Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Shara signed an interim constitution today that will leave the country under Islamist rule for the next five years during a transitional phase of power.
Syria's interim government has been struggling to control much of the country since December, when the former Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad.
The heads of the armed groups that participated in the offensive against Assad appointed the former leader of the HTS, Ahmad Al-Shaara, as interim president of the state, abolished the Constitution, and announced that they would create a new one.
While many were happy to see the end of more than 50 years of dictatorial rule by the Assad family in the war-torn country, religious and ethnic minorities were skeptical of the new Islamist leaders and hesitant to allow the HTS to establish control over their areas.
Abdulhamid Al-Awak, one of the seven members of the committee tasked with drafting the interim constitution, said today that some provisions from the previous one had been retained, including that the head of state must be a Muslim and that Islamic law is the main source of jurisprudence.
Al-Avak, a constitutional law expert who teaches at Mardin Artuklu University in Turkey, said the Constitution includes guarantees of freedom of expression and the press.
A key goal of the interim constitution is to extend the timeframe for political transition. In December, Al-Shara said it could take three years to enact a new constitution and five years to organize and hold new democratic elections.
The formation of a new committee to draft the Constitution has been announced, but it is unclear whether it will be more inclusive of Syria's political, religious, and ethnic groups.
Al-Shara reached a pact with Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria on Monday that includes a ceasefire and the merging of their armed forces with those of the central government.
The agreement came after government forces brutally crushed an uprising launched last week by armed groups loyal to Assad.
Human rights groups say hundreds of civilians, mostly from the minority Alawite sect to which Assad belongs, have been killed in reprisals by government forces.
Al-Sharaa appointed the committee to draft a new constitution after Syria held a national dialogue conference last month, which called for the document and parliamentary elections. Critics said the hastily organized conference did not include Syria's diverse ethnic groups.
The US and EU are hesitant to lift sanctions imposed on Syria during Assad's rule until they are convinced that new leaders will create an inclusive political system and protect minorities.
Al-Shara is urging them to reconsider that decision, fearing that the poor economy could lead to further instability.
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