e
Progressive National Front is dominated by Ba`thists but includes
independents and members of the Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP), Arab
Socialist Union (ASU), Syrian Communist Party (SCP), Arab Socialist Unionist
Movement, and Democratic Socialist Union Party
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 2 December 1991 (next to be held December 1998); results -
President Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected for a fourth seven-year term with
99.98% of the vote
People's Council:
last held 22-23 May 1990 (next to be held NA May 1994); results - Ba`th
53.6%, ASU 3.2%, SCP 3.2%, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 2.8%, ASP 2%,
Democratic Socialist Union Party 1.6%, independents 33.6%; seats - (250
total) Ba`th 134, ASU 8, SCP 8, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 7, ASP 5,
Democratic Socialist Union Party 4, independents 84; note - the People's
Council was expanded to 250 seats total prior to the May 1990 election

:Syria Government

Communists:
Syrian Communist Party (SCP)
Other political or pressure groups:
non-Ba`th parties have little effective political influence; Communist party
ineffective; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Walid MOUALEM; Chancery at 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008; telephone (202) 232-6313
US:
Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS; Embassy at Abu Rumaneh, Al Mansur Street
No. 2, Damascus (mailing address is P. O. Box 29, Damascus); telephone [963]
(11) 333052 or 332557, 330416, 332814, 332315, 714108, 337178, 333232; FAX
[963] (11) 718-687
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with two small
green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band and of Iraq,
which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal
line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which
has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

:Syria Economy

Overview:
Syria's state-dominated Ba`thist economy has benefited f