egislative branch:
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents
33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the
constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF
alliance) receives one-half of the seats
elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court (justices are appointed for four-year
terms by the president); High Judicial Council; Court of Cassation;
State Security Courts

Political parties and leaders:
National Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist
Renaissance (Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar
al-ASAD, secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party
[Fadlallal Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches)
[Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Unionist Socialist
Party [Fayez ISMAIL]; Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed
al-AHMED]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI]);
Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
conservative religious leaders; Kurdish Democratic Alliance [leader
NA]; Kurdish Democratic Front [lader NA]; Muslim Brotherhood
(operates in exile in London) [Ali Badr Eddine al-BAYANOUNI];
National Democratic Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342
FAX: [963] (11) 331-9678

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors
associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green
five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
former flag of the Unite