DAMASCUS: Syria’s reformed Supreme Constitutional Court, the country’s highest judicial authority, is working to strengthen public confidence in its mission to preserve the separation of powers and rule of law, its president has said.
In an interview, Dr. Issam Al-Khalif said that one of the court’s first tasks after its reconstitution was to review the draft law regulating its functions and jurisdiction, prepared by a committee of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Syrian Republic, in addition to drafting the court’s financial regulations.
He added that the court’s members deliberated the draft law during two extensive sessions held over a two-week period, ahead of referring it to the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Syrian Republic to complete the legal procedures required for its enactment through the People’s Assembly and President Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
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The Supreme Constitutional Court is entrusted with key constitutional responsibilities, including interpreting the Constitutional Declaration, conducting constitutional review of legislation and settling disputes between the three branches of government, the official said.
The draft law defines the conditions for court membership, the procedures governing the termination of members’ service, the court’s jurisdiction and powers, and the legal procedures regulating the exercise of its constitutional mandate, he said.
Al-Khalif said the Supreme Constitutional Court is entrusted with key constitutional responsibilities, including interpreting the Constitutional Declaration, conducting constitutional review of legislation and settling disputes between the three branches of government.
Constitutional review includes both prior and subsequent periods, he said.
Subsequent constitutional review is exercised after legislation has been adopted by the People’s Assembly, whereby the court examines its conformity with the Constitutional Declaration in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures, Al-Khalif said.
Prior constitutional review, meanwhile, includes providing constitutional opinions on draft legislation referred by the executive authority, reviewing legislative proposals submitted by the People’s Assembly and adjudicating constitutional objections concerning legislative provisions referred by the Court of Cassation, the Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Administrative Court, where sufficient legal grounds exist.
Addressing the court’s role in maintaining the separation of powers, Al-Khalif said the Supreme Constitutional Court is responsible for applying the Constitutional Declaration, which defines the powers of the legislative, executive and judicial authorities.
He added that whenever positive or negative jurisdictional disputes arise between these authorities, the court is constitutionally mandated to adjudicate such disputes in accordance with the powers assigned to it under the Constitutional Declaration.
Regarding the review of Syria’s legislative framework, Al-Khalif said that this responsibility primarily rests with the People’s Assembly, while the court’s role is limited to providing constitutional opinions on draft laws and legislative proposals.
He added that one of the People’s Assembly’s priorities is to examine fundamental legislation, which forms the legal basis for subsequent laws, including the Basic Labor Law, the Financial System Law and the Contracts Law.
He added that such legislative integration among state institutions would help remove obstacles to achieving the public interest while consolidating fundamental constitutional principles and safeguarding rights.
Responding to a question about restoring public confidence in Syria’s judicial system after more than five decades, Al-Khalif said that the Supreme Constitutional Court is Syria’s highest judicial authority responsible for constitutional review and the settlement of disputes between state authorities.
He added that the court does not hear ordinary judicial disputes but exercises its constitutional mandate exclusively in accordance with the Constitutional Declaration.
The court, he said, seeks to strengthen judicial independence by ensuring that judges can issue rulings free from external influence, subject only to the law and their professional conscience.
Al-Khalif added that the court looked forward to fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities to safeguard the Constitutional Declaration and reinforce the principle of the separation of powers.
He added that raising public awareness of the court’s constitutional mandate would help strengthen confidence in state institutions and enhance institutional integration in a manner that serves the public interest.
Al-Sharaa issued Legislative Decree No. 149 of 2026 on July 7, appointing Al-Khalif as president of the court.
The decree also stipulates that, pending the promulgation of the law regulating the court’s work, it shall exercise constitutional review of laws and regulations, and provide opinions on the constitutionality of draft legislation upon the request of the president.
