included formal amendments, most notably the abolition of the article that devotes the Arab Socialist Baath Party as the leader of the state and society, and to allow the establishment of new political parties.

However, despite these apparent changes, the essence of the regime remained the same, as the president retained absolute powers that enabled him to extend his full control over state institutions.

Thus, the new constitution did not achieve any real shift, but rather a formal step that failed to calm the street, while the repressive approach continued without any actual political reform.

The president became elected directly from the people, with his term identifying 7 years, renewable only once, instead of the open referendum system in the constitution that preceded it.

Article 45 stipulates that the freedom to form associations and unions in accordance with the law is guaranteed, but it remained subject to security supervision, while Article 3 emphasizes that the religion of the President of the Republic Islam, and that Islamic jurisprudence is a major source of legislation, while ensuring the freedom to practice other religions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td5a0dicr7o

Constitutional Declaration 2025

After the fall of the Bashar al -Assad regime on December 8, 2024, and the disintegration of the political, military and security system and the dissolution of the constitution, the President of the Syrian Republic, Ahmed al -Shara, announced on March 2, 2025, the formation of a committee to formulate a constitutional declaration.

Sources revealed to the island that the constitutional declaration that was submitted to the Syrian President on March 12 included 48 articles, and focused on the concept of transitional justice, the need to apply it and criminalize the violations of the defunct regime.

The sources added that the constitutional declaration stipulated that weapons be in the hands of the state, and made the army’s mission to protect the country and the citizen and preserve the civil peace.

It also emphasized that the declaration focused on human freedoms, separating the authorities, ensuring the independence of the judiciary, and making Islamic jurisprudence a fundamental source of legislation.

According to Al -Jazeera sources, the constitutional declaration was based on the spirit of the previous Syrian constitutions, especially the constitution of 1950.

He also specified the transitional period from 3 to 5 years, noting that the new government will not include the position of prime minister, and the form of the state will be presidential.

The constitutional declaration criminalizes external calls and communications that threaten the security, stability and unity of the country, and it has defined the basic powers of the President of the Republic.