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The Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Arabic: القيادة المركزية لحزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي), which was established through the merger of the National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 2018, was the ruling organ of the Ba'ath Party organization in Syria and the Syrian-led Ba'athist movement. Its predecessor, the Regional Command, stems from Ba'athist ideology, where region literally means an Arab state. Until 2012, according to the Constitution of Syria, the Central Command had the power to nominate a candidate for President. While the constitution does not state that the Secretary-General of the Central Command is the President of Syria, the charter of the National Progressive Front (NPF), of which the Ba'ath Party is a member, states that the President and the Secretary-General is the NPF President, but this is not stated in any legal document.

The 1st Extraordinary Regional Congress held in 1964 decided that the Secretary-General of the Central Command would also be head of state. Amin al-Hafiz, the incumbent secretary, became head of state and retained his post as Prime Minister. At the 2nd Regional Congress in 1965, the Military Committee weakened the powers of the National Command by passing a resolution that the Regional Secretary of the Regional Command was ex officio head of state. The secretariat was given the powers to appoint the Prime Minister, the cabinet, the commander-in-chief and the leading military commanders.

Before the 1970 Corrective Movement that brought Hafez al-Assad to power, the local party leadership was elected by fellow Ba'ath Party members; when al-Assad came to power the Central Command began to appoint all party officials. Under Bashar al-Assad this policy was reversed, and party members were again able to elect the local party leadership, but candidates had to be approved by the party leadership.

The Central Command was officially responsible to the Regional Congress. The Central Command was supposed to be subordinate to the National Command, and official media portrayed it as such to stress the government's commitment to Ba'athist ideology. Since Hafez al-Assad's rise to power, the National Command was subordinate to the Central Command. Before the schism between the Military Committee led by Salah Jadid and the Aflaqites, and the ensuing 1966 coup d'état, the National Command was the leading party organ. The Central Command was the most powerful institution in Ba'athist Syria.

The Secretary-General chaired all the meetings of the Central Command. If the Secretary-General is absent, the Assistant Secretary-General substitutes him. The Assistant Secretary-General sets the agenda for the meeting, with consultation of the Secretary-General. Under Bashar al-Assad a degree of openness was permitted in Central Command meetings. Members were allowed to discuss each sides of complex issues and members could criticize certain policies and how they are implemented. However, if Bashar al-Assad supported a side, that side will prevail in the argument. In contrast to his father, Hafez, who consulted with the Central Command and took their views into account before he made a decision, the Central Command under Bashar al-Assad increasingly became a rubber stamp body.

Following the fall of the Ba'athist regime, on 11 December 2024, the Ba'ath Party suspended all its activities indefinitely and transferred its assets to the Syrian state, effectively dissolving the party.

Heads and bureaux

Heads No. Portrait Name (Birth–Death) Tenure Took office Left office Duration Regional Secretary of the Regional Command 1 Hammud al-Shufi حمود الشوفي‎ (1935–2011) 5 September 1963 1 February 1964 149 days 2 Shibli al-Aysami شبلي العيسمي (1925–2011) 5 February 1964 4 October 1964 242 days 3 Amin al-Hafiz أمين الحافظ (1921–2009) 4 October 1964 19 December 1965 1 year, 76 days Regional Command dissolved (19 December 1965 – 27 March 1966) 4 Nureddin al-Atassi نور الدين الأتاسي‎ (1929–1992) 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 years, 231 days 5 Hafez al-Assad حافظ الأسد‎ (1930–2000) 18 November 1970 10 June 2000 † 29 years, 205 days 6 Bashar al-Assad بشار الأسد (born 1965) 24 June 2000 26 October 2018 18 years, 124 days General Secretary of the Central Command (6) Bashar al-Assad بشار الأسد (born 1965) 26 October 2018 8 December 2024 6 years, 43 days Deputy heads No. Portrait Name (Birth–Death) Tenure Took office Left office Duration Assistant Regional Secretary of the Regional Command 1 Fahmu al-Ashuri فهمو العاشوري‎ 1 February 1964 17 March 1965 1 year, 44 days 2 Muhammad az-Zubi محمد الزوبي 17 March 1965 1 August 1965 137 days 3 Salah Jadid صلاح جديد (1926–1993) 1 August 1965 13 November 1970 5 years, 104 days 4 Mohamad Jaber Bajbouj محمد جابر بجبوج 18 November 1970 7 January 1980 9 years, 50 days 5 Zuhair Masharqa زهير مشارقة (1938–2007) 7 January 1980 20 January 1985 5 years, 13 days 6 Sulayman Qaddah سليمان قداح 20 January 1985 9 June 2005 20 years, 140 days 7 Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan محمد سعيد بخيتان‎ (1945–2022) 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 8 years, 29 days 8 Hilal Hilal هلال هلال‎ (born 1966) 10 July 2013 26 October 2018 5 years, 108 days Assistant General Secretary of the Central Command (8) Hilal Hilal هلال هلال‎ (born 1966) 26 October 2018 8 May 2024 5 years, 195 days 9 Ibrahim al-Hadid ابراهیم الحديد (born 1956) 8 May 2024 11 December 2024 217 days

Bureaus of the Central Command Bureau of the Secretariat Oversight and Inspection Committee (since 2023) National Security Bureau Organization Bureau Preparation Bureau Military Bureau (also known as the "Military Committee") Bureau of Education and Scouts Bureau of Peasants Finance Bureau Legal Bureau National Economy Bureau Bureau of Students Bureau of Youth and Sport Bureau of High Education and Scientific Research Bureau of Professional Bureau of Workers

Members

Only members who were elected to the Regional Command at the 1st Regional Congress (held in 5 September 1963) and after are included in this list. The Syrian Regional Branch was dissolved in 1958 (and is therefore considered as a distinct entity by the Syrian Regional Branch itself) so that Syria, with Egypt, could establish the United Arab Republic. The Syrian Regional Branch was officially reestablished on 5 September 1963.

Members of the Oversight and Inspection Committee

References

1. FRD 2004, p. 215.
2. ^ Perthes 1997, p. 140.
3. ^ Rabinovich 1972, p. 148.
4. ^ Seale 1990, p. 99.
5. George 2003, p. 73.
6. George 2003, p. 77.
7. ^ George 2003, p. 73.
8. George 2003, p. 69.
9. Zîser 2007, p. 70.
10. ^ Jouejati 2006, p. 16.
11. حسون, علي (11 December 2024). "بيان داخلي". جريدة البعث (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 December 2024.
12. "Syria Comment". Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
13. "السيرة الذاتية للرفاق أعضاء القيادة المركزية لحزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي07-05-2024".
14. "هنأ بوتين بتنصيبه رئيساً لروسيا الاتحادية لولاية جديدة … الرئيس الأسد للقيادة المركزية: الحوار أحد أهم آليات تعزيز حضور «البع" [He congratulated Putin on his inauguration as President of the Russian Federation for a new term... President al-Assad of the Central Command: Dialogue is one of the most important mechanisms for strengthening the presence of the “Baath Party.”]. Al Watan Newspaper. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
15. Bar 2006, p. 434.
16. "البعث ينهي انتخاباته بتشكيل قيادة مركزية جديدة والرئيس الأسد أميناً عاماً بالإجماع … الرئيس الأسد: هذه الانتخابات ستشكل قيمة مضافة ومفصلاً حقيقياً في تاريخ الحزب" [The Baath Party ends its elections by forming a new central leadership and President al-Assad is unanimously appointed Secretary-General... President al-Assad: These elections will constitute added value and a real turning point in the party’s history.]. Al-Watan Newspaper. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
17. ^ FRD 2004, pp. 211–212.

Bibliography

Journals and papers

• Bar, Shmuel (2006). "Bashar's Syria: The Regime and its Strategic Worldview" (PDF). 48 (4). The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy Institute for Policy and Strategy: 353–445. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• Jouejati, Murhaf (2006). "The Strategic Culture of Irredentist Small Powers: The Case of Syria" (PDF). Defense Threat Reduction Agency Advanced Systems and Concepts Office.

Books

• Federal Research Division (2004). Syria: A Country Study. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4191-5022-7.
• George, Alan (2003). Syria: Neither Bread nor Freedom. Zed Books. ISBN 978-1-84277-213-3.
• Perthes, Volker (1997). The Political Economy of Syria Under Asad. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-192-X.
• Seale, Patrick (1990). Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06976-5.
• Rabinovich, Itamar (1972). Syria under the Baʻth, 1963–66: the Army Party symbiosis. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0-7065-1266-9.
• Zîser, Eyāl (2007). Commanding Syria: Bashar al-Asad and the First Years in Power. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84511-153-3.

• Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region
• Organizations established in 1963
• Executive committees of political parties
• 1963 establishments in Syria