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Syria's New Constitutional Era Faces Sectarian Violence and Criticism

Ahmed al-Sharaa signs transitional constitution promoting rights, but sectarian tensions and Kurdish opposition challenge unity.

Syria's interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa, center, prepares to sign a temporary constitution for the country in Damascus, Syria, Thursday March 13, 2025. At left foreign minister Asaad Hassan al-Shiban.(AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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FILE - Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, looks on during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
A fighter from the Druze Rijal al-Karameh militia talks to a driver while looking through his car at a checkpoint in the town of Jaramana, in the southern outskirts of Damascus, Syria, March 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Overview

  • Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's interim leader, has signed a constitutional declaration outlining a five-year transitional period with provisions for women's rights, freedom of expression, and judicial independence.
  • The declaration repeals the Assad-era constitution and dissolves the previous parliament, but maintains Islamic jurisprudence as the primary source of legislation and requires the president to be Muslim.
  • Sectarian violence erupted on Syria's Mediterranean coast last week, with mass killings targeting Alawites and other minorities, resulting in over 1,400 civilian deaths according to observers.
  • The Kurdish administration criticized the new framework for failing to reflect Syria's ethnic and religious diversity, highlighting ongoing divisions within the country.
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an impartial investigation into the violence and emphasized the need for an inclusive political transition to ensure accountability and national reconciliation.