Syrian parties have issued comments on the constitutional declaration signed by the interim Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, yesterday, March 13.

The declaration is divided into five sections: general principles, rights and freedoms, the three authorities, the transitional phase, and finally, final provisions.

It defines the identity of the Syrian state, the powers of the president, the form of governance, in addition to many other details.

Kurdish rejection

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) announced its rejection of the constitutional declaration on Friday, March 14, stating that its refusal is an extension of its opposition to the National Dialogue Conference. It remarked that anything built upon the results of this conference “will remain insufficient to address the national issue.”

The SDC, which is the political umbrella for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria, stated in a press release that the constitutional declaration “reproduces oppression in a new form, centralizes governance, grants the executive authority absolute powers, while restricting political activity and freezing the formation of parties, thus hindering the democratic transition.”

The Kurdish National Council (KNC), one of the key players in Kurdish politics in northeastern Syria, expressed its rejection of the constitutional declaration.

Shelal Kado, a member of the General Secretariat of the KNC, told the Rudaw network on Friday that the constitutional declaration “was written with a mindset based on one nation and one religion,” failing to guarantee the rights of the country’s national and religious components.

Kado called for certain measures to amend the declaration to “ensure the rights of all nationalities and components in the country, as five years is not a short period to manage a country.”

On its part, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) stated on Thursday evening that the new document “contains clauses and a traditional pattern similar to the norms and standards followed by the Baath government.”

It added that the declaration contradicts the reality of Syria and the existing diversity within it, describing it as an “actual falsification of Syria’s national and societal identity.”

AANES represents a political cover for the Syrian Democratic Forces, while the Kurdish National Council stands in opposition, amid ongoing dialogue for rapprochement between them over the years.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed an agreement with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, where both parties agreed to ensure the rights of all Syrians in representation and participation in the political process and state institutions based on competence, regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds.

International welcome

UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen welcomed the constitutional declaration, noting that the declaration “could fill an important legal vacuum in Syria.”

Pedersen expressed hope that the constitutional declaration would serve as “a robust legal framework for an inclusive, credible, and serious peaceful transition.”

On Thursday, the Syrian president signed the draft constitutional declaration after receiving it from the committee of experts assigned to draft it.

According to a report from the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) after signing the draft, al-Sharaa said, “We hope this marks a new history for Syria, replacing ignorance with knowledge and suffering with mercy.”

He added, “We hope this will be a good omen for the Syrian people on the path to rebuilding and development.”