Official name

Syrian Arab Republic

Form of state

Republic

Legal system

Based on the constitution of 1973

Legislature

250-member Majlis al-Shaab (People's Assembly) directly elected for a four-year term

Electoral system

Universal adult suffrage

National elections

Next legislative and presidential elections due in 2011 and 2014 respectively

Head of state

President, elected for a seven-year term. The president appoints the vice-presidents, the prime minister and the Council of Ministers. Bashar al-Assad, the current president, is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the secretary-general of the Baath party

Executive

The prime minister heads the Council of Ministers, a large number of whom are drawn from the ruling Baath party and its partners

Main political parties

The ruling National Progressive Front includes the Arab Socialist Baath Party; Arab Socialist Party; Arab Socialist Unionist Party; Communist parties; Syrian Arab Socialist Union Party; Unionist Socialist Democratic Party; Union Socialist Party

Prime minister: Mohammed Naji al-Otari

Deputy prime minister for economic affairs: Abdullah al-Dardari

Key ministers

Agriculture & agrarian reform: Adel Saffar

Awqaf (Islamic endowments): Mohammed Abdel-Sattar al-Sayed

Communications & technology: Imad Abdel-Ghani Sabbouni

Defence: Ali Habib

Economy & foreign trade: Lamiya Assi

Education: Ali Saad

Electricity: Ahmed Qusay Kayyali

Environment (minister of state): Kawkab al-Sabah al-Dayeh

Expatriate affairs: Joseph Sweid

Finance: Mohammed al-Hussein

Foreign affairs: Walid al-Muallim

Health: Rida Said

Higher education: Ghiath Abdel-Wahab Barakat

Housing & construction: Omar Ghalanji

Industry: Fouad Issa Jony

Information: Mohsen Bilal

Interior: Said Sammour

Irrigation: George Soumi

Justice: Ahmed Hamoud Younis

Labour & social affairs: Diyala al-Hajj Aref

Local government: Tamer al-Hijjeh

Petroleum & mineral resources: Sufyan Allaw

Presidential affairs: Mansour Azzam

Tourism: Saadallah Agha al-Qalah

Transport: Yarob Suleiman Badr

Central Bank governor

Adib al-Mayaleh

State Planning Commission

Amer Lutfi