Regional_Command_of_the_Arab_Socialist_Ba'ath_Party_–_Syria_Region
Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region
Ruling organ of the Syrian Ba'athist party and of the Syrian-led Ba'athist movement
The Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, which was established through the merger of the National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 2018, is the ruling organ of the Ba'ath Party organization in Syria and the Syrian-led Ba'athist movement. Its predecessor, Regional Command (Arabic: Al-Qiyada Al-Qutriyya), stems from Ba'athist ideology, where region literally means an Arab state.[1] According to the Constitution of Syria, the Central Command has the power to nominate a candidate for President.[2] While the constitution does not state that the Secretary-General of the Central Command is the President of Syria, the charter of the National Progressive Front (NPF), of which the Ba'ath Party is a member, states that the President and the Secretary-General is the NPF President, but this is not stated in any legal document.[3] The 1st Extraordinary Regional Congress held in 1964 decided that the Secretary-General of the Central Command would also be head of state.[4] Amin al-Hafiz, the incumbent secretary, became head of state and retained his post as Prime Minister.[4]
At the 2nd Regional Congress in 1965, the Military Committee weakened the powers of the National Command by passing a resolution that the Regional Secretary of the Regional Command was ex officio head of state.[5] The secretariat was given the powers to appoint the Prime Minister, the cabinet, the commander-in-chief and the leading military commanders.[5] Before the 1970 Corrective Movement that brought Hafez al-Assad to power, the local party leadership was elected by fellow Ba'ath Party members; when al-Assad came to power the Central Command began to appoint all party officials.[6] Under Bashar al-Assad this policy was reversed, and party members were again able to elect the local party leadership, but candidates had to be approved by the party leadership.[7]
The Central Command is officially responsible to the Regional Congress.[8] The Central Command is supposed to be subordinate to the National Command, and official media portray it as such to stress the government's commitment to Ba'athist ideology.[8] Since Hafez al-Assad's rise to power, the National Command has been subordinate to the Central Command.[8] Before the schism between the Military Committee led by Salah Jadid and the Aflaqites, and the ensuing 1966 coup d'état, the National Command was the leading party organ.[9] The Central Command is today the most powerful institution in Syria.[10]
The Secretary-General chairs all the meetings of the Central Command.[11] If the Secretary-General is absent, the Assistant Secretary-General substitutes him.[11] The Assistant Secretary-General sets the agenda for the meeting, with consultation of the Secretary-General.[11] Under Bashar al-Assad a degree of openness is permitted in Central Command meetings.[11] Members are allowed to discuss each sides of complex issues and members can criticize certain policies and how they are implemented.[11] However, if Bashar al-Assad supports a side, that side will prevail in the argument.[11] In contrast to his father, Hafez, who consulted with the Central Command and took their views into account before he made a decision, the Central Command under Bashar al-Assad is increasingly becoming a rubber stamp body.[11]