Delay on political parties law threatens Syria's future

The Syrian Liberal Party has called the passage of a modern Political Parties Law an urgent constitutional necessity, arguing it can no longer be treated as ordinary legislation but as a precondition for completing Syria's transitional phase.

In a statement, the party said the convening of the Legislative Council carries a "historic responsibility" that leaves no room for delay. 

Talk of national partnership means little, it argued, unless citizens are guaranteed the right to form free and independent political parties that compete on national programs rather than power, influence, or facts on the ground.

The party laid out clear red lines for the future law: licensed parties must be genuinely Syrian in their loyalties and programs, answerable only to the Syrian constitution and the will of citizens, with no ties to foreign organizations or agendas. 

It called for an explicit ban on parties founded on sectarian, ethnic, religious, or regional grounds, warning that political life must serve to build the national state rather than import outside conflicts or deepen internal divisions.

Pluralism, the statement said, should be about competing national visions, not competing identities. It also stressed that the neutrality of state institutions toward all political and religious currents is a constitutional principle that cannot be compromised, and that judicial independence and press freedom must accompany any parties law as part of an integrated democratic framework.

The party warned that any unjustified delay, or any law that undermines equality among political forces, would damage confidence in the transition and threaten the stability of Syria's future political system. 

It expressed hope that completing the constitutional and legislative framework during the transition would allow elections at all levels to be held by the end of 2027.

The Syrian Liberal Party closed by reaffirming its commitment to free political organization and peaceful democratic competition, framing Syria's future as one built "not by balances of power, but by the power of the Constitution."