l-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since
11 March 1984) and Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984)

head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa MIRU (since 13
March 2000), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11
March 1984), Khalid RA'D (since 13 March 2000), Muhammad NAJI 'UTRI
(since 13 March 2000)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
referendum/election last held 10 July 2000 - after the death of
President Hafez al-ASAD, father of Bashar al-ASAD - (next to be held
NA 2007); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister
and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

election results: Bashar al-ASAD elected president; percent of vote
- Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%

note: Hafiz al-ASAD died 10 June 2000; 20 June 2000 the Ba'th Party
nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name to the
People's Council 25 June 2000

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-shaab
(250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held
NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, non-NPF 33%;
seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the constitution
guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receive
one-half of the seats

Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are
appointed for four-year terms by the president); High Judicial
Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts

Political parties and leaders: National Progressive Front or NPF
(includes the Ba'th Party, ASU, Arab Socialist Party, Socialist
Unionist Democratic Party, ASP, SCP) [President Bashar al-ASAD];
Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party (governing party) [Bashar
al-ASAD, secretary general of the party, and chairman of the
National Progressive Front after the death of Hafiz al-ASAD on 10
June 2000]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement or ASU [Sami SOUFAN];
Arab Socialist Party [Abd al-Ghani KANNUT]; Socialist Unionist
Democratic Party [Ahmad al-ASAD]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP
[Safwan KOUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party or SCP [Yusuf FAYSAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders: conservative religious
leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in exile in Jordan and Yemen);
non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence

International