Politician: Decentralization is Syrian necessity, not a choice

Engineer Faisal Khalil, head of the Aleppo Office of the National Democratic Civil Gathering, told ANHA agency that scenes of violence and security chaos persist in areas controlled by the Transitional Government in Syria, with no effective measures to curb violations or address the escalating crisis that fuels sectarian and ethnic tensions and prolongs the Syrian conflict.

Power Vacuum and Organizational Exploitation

Khalil said “what Syria is witnessing today is no longer a passing internal crisis, but a major humanitarian catastrophe threatening all Syrian components and dismantling what remains of state institutions.”

He pointed out that “the country entered a wide power vacuum after the collapse of the Baath regime, allowing takfiri armed groups to impose de facto rule through what they called ‘victory celebrations.’

He explained: “In those absurd political theatrics, these factions installed Ahmed al-Shar’a as a symbolic president, while al-Jolani tightened his grip over all authorities after issuing a constitutional declaration that granted him absolute powers, placing the country’s resources in the hands of a single religious authority.”

 Wide Wave of Violations

Khalil stated that “the phase of al-Shar’a assuming the presidency of the Transitional Government was accompanied by a broad, systematic wave of violations, many of which amount to crimes against humanity.

Reviewing some of these violations, he said: In the Syrian coast: residents faced campaigns of killings, executions, and mass arrests that claimed thousands of lives.

In Damascus and its countryside: areas such as Jaramana, Sahnaya, and al-Ashrafieh were subjected to similar security crackdowns. Churches and religious sites were attacked, including St. Elias Church in Damascus, in clear violation of freedom of belief. In Sweida: a large-scale raid took place, involving brutal killings, looting of property, burning of homes, mutilation of bodies, disruption of exams, deprivation of students’ right to education, and a siege amounting to collective punishment. In Homs, sectarian attacks targeted minorities and civilians under fabricated pretexts.

Centralized Governance… No Longer a Viable Option

Khalil stressed that all events have proven the failure of the forced centralized model in governing the Syrian state. He emphasized that “reproducing authoritarianism on one hand, and leaving space for ideological extremism on the other, will only lead to total collapse and new civil wars.”

He stressed that Syria needs a civil, pluralistic, secular, decentralized federal system, describing it as an existential necessity rather than a secondary political choice.

He called for transitioning to a system that grants regions autonomy in managing cultural, educational, economic, and security affairs; protects religious and ethnic minorities; shields communities from cross-border conflicts; and preserves Syria’s unity within a federal framework.

Foundations of the Proposed Decentralized System

Khalil outlined several principles that should underpin a decentralized system, including:

- Flexible shared sovereignty within one state with limited central institutions

- Broad regional authority over local affairs

Fair minority representation in legislative and executive bodies

- Temporary veto mechanisms on sensitive issues

- An advisory council for national components with binding recommendation powers

- Full separation between the four authorities: legislative, executive, judicial, and media.

He also stressed the importance of a modern political parties law that bans parties based on religious or sectarian foundations while guaranteeing freedom of expression.

Security Decentralization and Transitional Justice

In the security domain, Khalil called for forming regional police forces under local civilian leadership, with limited central coordination in national security and cross-border terrorism cases.

He also proposed transitional justice measures including:

specialized courts for past violations, national reconciliation programs, compensation for victims, and ensuring that perpetrators do not escape accountability.

Learning from the Autonomous Administration Experience

Khalil noted the value of learning from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which has developed an advanced administrative model that emerged alongside the Syrian crisis itself.

He described the envisioned federal state’s central representation as: A multi-component presidential council and a bicameral parliament (one chamber for regions and another for population-based representation), mandatory consensus on major national issues, in addition to a permanent consultative role for minority leadership councils

He also called for practical steps toward building a decentralized system, such as:

a national conference, a broadened constitutional committee, a transitional security agreement with international guarantees, internationally supervised local and regional elections, a reconstruction plan, a conflict-resolution mechanism, and a unified media discourse that criminalizes hate speech.

In concluding his remarks, Faisal Khalil emphasized that the goal is “a democratic, secular, pluralistic, decentralized federal state of citizenship that guarantees freedom and dignity for the people, without any external tutelage,” stressing the need for separation and independence among the four authorities.

ANHA