general information
Conventional Long Form Name of Country: Syrian Arab Republic
Capital City: Damascus
Government Type: presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime
Date of Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National Holiday: Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Capital City: Damascus
Government Type: presidential republic; highly authoritarian regime
Date of Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
National Holiday: Independence Day, 17 April (1946)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib KHAMIS (since 22 June 2016); Walid al-MUALEM (since 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Fahd Jasim al-FURAYJ, Lt. Gen. (since 2012)
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 3 June 2014 (next to be held in June 2021); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers
election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as 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%
head of government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib KHAMIS (since 22 June 2016); Walid al-MUALEM (since 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Fahd Jasim al-FURAYJ, Lt. Gen. (since 2012)
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 3 June 2014 (next to be held in June 2021); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers
election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as 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%
Chief of State: President Bashar Al-Asad
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Head of Government: Prime Minister Imad Muhammad Dib Khamis
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Legislative Branch
description: unicameral People's Assembly or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 13 April 2016 (next to be held in 2020)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 80%, other 20%; seats by party - NPF 200, other 5
elections: last held on 13 April 2016 (next to be held in 2020)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 80%, other 20%; seats by party - NPF 200, other 5
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 or 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 appointed for 4-year renewable terms
subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court
judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council or 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 appointed for 4-year renewable terms
subordinate courts: courts of first instance; magistrates' courts; religious and military courts; Economic Security Court
National Representatives
From Syria to the US
Ambassador to US: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mounir Koudmani
Location of Chancery in US: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location of Consulate in US: N/A
From the US to Syria
Ambassador from US: Ambassador (vacant); the US closed its embassy in Damascus on 6 February 2012
Location of Embassy from US: Abou Roumaneh, 2 Al Mansour Street, Damascus
Location of Consulate from US: N/A
From Syria to the UN
Representative to the UN: Bashar Ja'afari
Ambassador to US: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mounir Koudmani
Location of Chancery in US: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Location of Consulate in US: N/A
From the US to Syria
Ambassador from US: Ambassador (vacant); the US closed its embassy in Damascus on 6 February 2012
Location of Embassy from US: Abou Roumaneh, 2 Al Mansour Street, Damascus
Location of Consulate from US: N/A
From Syria to the UN
Representative to the UN: Bashar Ja'afari
Syrian flag and its symbolism
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); identical to the former flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1961) where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; the current design dates to 1980
note: similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band |
Click here to listen to the Syrian National Anthem:
"Humat ad-Diyar" (Guardians of the Homeland)
international disputes
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation would settle border dispute with Jordan
Other iNformation
- Refugees inside country: 528,616 (Palestinian Refugees); undetermined (Iraq)
- Internally Displaced Persons: 6.3 million
- Stateless Persons: 160,000
- Human Trafficking issues: the conditions within the country are deteriorating and human trafficking is on the rise; this involves the sexual abuse of women and children; the government is not making significant efforts to combat these issues
- Illicit Drugs: a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering