Syrian Federation

Federation of the Autonomous States of Syria
Fédération des États autonomes de Syrie
1922–1925
Flag of Syrian Federation
Flag
StatusFederal state administered by the French Mandate of Syria
Capital
President 
• 1922–1925
Subhi Bey Barakat
LegislatureFederal Council
History 
• Established
28 June 1922
• Dissolution effective
1 January 1925
Area
119,000–120,000 km2 (46,000–46,000 sq mi)
CurrencyLebanese-Syrian pound
Preceded by Succeeded by
State of Aleppo
State of Damascus
Alawite Territory
State of Syria
State of the Alawites
Today part ofSyria, Turkey
a The capital was initially planned to alternate between Aleppo and Damascus.

The Syrian Federation (Arabic: الاتحاد السوري; French: Fédération syrienne), officially the Federation of the Autonomous States of Syria (French: Fédération des États autonomes de Syrie), was constituted on 28 June, 1922, by High Commissary Gouraud. It comprised the States of Aleppo, Damascus, and of the Alawites, spanning an area of 119,000 to 120,000 km2. It was officially dissolved by decree of 5 December, 1924, "which received its application starting on 1 January, 1925".

History

The Syrian Federation was founded on 28 June, 1922, as a result of Decree 1459 from the High Commissioner of the Levant, Henri Gouraud. It comprised the states of Aleppo, Damascus, and the Alawites, spanning an area of 119,000 to 120,000 km2. The federation's government consisted of the President of the Federation and the Federal Council, which initially alternated between sitting in Aleppo and Damascus. Homs was also considered a potential capital city. The first session of the Federal Council opened in Aleppo on 28 June, 1922, with a speech from Gouraud. On 8 January, 1923, Damascus became the permanent seat of government, creating divisions in the country's political leadership. The Syrian Federation's only president was Subhi Bey Barakat, who claimed in his first three presidential decrees to have been elected by the Federal Council on 29 June, 1922. However, according to Syrian historian and jurist Edmond Rabbath, Barakat was in fact "ineligible in the year following the end of his presidency" and therefore "appointed and not elected." Barakat was nevertheless formally elected president by the Federal Council on 17 December, 1923.

The Syrian Federation was officially dissolved by Decree 2980, which was issued on 5 December, 1924, by High Commissioner Maxime Weygand and took effect on 1 January, 1925. The decree merged the states of Aleppo and Damascus into the State of Syria and named Barakat president of the new country.

Government

The President of the Federation was elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Council and held office for a term of one year. Afterwards, the president would be ineligible for re-election for one year following their departure from office. They exercised executive powers such as the preparation of the federal budget, the nomination of government officials and the negotiation of treaties with non-federated states, all subject to the ratification of the High Commissariat of the Levant. The Federal Council was a deliberative body composed of five representatives. It studied proposals leading to the adoption of legislation and dealt with economic affairs, such as public works.

Decree 1459, which created the Syrian Federation on 28 June 1922

This page was last updated at 2024-03-28 00:05 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari