Syria Establishes Committee to Draft Transitional Constitutional Declaration

Damascus – Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa announced on Sunday the creation of a committee tasked with drafting a constitutional declaration to guide the country’s transition following the removal of longtime ruler Bashar Assad.

The new leadership is focused on rebuilding Syria and its institutions after Assad’s ouster on December 8, marking the end of over five decades of his family’s rule and 13 years of conflict.

According to an official statement, the presidency has established “a committee of experts,” including one woman, to draft “the constitutional declaration that will govern the transitional period.” The seven-member committee will submit its proposals directly to the president, though no timeline has been provided for its completion.

Sharaa, the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which played a key role in Assad’s removal, was appointed interim president in late January for an unspecified duration. His administration has already repealed the Assad-era constitution, and he has indicated that drafting a new one could take up to three years.

In January, Sharaa pledged to introduce a “constitutional declaration” that would serve as a “legal reference” during the transitional phase. Sunday’s announcement was made “in response to the Syrian people’s aspirations for a state based on the rule of law” and builds upon the outcomes of the recent Syrian national dialogue conference, the presidency said.

The statement added that the initiative aims to create “the legal framework regulating the transitional phase.”

A national dialogue conference held this week in Damascus outlined a roadmap for Syria’s future governance.

Members of the Committee

The committee includes:

• Abdul Hamid Al-Awak, a constitutional law expert and university lecturer in Turkiye.
• Yasser Al-Huwaish, recently appointed as dean of Damascus University’s law faculty.
• Bahia Mardini, the sole female member, a journalist with a doctorate in law based in Britain.
• Ismail Al-Khalfan, an expert in international law and newly appointed dean of Aleppo University’s law faculty.
• Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, an international law specialist who graduated from Idlib University in 2023.

The final statement from this week’s dialogue conference called for “a constitutional committee to draft a permanent constitution that balances powers, enshrines justice, freedom, and equality, and establishes a state based on law and institutions.”

Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011 following Assad’s crackdown on anti-government protests, escalating into a protracted war that has claimed over 500,000 lives, displaced millions, and devastated the country’s economy and infrastructure.

In December, a caretaker government was appointed to manage state affairs until March 1, when a new administration is expected to take office.