On March 13, 2025, the Transitional Phase President, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, signed the Constitutional Declaration, followed by the announcement of the formation of the Transitional Government on the evening of March 29, 2025. The government included 22 ministers and only one female minister. According to the Constitutional Declaration, the transitional phase was set for five years. All of this is happening amidst worsening security and economic challenges at an accelerating pace.

We, in the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, view the issuance of the Constitutional Declaration as necessary at this critical stage to manage the country’s affairs and fill the constitutional vacuum following the suspension of the “2012 Constitution.” However, it was the result of a non-elected committee and was not subjected to a popular referendum, which restricted the appointed committee’s work and its ability to amend key provisions, limiting them mainly to previous Syrian constitutions, especially the 1950 Constitution. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Declaration, in its current form, failed to address many critical issues and was insufficient in reassuring a broad segment of the Syrian people on several fundamental matters, including:

1. Excessive executive power, particularly for the President, undermining the principle of separation of powers, which was emphasized in Article 2 of the Constitutional Declaration. This raises concerns about the potential reproduction of the previous regime.

2. The absence of fundamental phrases from previous Syrian constitutions, most notably “Sovereignty belongs to the people… and is based on the principle of rule by the people, of the people, and for the people.” Additionally, there was no reference to democracy as the foundation of the governance system.

3. An overly long transitional period, as the Constitutional Declaration sets it at five years, which is longer than necessary to convene a national conference, draft a permanent constitution, and hold free and fair elections to allow the Syrian people to choose their representatives at all levels.

Based on this, we, in the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, recognize that the Constitutional Declaration presents progress in some aspects that should be preserved in drafting the permanent constitution, particularly the inclusion of international human rights treaties, conventions, and agreements. However, amendments to the Constitutional Declaration are urgently needed to build trust and promote inclusivity. The most crucial amendments include:

1. Expanding the provisions on women’s rights, particularly their political rights, to ensure their fair participation in decision-making and achieve real political representation.

2. Affirming democracy as the foundation of governance and reinstating the phrase that emphasizes “sovereignty belongs to the people.”

3. Adjusting the powers and functions of authorities to guarantee true separation of powers and judicial independence, particularly that of the Supreme Constitutional Court. The mechanism for forming this court should be reconsidered to ensure its complete independence from the executive authority, and its responsibilities should be explicitly stated within the Constitutional Declaration.

Additionally, we welcome the formation of the Transitional Government and acknowledge the circumstances surrounding its selection. However, we express concern about the continued trend of political exclusion, as sovereign ministries were assigned to figures from a single political background, with a complete absence of representation for other Syrian political and societal forces. Furthermore, the appointment of only one female minister reflects the ongoing marginalization of Syrian women and the disregard for their roles and expertise—an approach previously adopted by both the former regime and the opposition alike. Building a democratic homeland cannot be achieved without fair and genuine representation of women in decision-making positions. Their participation should not be limited to non-political roles.

Finally, we stress the urgent need to establish a “Commission for Transitional Justice”, as stipulated in Article 49 of the Constitutional Declaration, given the pressing need to address this issue at this stage. This requires significant effort to ensure justice for victims, uphold accountability, and mitigate the increasing human rights violations that have escalated over the past month.

Long live Syria, its land and people

General Secretariat of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement
Thursday, April 3, 2025