“Decentralization is the optimal solution for new Syria”

Popular demands in Syria are increasingly calling for the establishment of a pluralistic democratic system that guarantees the rights of all its components and preserves their dignity, amid profound political and social transformations following the fall of the Ba’ath regime in December 2024.

Ahmed al-Khalf, vice co-chairman of the Future Syria Party, stated: “Syria has been trapped in a cycle of political deadlock and marginalization of popular will since the outbreak of the crisis in early 2011, through the phases of the revolution, its ups and downs, the subjugation of factions to external powers, the Islamization of the revolution, and the emergence of extremist groups such as ISIS.”

Al-Khalf added: “Syria continues to suffer from the absence of a political solution and the marginalization of popular will, while the centralized authoritarian regime remains intact since the establishment of the transitional government.”

He pointed out that the transitional government has gone through dysfunctional phases as it failed to include all segments of the Syrian people and excluded many regions such as the south, the coastal areas, and the North and East of Syria an indication of foreign influence.

Al-Khalf emphasized that the government has failed to respond to the popular demands raised since the beginning of the crisis freedom, justice, and dignity for which thousands of martyrs have been sacrificed and millions displaced. He stressed that the current situation does not indicate progress towards a democratic solution or respect for the cultural diversity of all components.

The Transitional Government Must Acknowledge Its Mistakes

Al-Khalf underscored: “If there is genuine intent to achieve a democratic solution and social justice in Syria, the transitional government must first acknowledge its mistakes and the failure of its previous steps, and rebuild the gains of the revolution through an inclusive national dialogue conference from east to west, south to north encompassing all segments and ethnicities of the Syrian people, free from tribal or sectarian chauvinism.”

He affirmed the need to draft a new constitution that guarantees freedoms, safeguards rights, respects cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity, and enshrines these rights constitutionally, allowing the Syrian people to enjoy the fruits of their decade-long struggle.

Al-Khalf stressed the importance of recognizing political movements, licensing political parties, and enabling organized political work within Syria, especially for parties committed to democratic paths. He also called for consolidating the principle of separation of powers legislative, judicial, and executive and implementing decentralization.

He explained that “decentralization is not separation, as some propagate, but political and administrative decentralization that allows local communities to elect their direct leaders through free and fair elections, empowering them to manage their affairs in line with their beliefs and social and ethnic realities, consistent with Syria’s social fabric.”

He concluded that political and administrative decentralization is the optimal solution for the new Syria, especially given recent developments, and urged the transitional government to abandon policies of repression and marginalization.

ANHA