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There are many factors that have contributed to Syria’s current state, but the most important element that has contributed to continuing calcification of authoritarianism in Syria is the state’s constitution (i.e. the governmental structure) –which has been to the avail of the Assad families’ dynastic rule. The Assad family came to power in 1970, after Hafez al-Assad lead a peaceful military coup. For the next 30 years, until his death, Hafez al-Assad governed as President of Syria’s one-party dominated state. After Hafez’s expiration, his second son, Bashar al-Assad, ended his practice as an eye doctor in London to succeed his late father.
Syria's One-party Dominance:
The structure of the Syria Arab Republic is classified as a semi-presidential republic with a pluralistic party system. Although the state has been branded as a multiparty republic, since 1961, the constitution has designated the Syrian Ba’ath Party as the chief party. Before the 2012 constitutional referendum, the National Progressive Front (a coalition of the Ba’ath Party and multiple allied/subordinate parties) were guaranteed at least 167 of the 250 seats in parliament: “Article 8 of the Constitution stipulates that ‘the Arab Socialist Baath Party leads society and the state’” (Zirulnick, 2011)
The Assad regime—father and son—have utilized Syria’s constitution flaws to maintain and amass clout. The auspicious structure of Syria’s one-party dominated government has been to Assad’s’ avail.
The Syrian Arab republic operates under three distinct branches of government, in addition to the President who is, essentially, the sovereign head-of-state. Just like the United States, Syria’s three branches of government are their executive branch (ministers), the legislative branch (the parliament), the judicial branch (the courts); all three branches have contributed to the authoritarian condition of the state.
The Assads' Control Over the Government:
First, the head-of-state, President Bashar al-Assad, is the paramount actor in the Syrian government. The President of the Syrian Arab Republic serves seven-years terms, with a two-term limit (due to the 2012 constitutional referendum). The Office of the President affords Assad enormously prodigious prerogatives: The President is an unchecked autocrat. As President, Bashar al-Assad has the onus of appointing all members of the Council of Ministers (these are the members of Syria’s executive branch); he can issue and enforce the nation’s laws; he can amend the Syrian constitution, at will; he can also declare war, alone—too, at will; and he has the power to decline or approve his government’s five-year plans.
The executive body of the Syrian government consist of the Council of Ministers, who are all appointed by the President; the Council of Ministers is made up of the Prime Minister, deputies, and cabinet ministers. The head of the executive branch and the official head of the government is the Prime Minister—again, who is appointed by the President. Just like the American executive branch, they own the authority to enforce legislation.
In addition, like I stated prior, the Assad Regine has been a dynastic rule: meaning, multiple members of the autocrat’s family are involving and are instrumental to governing—holding high-level government positions. For example, President Bashar al-Assad’s younger brother, Maher al-Assad, is head of the Republican Guard, an elite security force; in addition, Maher is also the commander of a Syrian military division and a prominent member of the dominant Ba’ath party—Maher is conserved the second most powerful man in Syria.
In addition to the Assad brothers’ firm grip on power, President’s Bashar al-Assad's cousin in one of the most affluent and successful businesspersons in the country; he used his direct ties to the Assad administration to influence the market and his competitors, usually there spying and intimidation. To add, President Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law is tremendously influential as the chief of military intelligence. The dynastic dynamic of the Syrian government makes it a nearly insurmountable task to expunge Bashar al-Assad because his families’ influence permeates throughout the entire government. If the aim for the Syrian people is to completely extricate themselves from the autocratic Assad regime, they would not only need to rid themselves of Bashar but also of his family’s entire indelible mark on all reaches of the Syrian government.
The legislative branch of the Syrian Arab Republic is, seemingly by name only, a pluralistic party system: a parliament where the seats are diversely occupied. Although, like I stated prior, a genuine multiparty system is a planet’s difference away from how Syria’s parliament actually functions.
The legislative body of Syria is the People’s Council. The People’s Council is a parliamentary body that consists of 250 seats. Candidates are elected to serve four-year-term, without limit. As stated, the constitution gifted the National Progressive Front (a coalition of the Ba’ath party and allied parties) with a guaranteed 167 of 250 seats--assuring the persistence of the one-party state. This is unquestionably to Assad’s avail. His aims go unchallenged and the existence of the one-party dominate state--with Assad being part-in-parcel to the ruling party—allows President Bashar al-Assad to own the monopoly on power.
The judicial branch of the Syrian government consists of multiple courts, made up of “…civil, criminal, military, security, and religious. Religious courts handle family law, such as divorce cases. The legal codes are mainly based on French law” (Pariona, 2016) The President of Syria and the High Judicial Council are at the helm of the legislative branch. They dismiss and appoint the nation’s judges; this means that President is, in essence, the head-of-state and the chief of all three branches of government. In regard to the judicial branch, it is his discretion to arbitrarily add and remove any judge at will.
Government's power to Suppress Dissent:
Like nearly any other strong-arm authoritarian administrations, Assad Regime uses its governmental agencies and appendages to suppress dissent and manipulate elections.
First, the Assad regime harasses and arrest individuals who speak disparagingly about the regime; they use the courts and draconian legislation to preemptively implead dissent and possible insurrection (though the Arab spring displayed its failure).
The Assad Regime exercises tough control over the state’s media institutions: the Syrian state runs and/or supervises the broadcast stations, print media, and they punish opposition journalist. Second, the
Syrian elections have been under international scrutiny for suspected manipulation. Although Syria reported high voter turnout, it is surmised that many Syrian citizens were unaware of the election or the candidates running, resulting in the thesis of there being a low voter turnout in the state. To add to suspicion, the Assad government does not allow international election monitors to observe Syrian elections.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it is a near consensus that the Syrian Arab Republic is an authoritarian state. Authoritarianism is a multifaceted issue—there are many contributed elements—but, since the term is nomenclature for a type of government, it makes sense that a nations constitution/government-structure is the driving, paramount, element. Since Hafez al-Assad lead a peaceful military coup in 1970, his family has significantly benefited.
Bibliography:
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. 2011. Syria U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/186661.pdf (May 10, 2019).
Pariona, Amber. 2016. “What Type Of Government Does Syria Have?” WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-government-does-syria-have.html (May 11, 2019).
“The Decades-Long Rule of Syria's Al-Assad Dynasty.” 2011. YouTUBE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLH-HsT_Ewk (May 10, 2019).
Zirulnick, ariel. 2011. “Syria 101: 4 Attributes of Assad's Authoritarian Regime.” The Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0429/Syria-101-4-attributes-of-Assad-s-authoritarian-regime/The-Assad-family (May 11, 2019).
Photo Credits:
https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-07-08/syria-baath-party-reshuffles-leadership-syrian-opposition-leader-hitto-resigns
https://www.cfr.org/blog/remembering-hafez-al-assad
https://www.newsweek.com/has-syria-dictator-assad-suffered-stroke-564514
https://southfront.org/syrian-social-nationalist-party-arab-nationalism-and-conflict-in-syria/