Vice President of Syria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vice President of Syria
Seal of the Vice President of Syria
Incumbent Vacant since 8 December 2024
Style	Mr Vice President (informal) His Excellency< (diplomatic)
Seat	Damascus, Syria
Nominator	President
Appointer	President
Term length	No term limits, serves at the President's pleasure
Inaugural holder	Maamun al-Kuzbari
Formation	25 February 1952; 73 years ago (1952-02-25)

The Vice President of Syria (Arabic: نائب رئيس سوريا) is an important political job in Syria. Think of it like a helper to the President. The country's rulebook, called the Constitution of Syria, says that if the President can't do their job for a short time, the Vice President can step in and act as President.

Syria can have more than one Vice President at the same time. The President is the one who chooses and appoints these Vice Presidents. As of December 2024, there isn't a Vice President in Syria. It's not yet clear if this role will continue in the future government after the recent changes.

What the Constitution Says About the Vice President

The rules for the Vice President are written in Syria's Constitution. These rules explain how the job works:

• The President can choose one or more people to be Vice Presidents. They can also give some of their own duties to these Vice Presidents.
• Before starting the job, the Vice President must take an oath (a special promise) in front of the President. This is the same oath mentioned in Article 7 of the Constitution.
• If something stops the President from doing their work, the Vice President will take over for them.
• A person cannot be a Vice President if they have another country's citizenship in addition to Syrian citizenship.

Who Has Been Vice President?

Syria has had Vice Presidents during different periods of its history. Let's look at some of the people who held this important role.

Vice Presidents During the Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958)

This was a time when Syria was known as the Second Syrian Republic.

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	President(s)
1		Maamun al-Kuzbari مأمون الكزبري (1914–1998)	25 February 1952	28 February 1954	2 years, 3 days	Arab Liberation Movement	Fawzi Selu Adib Shishakli

Vice Presidents During the United Arab Republic (1958–1961)

For a few years, Syria and Egypt joined together to form a single country called the United Arab Republic.

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	President(s)
2		Sabri al-Asali صبري العسلي (1903–1976)	7 March 1958	7 October 1958	214 days	National Party	Gamal Abdel Nasser
	Akram al-Hawrani أَكْرَم الْحَوْرَانِي (1912–1996)	7 March 1958	19 September 1960	2 years, 196 days	Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)
	Abdel Latif Boghdadi عبد اللطيف البغدادي (1917–1999)	7 March 1958	29 September 1961	3 years, 206 days	National Union
	Abdel Hakim Amer عبد الحكيم عامر (1919–1967)	7 March 1958	29 September 1961	3 years, 206 days	National Union
3		Nur al-Din Kahala نور الدين كحالة (1908–1965)	20 September 1960	29 September 1961	1 year, 9 days	National Union
4		Abdul Hamid al-Sarraj عبد الحميد السراج (1925–2013)	16 August 1961	29 September 1961	44 days	National Union
	Kamal el-Din Hussein كمال الدين حسين (1921–1999)	16 August 1961	29 September 1961	44 days	National Union
	Zakaria Mohieddin زكريا محيي الدين (1918–2012)	16 August 1961	29 September 1961	44 days	National Union
	Hussein el-Shafei حسين محمود حسن الشافعي (1918–2005)	16 August 1961	29 September 1961	44 days	National Union

Vice Presidents During Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024)

This period covers when the Ba'ath Party was in power in Syria.

No.	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	President(s)
5		Muhammad Umran محمد عمران (1922–1972)	8 March 1963	15 December 1964	1 year, 282 days	Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Lu'ay al-Atassi Amin al-Hafiz
6		Nureddin al-Atassi نور الدين الأتاسي (1929–1992)	15 December 1964	28 December 1965	1 year, 13 days	Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Amin al-Hafiz
7		Shibli al-Aysami شبلي العيسمي (1925–2011)	28 December 1965	23 February 1966	57 days	Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Amin al-Hafiz
8		Mahmoud al-Ayyubi محمود الأيوبي (1932–2013)	22 February 1971	7 August 1976	5 years, 5 months	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Hafez al-Assad
9		Rifaat al-Assad رِفْعَتُ ٱلْأَسَدِ (born 1937)	11 March 1984	8 February 1998	13 years, 334 days	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Hafez al-Assad Bashar al-Assad
	Abdul Halim Khaddam عبدالحليم خدام (1932–2020)	11 March 1984	6 June 2005	21 years, 87 days	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Hafez al-Assad Bashar al-Assad
	Zuhair Masharqa زهير مشارقة (1938–2007)	11 March 1984	21 February 2006	21 years, 347 days	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Hafez al-Assad Bashar al-Assad
10		Farouk al-Sharaa فاروق الشرع (born 1938)	21 February 2006	19 July 2014	8 years, 148 days	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Bashar al-Assad
11		Najah al-Attar نجاح العطار (born 1933)	23 March 2006	8 December 2024	18 years, 260 days	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Bashar al-Assad
12		Faisal Mekdad فيصل المقداد (born 1954)	23 September 2024	8 December 2024	76 days	Syrian Ba'ath Party (Syria Region)	Bashar al-Assad

Timeline of Vice Presidents

This timeline shows when each Vice President served and which political party they belonged to.

More About Syrian Government Roles

If you're interested in learning more about how the Syrian government works, here are some other important roles:

• President of Syria
  • List of presidents of Syria
• List of heads of state of Syria
• Prime Minister of Syria
  • List of prime ministers of Syria
• Speaker of the People's Assembly of Syria