Rights
The 2012 Constitution, and a transitional order following the fall of the Assad government
The 2012 Constitution replaced the 1973 text and removed the Ba'ath Party's constitutionally entrenched leading role. Following the change of government in December 2024, Syria entered a transitional constitutional process whose outcome is not settled.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National in principle; effective administration has been divided among several authorities.
Governing law
- Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic 2012
- Constitution of 1973superseded
- Transitional constitutional arrangements announced from 2025
In practice
The 2012 Constitution retained a strong presidency, a Supreme Constitutional Court appointed by the President, and Article 3 requiring that the President be Muslim and making Islamic jurisprudence a principal source of legislation. Its practical significance was always limited by emergency rule and by the concentration of power in the presidency. Since December 2024 the constitutional position has been openly transitional, with a declaration of constitutional principles and an announced drafting process. Because the framework is actively being rewritten, anything stated here about Syrian constitutional law should be verified against the current position rather than relied on.