Syrian interim president Ahmed Al-Sharara signed a temporary constitution that will be in effect over a five-year transitional period, three months after his army led the lightning attack that overthrew the Bashar al-Assad government.
When signing the document on Thursday, Arshala said he hoped the constitutional declaration would mark the beginning of “a new history in Syria that replaces oppression with justice.”
The temporary constitution holds several aspects of its predecessor, including the provision that heads of state must be Muslims and the establishment of Islamic law as the main source of jurisprudence, said Abdulhamid al-Awak, a member of the draft committee.
Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the issue of introducing rules regarding the religious affiliation of leaders was a “contested issue.”
“There have been a lot of questions about whether that would be one of the articles, but it’s clear now that the head of state must be Muslim,” he said.
The document also includes provisions that definitively liberal expression and the “social, political and economic rights” of the press and women, adding that it will help “balance between social security and freedom” during Syria’s unstable political situation.
Much of its focus is on transitional justice, aiming to ensure that crimes committed under the previous Al-Assad government are prosecuted.
Under the temporary constitution, enforcement rights will also be limited to the president, Al Awaq pointed out the need for “quick action to tackle difficulties.”
The People’s Assembly, where a third of the president is appointed, will be entrusted with all laws “until the election is held,” Selder said. “According to the president, it’s probably going to be up to four to five years.”
“Their people’s gatherings have the authority to loot the president himself, and while it is theoretically possible, it would be very difficult in practice. [many of] Members are scheduled to be directly appointed by the President himself. ”
A new committee will be formed to draft a permanent constitution, but it is unclear whether it will more encompass Syrian political, religious and ethnic groups.
On Monday, Alshara reached a groundbreaking agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria.
However, the US-backed SDF administration criticised the constitutional declaration, saying it was inconsistent with “the reality of Syria and its diversity.”
The draft said it lacked “the spirit of the Syrian people and various elements from Kurds to Arabs, as well as Syrian, Assyrians and other Syrian national components.”
Last week, government forces and alliance groups cracked down on a rebellion launched by gunmen loyal to al-Assad.
Rights groups say the hundreds of civilians are primarily from the Alawi minority to which Al Assad belongs, and were killed in retaliatory attacks by counterattack factions.
Syria’s interim rulers are still trying to show their authority over most of the country since the Al-Sharaa group Hayat Taharil Al-Sham, or HTS, led the assault on Al-Assad in December.
Critics have said that holding a provisional parliamentary election last month, calling for the National Dialogue Conference and a temporary constitution, does not encompass different ethnic and sectarian groups or civil society in Syria.
Israel attacks Damascus
The signature of the Constitutional Declaration came when the Israeli Air Force conducted an air attack in Damascus on Thursday.
“At the same time the constitutional declaration has been signed, we have heard two major explosions,” said Selder of Al Jazeera, adding that reports that one person has been killed have not yet been fixed.
The Syrian state news agency said three civilians, including a woman in serious condition, were injured and the building was on the edge of Damascus.
In a statement, Israeli military said it had targeted the “terrorist headquarters” in Damascus, which belongs to the Palestinian Islamic jihad group.
Muhammad al-Haji Musa, a spokesman for Islamic jihad, denied that the targeted building is a command center, writing to Telegram that it is an empty house.
Two Syrian security sources told news outlet Reuters that the target was Palestinian.
“This is definitely a show of power, and the Israelis just want to make sure that the new leadership within the country is aware that Israel is watching over them,” Selder said.
“This is an Israeli psychological game,” he said. “Israel is undoubtedly trying to make the new administration’s work extremely difficult and recover from the civil war while the country is trying to maintain its state equipment.”
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