Administration of North and East Syria rejects Transitional Government’s Constitutional Declaration, citing exclusion and Baathist echoes

NORTH AND EAST SYRIA —  The 5-year transitional phase in Syria officially began on Thursday, according to the Constitutional Declaration signed by President of the Syrian Transitional Government (STG) Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The Declaration was not welcomed by some, including the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the Region of North and East Syria (DAARNES).

In a statement, DAARNES criticized the Constitutional Declaration, stating that it contains conventional provisions and structures reminiscent of those employed by the Baath regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The statement added that this move contradicts Syria’s diversity and represents an actual falsification of Syria’s national and societal identity.

It emphasized that the declaration lacks the imprint and spirit of Syria’s people and its diverse components, such as the Kurds, Syriacs-Assyrians, and other Syrian national communities.

The DAARNES stated that the Declaration only reflects “individualistic mentality,” which is an extension of the previous situation in Syria that the people had revolted against.

The statement stressed that the Declaration not only does not represent the aspirations of peoples of North and East Syria, but also serves as a framework that undermines efforts to achieve true democracy in Syria, with provisions that are far from Syria and hopes of its people.

The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), in turn, described the Constitutional Declaration as illegitimate and inconsistent with the agreement between al-Sharaa and General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi.

The SDC pointed out that al-Sharaa is repeating the actions of the former regime’s president Bashar al-Assad, warning that Sharia in state governance would lead Syria toward chaos.