Why governor of Hasakah cannot exercise his full authority?

Syria is administratively composed of 14 governorates, each governed by an administrative body headed by a governor, who is the highest executive official in the governorate. He is tasked with representing the central authority and managing executive and service affairs.

According to the regulatory laws and procedures of the local administration system in the government, the governor has broad executive powers. These include overseeing government work within the governorate, participating in nominating and coordinating the appointment of district and subdistrict chiefs, and directors of ministerial departments. This contributes to implementing development plans and ensuring the delivery of services to citizens.

After January 29 of last year, an agreement was reached to appoint a new governor for Al-Hasakah, Nour al-Din Ahmed, as part of an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the interim government in Syria. The agreement stipulated that the governor would be appointed by the SDF and approved by a decree from the central authority.

Despite the governor assuming his duties after a decree issued by the Prime Minister of the interim government on a Friday (an official holiday for administrative institutions) on February 13 of this year, he has still not been able to exercise his executive role in the same way as governors in other Syrian provinces, according to monitoring by our news agency over the past three months.

Powers and Duties of the Governor under Local Administration Law

Under local administration legislation, the governor is considered a representative of the central authority in the governorate and responsible for implementing government policies on the ground. He is also the head of local executive bodies and plays a key role in organizing work between government directorates within the governorate.

He is also an influential partner in proposing and coordinating the appointment of district and subdistrict chiefs, submitting recommendations to the relevant authorities, and following up on their implementation in coordination with the concerned ministries.

In addition, he is responsible for coordination between various ministerial directorates within the governorate’s borders, such as education, health, supply, agriculture, and others, ensuring that government performance aligns with the needs of the population.

These duties and powers are outlined in the internal regulations of governorate administration, as well as in decisions issued by the Ministry of Local Administration after the fall of the Baath regime, which aimed to “strengthen the role of the governor in local administration and decentralization.”

Geographical and Administrative Structure of Hasakah Governorate

Hasakah Governorate consists of several administrative units: Geographically, it includes regions, districts, towns, and villages. Administratively, it is divided into areas. There are five main districts: Hasakah, Qamishlo, Derik, Serekaniye, and Shaddadi.

These districts include subdistricts, which are smaller administrative units that fall under the governorate’s administrative divisions. They are distributed geographically according to population density and service needs. The total number of subdistricts in Hasakah Governorate is 19.

through directorates linked to central ministries, such as the Education Directorate, Health Directorate, Agriculture Directorate, and others. These operate theoretically within the framework of ministry plans and under the supervision and coordination of the governorate, ensuring the implementation of policies on the ground.

Reality in Hasakah: Restriction of the Governor’s Role

Despite the powers and responsibilities enjoyed by governors in other Syrian provinces, the Governor of Hasakah has faced restrictions since his appointment, particularly on the appointment of district and subdistrict directors and ministry-affiliated directorates.

ANHA Agency has observed examples of this, including the appointment of the Serekaniye district director, and similar cases in the Shaddadi district and its countryside. In addition, the opening of the Tal Koçer crossing took place without the governor’s presence, and he was absent from official events in Serekaniye and Shaddadi.

It was also observed that the appointment of some ministerial directorate heads, such as the Health Director, was carried out without the governor exercising his evaluative or guiding role in shaping nominations or reviewing performance.

Stated Reasons and Evidence

According to sources familiar with the implementation of the January 29 agreement between the SDF and the governmental bodies responsible for implementing the agreement, these developments are attributed to unofficial political understandings linked to the security and administrative situation in the region.

The sources indicate that the government and its committees responsible for the integration file are adopting this approach in managing certain files, by keeping part of the decision-making outside the governor’s traditional authority, as is practiced in other Syrian provinces.

According to the same sources, a number of administrative procedures are linked to field conditions and developments on the ground. This is used to justify not adopting some of the proposals submitted by the governor, or to reduce his executive role compared to what is practiced in other provinces.

Some sources within directorates also indicated that certain departments communicate directly with the ministry without coordinating with the governorate committees responsible for coordination between directorates.

The sources also confirm that this administrative pattern is due to linking some administrative files to political and procedural considerations handled by government-appointed integration committees. This includes files such as the judiciary and the opening of crossings, which has created obstacles to completing other administrative procedures within different institutions and sectors, affecting the level of administrative coordination and the actual scope of authority within the governorate.

Comparison with Other Provinces

In provinces such as Idlib, Hama, Aleppo, and Damascus, governors exercise broad powers, from proposing and coordinating the appointment of district and subdistrict heads to coordinating with ministries to implement development and service plans. These procedures are part of the established mechanisms of Syria’s local administration system.

In Hasakah, however, the continued bypassing of the governor’s role in these matters raises questions about its impact on the effectiveness of service administration in the governorate and its ability to achieve the required institutional coordination between executive bodies and central decisions.

ANHA