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Syria Local Administration
In 1987 Syria was divided into thirteen provinces: Halab,
Dimashq, Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Hamah, Al Hasakah, Hims, Idlib, Al
Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah (which includes the Golan Heights), Ar
Raqqah, As Suwayda, and Tartus
(see
fig. 1). Damascus, as the
national capital, was administered separately as a governorate
until 1987, when it was designated as a province; the areas
outside the city, which had constituted the separate Dimashq
Province, were brought under the jurisdiction of the capital and
were referred to as the "Province of Damascus rural area." In
addition, Syrian maps included the Turkish province of Hatay,
which the Syrians call Iskenderun. Each province is divided into
districts, which in turn have subdistricts. Under Assad,
government power remained highly centralized in Damascus, giving
provincial governments little autonomy.
Each province is headed by a governor nominated by the
minister of the interior and appointed by the central government.
The governor is responsible for administration, health, social
services, education, tourism, public works, transportation,
domestic trade, agriculture, industry, civil defense, and
maintenance of law and order in the province. The minister of
local administration works closely with each governor to
coordinate and supervise local development projects.
The governor is assisted by a provincial council, threequarters of whose members are popularly elected for a term of
four years, the remainder being appointed by the minister of the
interior and the governor. In addition, each council has an
executive arm consisting of six to ten officers appointed by the
central government from among the council's elected members. Each
executive officer is charged with specific functions.
Districts and subdistricts are administered by officials
appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the
minister of the interior. These officials work with elected
district councils to attend to assorted local needs and serve as
intermediaries between central government authority and
traditional local leaders, such as village chiefs, clan leaders,
and councils of elders.
Since Assad's 1970 Corrective Movement, the government has
sought systematically to strengthen its control over local
politics. The central government's firmer grasp on power has
eroded the autonomy of both nomadic beduin and settled villagers
who have until recently been allowed to practice self-government
according to their own traditions and customs.
In urban areas, local municipal councils license businesses,
control public services and utilities, and levy taxes. Some
members of these councils are elected and some appointed. The
councils are headed by mayors, who, in small towns, are
responsible to the central government's district officer. If the
town is the seat of the provincial government, the council is
answerable directly to the governor of the province.
Data as of April 1987
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