WGeneral Organization of Remote Sensing, (GORS) is a Syrian space research agency established in 1986. Headquartered in Damascus, GORS is responsible for carrying out aerospace and land surveying using remote sensing techniques. In 2018, the agency assisted the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in assessing the impacts of its irrigation projects on the production of crops such as wheat and barley in Syria.
WGovernment ministries of Syria make up the portfolios of the Cabinet of Syria.
WThe High Judicial Council is the highest judicial authority in Syria. The council is charged with the appointment, transfer and dismissal of judges. It is composed of senior civil judges and chaired by the president. The independence of the judiciary is guaranteed by president in his role as chairman of the High Judicial Council, according to Article 131 of the constitution. Article 133 stipulates that judges be autonomous and subject to no authority other than the law.
WThe judicial system of Syria remained a synthesis of Ottoman, French, and Islamic laws until the 1980s. The civil, commercial and criminal codes were primarily based on the French legal practices. Promulgated in 1949, those laws had special provisions sanctioned to limit application of customary law among beduin and religious minorities. The Islamic religious courts continued to function in some parts of the country, but their jurisdiction was limited to issues of personal status, such as marriage, divorce, paternity, custody of children, and inheritance. Nonetheless, in 1955 a personal code pertaining to many aspects of personal status was developed. This law modified and modernized sharia by improving the status of women and clarifying the laws of inheritance.
WThe People's Assembly is Syria's legislative authority. It has 250 members elected for a four-year term in 15 multi-seat constituencies. There are two main political fronts; the National Progressive Front and Popular Front for Change and Liberation. The 2012 elections, held on 7 May, resulted in a new parliament that, for the first time in four decades, is based on a multi-party system. In 1938, Fares Al-Khoury became the first Christian to be elected Speaker. In 2016 Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, Ph.D., representing Deir Ezzor since 2003, became the first woman elected to be the Speaker. In 2017, Hammouda Sabbagh became the first Orthodox Christian to have held the post.
WThe president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state of the Syrian Arab Republic. He is vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at his sole discretion, to his vice presidents. He appoints and dismisses the prime minister and other members of the Council of Ministers and military officers. Bashar al-Assad is the 20th and current president of Syria. Bashar is the son of former president, Hafez al-Assad, who was the longest-serving president serving 29 years. Bashar is currently the second longest-serving president marking the 21th year of his presidency in 2021 when he entered the post on 17 July 2000.
WPresidential Palace is the residence for the President of Syria, located in Damascus. It is located in the West of the city, on Mount Mezzeh North of Mezzeh neighborhood, next to Mount Qasioun and overlooks the city. The main building covers 31,500 square metres. The entire plateau of Mount Mezzeh is part of the palace premises and is surrounded by a security wall and guard watchtowers. In front of the building is a large fountain and the palace itself largely consists of empty rooms clad in Carrara marble.
WThe Prime Minister of Syria is the head of government of the Syrian Arab Republic. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Syria, along with other ministers and members of the government that the new Prime Minister recommends. The People's Council of Syria then approve the legislative program of the new government, before the new government formally take office. There are no constitutional limits on a Prime Minister's term, and several of them served multiple non-consecutive terms.
WThe Supreme Constitutional Court is the highest jurisdictional authority in the Syrian Arab Republic.
WThe Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) is a Syrian state-controlled news agency. It is a Syrian state media organization linked to the Ministry of Information. It was established in June 1965.
WThe Syrian passport is a travel document issued by Syria's Department of Immigration and Passports to Syrian citizens for international travel. Syrian passports are normally valid for six years; however, for men about to perform military service, they are valid for two years, and they have to get permission from the conscription department for a renewal for another two years.