The
2024 Syrian opposition offensives, codenamed "Deterrence of Aggression," were led by
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported by allied
Turkish-backed groups in the
Syrian National Army. These offensives resulted in the rapid
fall of
Bashar al-Assad's
government, ending five decades of
Assad family rule that began when
Hafez al-Assad assumed power in 1971 under the
Ba'ath Party following a
coup d'état. As a
rebel coalition moved closer to Damascus, reports indicated that Bashar al-Assad had fled the capital by plane to Russia, where he joined his exiled family and was granted
political asylum by the
Russian government. After his departure, opposition forces announced their victory on state television. At the same time, Russia's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his resignation and departure from Syria. On 29 December 2024,
Syria TV reported that preparations were underway for a National Conference of 1,200 representatives for which the date has not been decided yet.
Syria TV said that during the National Conference, the constitutional drafting committee would be announced and that during the conference, the
People's Assembly of Syria and all
armed factions including HTS would be dissolved, leading to the restructuring of a new national army. Later that day, Syria's then-
de facto leader
Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that elections could take up to 4 years to be organized, with the need to conduct a census beforehand.
Constitutional changes After the
regime change, al-Sharaa was formally appointed
president of Syria by the Syrian General Command for the transitional period during the
Syrian Revolution Victory Conference in Damascus on 29 January 2025. Before this, he had served as the
de facto leader following the fall of the Assad regime. In his first address as president on 31 January 2025, al-Sharaa stated that he would issue a "constitutional declaration" to serve as a "legal reference" until a new constitution was established. After a meeting of the armed groups that took part in the offensive against the Assad regime, these groups simultaneously agreed to abolish the
2012 constitution of Ba'athist Syria and initiate the drafting of a replacement document. While the Assad regime's fall was celebrated by many Syrians, the subsequent establishment of
Islamist leadership generated uncertainty among the country's religious minorities, with many communities expressing reluctance to accept Damascus's authority in their regions. During the Syrian Revolution Victory Conference,
Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the
Military Operations Command, announced the repeal of the 2012 constitution. On 12 February 2025, the caretaker government announced the formation of a preparatory committee for the then-upcoming
Syrian National Dialogue Conference, comprising seven members: Hassan al-Daghim, Maher Alloush, Mohammed Mastet, Youssef al-Hijr,
Mustafa al-Moussa,
Hind Kabawat, and Houda Atassi. The conference faced criticism for inadequate representation of Syria's diverse communities and civic organizations. On 13 March 2025, president al-Sharaa ratified the interim constitution, which will be valid for five years. == Overview ==