Syria’s Interim President Signs Temporary Constitution for Five-Year Transition

• Ahmed al-Sharaa signs a temporary constitution for Syria, set to last five years during the transition period.
• The document retains Islamic law as the main source of legislation while promising freedom of expression and women’s rights.
• A new national assembly, partially appointed by the president, will oversee legislation until elections are held.

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a temporary constitution that will govern the country for a five-year transitional period, following his forces’ rapid offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government three months ago.

Describing the constitutional declaration as a step toward “a new history for Syria, where we replace oppression with justice,” al-Sharaa signed the document on Thursday.

The interim constitution retains key elements from its predecessor, including the requirement that the head of state be a Muslim and the designation of Islamic law as the primary source of jurisprudence. Abdulhamid al-Awak, a member of the drafting committee, noted that these provisions had been contentious during the drafting process.

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Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar highlighted the controversy surrounding the religious requirement for leadership. “There were debates about whether this would be included, but it’s now clear that the head of state must be a Muslim,” he said.

The document also outlines protections for freedom of expression, press freedoms, and women’s “social, political, and economic rights.” Al-Awak emphasized that the constitution aims to “balance social security and freedom” during Syria’s fragile transition. A major focus is transitional justice, with provisions to prosecute crimes committed under the Assad government.

Executive power will be concentrated in the presidency, which al-Awak justified as necessary for “rapid action in times of difficulty.” Meanwhile, a People’s Assembly, one-third of whose members will be appointed by the president, will handle legislation until elections are held—potentially within four to five years, according to al-Sharaa.

“The assembly will, in theory, have the authority to remove the president,” Serdar noted. “But given that many of its members will be handpicked by al-Sharaa, the practicality of such a move remains uncertain.”

A separate committee will be established to draft a permanent constitution, though its inclusivity regarding Syria’s political, religious, and ethnic groups remains unclear.

Al-Sharaa recently struck a significant deal with the US-backed Kurdish-led authorities in northeastern Syria, securing a ceasefire and integrating their armed forces into the central government’s security apparatus.

The agreement follows intense fighting, as government forces and allied factions crushed a rebellion by gunmen loyal to al-Assad last week. Rights groups report that hundreds of civilians—mainly from Assad’s Alawite sect—were killed in retaliatory attacks during the crackdown.

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Since leading the December offensive that ousted al-Assad, al-Sharaa’s faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has struggled to consolidate control over the country. Critics argue that his recent national dialogue conference, which called for the interim constitution and proposed parliamentary elections, failed to be inclusive of Syria’s diverse ethnic, sectarian, and civil society groups.

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