Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, fighting an 11-month revolt against his rule, announced a referendum on a new constitution to be held February 26, the official SANA state news agency reported on Wednesday.
On Sunday, President Assad received a copy of the new draft constitution from the head of the National Committee charged with drafting it, during a meeting with the Committee’s members.
The Committee’s members stressed their determination – since their first meeting after the presidential decree on forming it – in preparing an integrated formula of a constitution that guarantees the dignity of Syrian citizens and secures their basic rights.
They reiterated their keenness for a constitution that will transform Syria into an example to be followed, in terms of public freedoms and political plurality, in a way that lays the foundation for a new epoch in Syria’s rich cultural history.
“When the new constitution is approved, Syria will have passed the most important stage of laying down the constitutional and legal structure through the reforms and laws that have already been issued to take the country to a new era in cooperation with all spectrums of the Syrian people to achieve what we all aspire for in terms of developing our country to draw a brilliant future for next generations,” said President Assad.
Last October, President Assad issued a presidential decree ordering the formation of a national committee to prepare a draft constitution for Syria within four months of the decree’s issuance.