The Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (), 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 Syrian Constitution of 1973, the Central Command had the power to nominate a candidate for President. While the constitution did not state that the Secretary-General of the Central Command was the President of Syria, the charter of the National Progressive Front (NPF), of which the Ba'ath Party was a member, stated that the President and the Secretary-General was the NPF President, but this was 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 Portrait Name Tenure Took office Left office Duration Regional Secretary of the Regional Command 1 Hammud al-Shufi 5 September 1963 1 February 1964 2 Shibli al-Aysami 5 February 1964 4 October 1964 3 Amin al-Hafiz 4 October 1964 19 December 1965 Regional Command dissolved(19 December 1965 – 27 March 1966) 4 Nureddin al-Atassi 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 5 Hafez al-Assad 18 November 1970 10 June 2000 6 Bashar al-Assad 24 June 2000 26 October 2018 General Secretary of the Central Command Bashar al-Assad 26 October 2018 8 December 2024
Deputy heads Portrait Name Tenure Took office Left office Duration Assistant Regional Secretary of the Regional Command 1 Fahmu al-Ashuri 1 February 1964 17 March 1965 2 Muhammad az-Zubi 17 March 1965 1 August 1965 3 Salah Jadid 1 August 1965 13 November 1970 4 Mohamad Jaber Bajbouj 18 November 1970 7 January 1980 5 Zuhair Masharqa 7 January 1980 20 January 1985 6 Sulayman Qaddah 20 January 1985 9 June 2005 7 Mohammed Saeed Bekheitan 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 8 Hilal Hilal 10 July 2013 26 October 2018 Assistant General Secretary of the Central Command Hilal Hilal 26 October 2018 8 May 2024 9 Ibrahim al-Hadid 8 May 2024 11 December 2024
Bureaus of the Central Command Bureau of the Secretariat Control 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
Timeline Heads
Deputy heads
Members Only members who were elected to the Regional Command at the 1st Regional Congress (held on 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 1st–11th Regional (Central) CommandsName Took office Left office Term(s) Duration 5 September 1963 1 February 1964 1 5 September 1963 1 February 1964 1 5 September 1963 19 December 1965 4 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 5 September 1963 1 February 1964 1 5 September 1963 1 February 1964 1 5 September 1963 19 December 1965 4 5 September 1963 4 April 19654 27 March 1966 10 June 2000 8 5 September 1963 19 December 1965 4 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 1 February 1964 19 December 1965 3 1 February 1964 19 December 1965 4 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 1 February 1964 17 March 1965 1 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 27 March 1966 31 March 1969 3 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 1 February 1964 19 December 1965 3 27 March 1966 September 1966 1 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 1 February 1964 19 December 1965 3 27 March 1966 September 1966 1 1 February 1964 19 December 1965 3 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 4 April 1965 1 August 1965 1 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 1 February 1964 4 April 1965 1 27 March 1966 28 September 1968 3 31 March 1969 13 November 1970 1 4 April 1965 1 August 1965 1 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 28 September 1968 9 June 2005 9 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 27 March 1966 31 March 1969 4 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 27 March 1966 28 September 1968 3 1 August 1965 19 December 1965 1 27 March 1966 February 1968 2 27 March 1966 September 1966 1 27 March 1966 13 November 1970 4 September 1966 13 November 1970 3 September 1966 13 November 1970 3 September 1966 13 November 1970 3 28 September 1968 31 March 1969 1 28 September 1968 13 November 1970 2 31 March 1969 13 November 1970 1 31 March 1969 13 November 1970 1 13 November 1970 7 January 1980 3 13 November 1970 March 1978 2 13 November 1970 7 January 1980 3 13 November 1970 9 June 2005 6 13 November 1970 9 June 2005 6 13 November 1970 7 January 1980 3 13 November 1970 15 April 1975 2 7 January 1980 20 January 1985 1 13 November 1970 August 1975 2 13 November 1970 15 April 1975 2 13 November 1970 14 May 1971 1 13 November 1970 14 May 1971 1 13 November 1970 7 January 1980 3 13 November 1970 15 April 1975 2 14 May 1971 7 January 1980 2 14 May 1971 15 April 1975 1 14 May 1971 7 January 1980 2 14 May 1971 7 January 1980 2 14 May 1971 7 January 1980 2 14 May 1971 15 April 1975 1 14 May 1971 15 April 1975 1 14 May 1971 7 January 1980 2 15 April 1975 9 June 2005 3 15 April 1975 8 February 1998 3 15 April 1975 20 January 1985 2 15 April 1975 7 January 1980 1 15 April 1975 7 January 1980 1 15 April 1975 7 January 1980 1 15 April 1975 7 January 1980 1 7 January 1980 29 December 1983 1 7 January 1980 July 1998 2 7 January 1980 20 January 1985 1 7 January 1980 9 June 2005 3 7 January 1980 9 June 2005 3 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 2 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 2 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 2 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 2 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 2 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 2 7 January 1980 20 January 1985 1 7 January 1980 9 June 2005 2 7 January 1980 21 June 2000 1 20 January 1985 21 June 2000 1 20 January 1985 9 June 2005 2 20 January 1985 9 June 2005 2 20 January 1985 21 June 2000 1 21 June 2000 11 December 2024 2 21 June 2000 9 June 2005 1 21 June 2000 8 July 2013 2 21 June 2000 8 July 2013 2 21 June 2000 8 December 2001 1 21 June 2000 9 June 2005 1 21 June 2000 9 June 2005 1 21 June 2000 9 June 2005 1 21 June 2000 9 June 2005 1 21 June 2000 8 July 2013 2 21 June 2000 9 June 2005 1 21 June 2000 8 July 2013 2 9 June 2005 18 July 2012 1 9 June 2005 20 July 2012 1 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 1 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 1 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 1 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 1 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 1 9 June 2005 8 July 2013 1 8 July 2013 3 July 2016 1 8 July 2013 6 June 2016 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 4 May 2024 2 8 July 2013 8 May 2024 3 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 22 April 2017 1 8 July 2013 11 December 2024 3 22 April 2017 13 November 2021 1 22 April 2017 4 May 2024 1 22 April 2017 4 May 2024 1 22 April 2017 4 May 2024 1 22 April 2017 4 May 2024 1 22 April 2017 4 May 2024 1 22 April 2017 4 May 2024 1 22 April 2017 11 December 2024 2 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1
Members of the Oversight and Inspection Committee +Members of the 1st Oversight and Inspection Committee Name Took office Left office Term(s) Duration 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1 4 May 2024 11 December 2024 1
References
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Journals and papers
Books