The New Syrian Constitution

It guarantees:

• Healthcare and social security for all citizens.
• Conscribes Military service.
• Right to fair trial and appeal.
• Prohibits torture (as prescribed "by law") like the US.
• The Assembly must generate a budget each year.
• Presidential candidates must be 40. Wonder why??
• Elections only run 90 days before the end of a presidential term.
• Candidates must have written support of at least 35 members of the Assembly
• Presidential terms run for 7 years, with one re-election (so 14 years and lets Assad serve till he's 61).
• They can have more than one Vice President. Why? Kin folk?
• If the President can't do the job, the Vice President takes over. Which one?
• President needs Assembly's approval to declare war.
• Ministers can't be part of a company (think Dick Cheyney and Halliburton).
• The Cabinet (Ministry) can include people serving in the Assembly. Nuts..
• Independent Judiciary. Wish we had that in the US.
• Supreme Court appointments run 4 years. Who extends that is not defined.
• How the Supreme Court is created/selected is not defined (puppets "by law").
• The Court can't deride referendum laws.
• Amending the Constitution requires four quarters (questionable translation) of the Assembly.

Read it yourself here: http://ht.ly/96fOn
-