At stake in this Referendum:

• A referendum to confirm the presidential candidate Bashar al-Assad .

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Bashar al-ASAD
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI
• Assembly: Syria has a unicameral People's Council (Majlis al-Shaab) with 250 seats. ***

Description of electoral system:

• The President is approved by popular referendum to serve a 7-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President.
• In the People's Council (Majlis al-Shaab) 250 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Only parties that belong to the National Progressive Front ( لجبهة الوطنية التقدمية‎, al-Jabha al-Wataniyyah at-Taqaddumiyyah, NPF) may run in elections. Electors select one list from among a series of lists of parliamentary candidates. Two thirds of the candidates on each list are from the NPF. The rest of the seats are allocated for independent candidates. 51 percent of all elected members must be workers or farmers.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• To authorize a second seven-year term for President Bashar al-ASSAD (no term limits).

Electoral Requirements

• The president must first be nominated by at least two thirds of the National Assembly to proceed a general referendum in which an absolute majority of voters must approve the decision. The president must be a member of the National Progressive Front (NPF).

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 19,314,747 (July 2007 )
• Registered Voters: 11,967,611 (May 2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 9,529,634 (2007)

·         Is Syria a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Syria ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (28 March 2003)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 30 (following the 2007 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 134 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Syria a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Syria ratified CRPD: Yes (10 July 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 2,897,212 (est.)