IFES Election Guide - Country Profile: Syria

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Presidential
May 2014
Parliamentary
2016

Syria
Syrian Arab Republic
Region: Middle East

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President Bashar al-ASAD *
Head of Government: Prime Minister Wael Nader al-HALQI
Assembly: Syria has a unicameral People's Council (Majlis al-Shaab) with 250 seats.

* According the new Constitution, candidates must the written support of at least 35 members of People’s Assembly. Article 85, section 5 states that If during this period only one candidate is determined to have met the requirements for Presidential candidates, the Speaker of the House shall re-open the call for presidential candidates in accordance with the same criteria.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 7-year term.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President.
In the People's Council (Majlis al-Shaab) 250 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Under the new constitution (ratified through referendum on February 26, 2012) multiple parties are allowed to run. Previously, only parties that belonged to the National Progressive Front ( لجبهة الوطنية التقدمية‎, al-Jabha al-Wataniyyah at-Taqaddumiyyah, NPF) could run in elections. Article 60 of the Constitution states that at least half of the members of the assembly should be workers and farmers, as defined by law.