Bashar al-Assad facts for kids

Bashar al-Assad
Quick facts for kids Bashar al-Assad
	بشار حافظ الأسد
President of Syria
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; 17 July 2000;
Prime Minister	See list Muhammad Mustafa Mero (2000–2003); Muhammad Naji al-Otari (2003–2011); Adel Safar (2011–2012); Riyad Farid Hijab (Jun. – Aug. 2012); Omar Ibrahim Ghalawanji (acting); Wael Nader al-Halqi (2012 onwards);
Vice President	See list Abdul Halim Khaddam (1984–2005); Zuhair Masharqa (1984–2006); Farouk al-Sharaa (2006 onwards); Najah al-Attar (2006 onwards);
Preceded by	Abdul Halim Khaddam (Acting)
Regional Secretary of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; 24 June 2000
Deputy	See list Sulayman Qaddah (1985–2005); Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan (2005–2013); Hilal Hilal (2013 onwards);
Leader	Abdullah al-Ahmar
Preceded by	Hafez al-Assad
Member of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; 21 June 2000
Personal details
Born	Bashar Hafez al-Assad ; 11 September 1965 (age 55); Damascus, Syria
Political party	Ba'ath Party
Other political; affiliations	National Progressive Front
Spouse(s)	Asma al-Akhras
Children	Hafez; Zein; Karim
Alma mater	Damascus University
Military service
Allegiance	Syria
Branch/service	Syrian Armed Forces
Years of service	1988–
Rank	Marshal
Unit	Republican Guard; Presently serving as commander-in-chief
Battles/wars	Syrian civil war (2011–)

Bashar Hafez al-Assad (born 11 September 1965) is the president of Syria and the head of the Ba'ath Party in Syria.

Assad has had those jobs since the death of his father Hafez al-Assad (1930-2000), who had ruled Syria since 1971. Bashar al-Assad was elected in 2000, and re-elected in 2007.

Early life

Assad was born on 11 September 1965 in Damascus, Syria to Hafez al-Assad. He had two brothers, Bassel al-Assad and Shabbih Maher al-Assad, and one sister, Bushra al-Assad. Bashar was quiet and reserved and says that he lacked interest in politics or the military.

Education

Assad studied medicine at the University of Damascus and graduated in 1988. He then studied ophthalmology at a military hospital, and in 1992 studied at the Western Eye Hospital in London.

His father wanted Assad's elder brother Bassel to succeed him as leader of Syria. Bassel died in a car accident in 1994, and Assad returned home to Syria.

Early career

He went to a military academy at Homs, and became a colonel after only five years. He worked as an adviser to his father, and took action against corruption.

Presidency

When his father died, the government changed the constitution. Under Syrian law the president had to be at least 40 years old. With law changed, Assad was able to be elected President of Syria in June 2000. He was also made commander in chief of the armed forces, and leader of the Ba'ath Party which has ruled Syria since 1961.

2011 Syrian Civil War

Since March 2011, a war is taking place in Syria. By June 2013, 93,000 people have been killed from all sides. There are many terrorist organisations fighting in the region.

Bashar was considered a younger-generation Arab leader, who would bring change to Syria, a region long filled with aging dictators. He is well-educated, and many believed he would be capable of transforming his father's iron-rule regime into a modern state.

Personal life

Assad is married to Asma al-Akhras. Together, they have three children; Hafez, Jr., Zein, and Karim al-Assad.

Influenced by his western education and urban upbringing, Bashar initially seemed eager to implement a cultural revolution in Syria.

Images for kids

Hafez al-Assad with his family in the early 1970s. From left to right: Bashar, Maher, Anisa, Majd, Bushra, and Bassel.
Bassel al-Assad, Bashar's older brother, died in 1994, paving the way for Bashar's future presidency
Bashar al-Assad with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, 2010
Protests in Douma, 8 April 2011
Pro-Assad demonstration in Latakia, 20 June 2011
A mural of Assad in Latakia in November 2011
Destroyed vehicles on a devastated Aleppo street, 6 October 2012
A poster of Bashar al-Assad at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Damascus
Assad greeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, 21 October 2015
Bashar al-Assad meets with Iran's representative on Syrian affairs, Ali Akbar Velayati, 6 May 2016
Billboard with a portrait of Bashar al-Assad and the text 'God protects Syria' on the old city wall of Damascus in 2006
Assad meets with U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman in 2009.
Assad with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.
Bashar al-Assad wearing the "Grand Collar" of the National Order of the Southern Cross, accompanied by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasília, 30 June 2010.
Bashar al-Assad with his wife Asma in Moscow, 27 May 2005
Assad and his wife Asma, 2003