Syria’s al-Sharaa signs temporary constitution

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a temporary constitution that will be in force for a five-year transitional period, three months after his forces led a lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Al-Sharaa said he hoped the constitutional declaration would mark the start of “a new history for Syria, where we replace oppression with justice”, as he signed the document on Thursday.The temporary constitution retains some aspects of its predecessor, including the stipulation that the head of state has to be a Muslim and the establishment of Islamic law as the main source of jurisprudence, said Abdulhamid al-Awak, a member of the drafting committee.

Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the question of introducing rules on the religious affiliation of leaders had been a “disputed issue”.

“There were lots of questions over whether that was going to be one of the articles or not, but now it’s clear that the head of state has to be a Muslim,” he said.The document also includes provisions enshrining freedom of expression and the press and women’s “social, political and economic rights”, said al-Awak, adding that it would serve to “balance between social security and freedom” during Syria’s shaky political situation.

Much of its focus will be on transitional justice, aiming to ensure that crimes committed under the previous al-Assad government are prosecuted.

Under the temporary constitution, executive power would also be restricted to the president, said al-Awak, pointing to the need for “rapid action to confront any difficulties”.

A people’s assembly, a third of which will be appointed by the president, would be tasked with all legislation “until the elections are held”, said Serdar. “That is perhaps going to take, according to the president, up to four to five years.”

“That assembly of people will have authority of … sacking the president himself as well. So theoretically that’s possible, but practically it’s going to be extremely difficult because [many of] the members … are going to be appointed directly by the president himself.”A new committee to draft a permanent constitution will be formed, but it is unclear if it will be more inclusive of Syria’s political, religious, and ethnic groups.

Al-Sharaa on Monday reached a landmark pact with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria, including a ceasefire and a merging of their armed forces with the central government’s security agencies.