Enab Baladi – Besan Khalaf

With the political change observed in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, represented by the “Victory Conference” and the subsequent “National Dialogue Conference,” followed by the constitutional declaration for the transitional phase, the political scene still lacks political parties, amidst the absence of a specific law regulating the work and nature of political parties.

Since the coup of the Baath Party that imposed a totalitarian regime in 1970, Syria has not witnessed political life, as the party controlled all forms of political life, with other parties falling under its umbrella, collectively referred to as the “Progressive Front.” After the Victory Conference dissolved the parties of the Progressive Front, led by the Baath Party, Syrians are questioning the future of partisan life in Syria.

Ahmad Qurabi, a member of the Constitutional Declaration Committee, clarified to Enab Baladi that the constitution stipulates a provision ensuring the right to form parties on national bases, according to a new law.

The specific law governing the work of political parties cannot be issued without a legislative council, thus priority now lies in forming a temporary legislative council to issue laws.

The constitutional declaration established one rule for parties: they must not be formed on regional, ethnic, or sectarian bases, but rather on a national basis. The special law for parties will take this principle into account.

Parties not affiliated with the National Progressive Front will require new licenses. The law specific to parties will detail the procedures, mechanisms for submitting parties, licensing conditions, and internal regulations. The constitutional declaration only lays down a general principle, and the law will provide detailed regulations.

The absence of parties: A void in political life

In a survey conducted by Enab Baladi among those involved in journalism and political affairs regarding the necessity of having political parties during the political transition in Syria, opinions varied between those who believe that the absence of parties threatens democracy and constructive diversity in Syria, and those who think that the establishment of parties at this stage might create more divisions within Syrian society, especially if these parties are formed on regional or sectarian bases.

Journalist and political researcher Firas Allawi sees that the absence of parties does not equate to the absence of democracy; rather, it reflects a lack of political life, indicating a regression in democracy in Syria.

Allawi believes, during his conversation with Enab Baladi, that future parties are expected to be conservative and centrist, meaning they will not be extreme leftist (secular or hardcore liberal) nor “radical religious” parties. The format and internal systems of these parties will be linked to the party law that will be issued soon.

The failure to issue a political parties law during the transitional phase, as promoted by the current government, is due to the difficulty of creating a party law, given that political life is paralyzed due to the lack of returning Syrians. Moreover, the current political and economic environment is not equipped for parties to exist. It is important to note that special laws for parties cannot be adopted without forming the legislative council that will legislate and approve new laws in Syria, including the law on organizing and operating political parties, according to Allawi.

According to Allawi, the new party law will annul all previous parties and require their re-licensing in accordance with what is issued by the legislative council.

The Victory Conference announced the dissolution of the People’s Assembly and its derived committees, while Article 24 of the constitutional declaration stated that the President of the Republic shall form a supreme committee to select members of the People’s Assembly, supervising the formation of electoral sub-bodies that will elect two-thirds of the assembly members, while the President appoints the remaining third to guarantee fair representation and competence.

The draft of the constitutional declaration stipulates that the People’s Assembly will undertake the full legislative process and the executive authority. Approximately two months after the constitutional declaration, Syrians are still awaiting the formation of a legislative council to enact legislative and executive laws in Syria.

Partisan life in Syria

After gaining independence on April 17, 1946, Syria enjoyed an active political and party life characterized by democracy and freedom of opinion and expression, with political currents ranging from the far right to the far left. Political parties were able to play their roles despite military coups, with the Syrian Parliament symbolizing the role and activity of these parties.

Political parties practiced their activities on the national stage freely and protected by laws and the constitution. Prominent parties during that period included the “Social Cooperative,” “Muslim Brotherhood,” “Syrian Communist,” and “Arab Socialist Baath Party,” as well as the “People’s” and “National” parties, which resulted from the split of the national bloc formed in 1926 to resist French colonialism.

With the unification of Syria and Egypt in 1958, Syrian parties were restricted, and the security apparatus tightened its grip on their activities in an attempt to pave the way for individual rule and separate politics from society. The Baath Arab Socialist Party coup in 1963 saw Hafez al-Assad rise to power using military authority after executing a military coup on November 16, 1970.

The Baath Party began to eliminate political parties, forcing some to operate secretly, but severe repression prevented these parties from spreading or influencing effectively. To completely eliminate these parties, Hafez al-Assad created what was called the “National Progressive Front,” leading to the withdrawal of opposing parties like the communists and nationalists from it, while persecuting the dissenters.

The era of the Arab Socialist Baath Party ended after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024. On January 29, the General Command announced the dissolution of the ruling Baath Party in Syria under the previous regime, along with the parties of the National Progressive Front and related organizations, institutions, and committees, prohibiting their reformation under any other name and returning all their assets to the Syrian state.