29 provisions to regulate Opposition Interim government with Coalition

It was reported to Zaman Alwasl that 3 nominee ministers in the Interim government have failed to reach to the required number of votes, therefore, the Coalition has decided to assign the Ministry of Health to the Interim Prime Minster, Ahmad To'ma, and the Ministry of Education to Iyad Kodsi, the interim Deputy Pprime Minister, while the Ministry of Interior was assigned to the Ministry of Defence, Asaad Mustafa.

In 18th of September this year, Zaman Alwasl had exclusively published a resolution consists of 29 provisions to regulates work between the government and the coalition. One of these articles says that foreign policy is directly subject the Political Commission of the coalition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs implements the policy and allocates oversees embassies and their directorates.

Another provision says that Coalition is considered the political cover for the supreme Revolutionary military council, which is considered the highest command of the Free Syrian Army. The Minister of Military Affairs would supervise the institutions, bodies and directorates follow the FSA Army with coordination between the Ministries of Defence and Interior.

Zaman Alwasl re-publishes the 29 articles mentioned resolution:

1 – Naming the prime minister of the interim government and costing according to the Statute of the coalition.

2 - The Prime Minister designate harmonious government as a team of specialists and competencies with the size and shape that he sees appropriate without the need for partisan considerations but to guarantee the confidence.

3 - The interim government should get an absolute majority confidence from members of the Coalition General Commission.

4 – It is not required either implicit or explicit to have any representative or quota standard of any kind from the whole executive body of the country and in all of its formation, not partisan, political, civil, racial, or national, as all that is assumed to be presented in the representative bodies as efficacy is the standard and political neutrality is required in the composition of the army and the judiciary.

5 - The head of the interim government is the head of the executive authority in the entire country, which is an independent authority and is working to implement the decisions and policies of the coalition, according to the rules governing the relationship between them.

6 - The judiciary is independent from the executive branch, which is the ruler in disputes, and the executive authority subject to the provisions of the judiciary, law and criminal enforcement work under the supervision of judiciary authority, and no one has impunity before the law.

7 The judiciary is headed by interim supreme judiciary council which works under the supervision of the coalition, and it decide which legal system to enforce in the courts with the consent of the Coalition General Commission.

8 - It is not permissible for the coalition or any member of it to intervene in the way of the government work as long as it has the confidence of the public, pursuant to the principle of separation of powers.

9 - The government will hold its regular weekly meeting headed by its president or ministries assigned to do so.

10 - Decisions are taken by an absolute majority in the plenary session, and the vote of the prime minister is likely in the event of a tie, the vote may be adopted through the means of communication.

11 - Decisions are published in the Government Official Newspaper.

12 - The head of the interim government can call for an emergency meeting, or change the venue of meetings.

13 –The prime minister is entitled to form a ministerial cell consists of a number of members to manage a certain subject.

14 - The head of a government can do ministerial shuffling, provided obtaining the confidence from the coalition.

15 - The Head of the coalition can attend and chair the government’s meetings but he is not entitled to vote for decisions.

16 - Any member of the Coalition can direct a question to the government or to a Minister through the General Secretary of the coalition. Moreover a Minister needs to attend a question session in front of the coalition if requested by 20 members. One third of the coalition can question the entire government

17 – the Government is committed to answer in writing or orally as soon as possible and up to the time between the two sessions in ordinary cases, and within a week in urgent correspondence.

18 - It is permissible for one-third of members of the Coalition General commission to request a vote of confidence for the whole government or a number of ministers, and the written request is addressed to the Secretary-General of the coalition, which informs him of the government assets.

19 - Confidence is withdrawn from the interim government or one of its members in a formal interrogation session and decision is taken in an absolute majority of the coalition General commission.

20 – Government is considered resigned when its president or half the number of ministers (except the President) resign or the confidence is withdrawn from them.

21 - The government may send the draft resolutions which it deems necessary to the Secretary- General of the coalition to be considered in the Coalition General commission in the nearest session.

22 - Policies governing coalition acknowledges the work of the government , which has a duty to abide by and implement, also acknowledges the general budget and final accounts.

23 - Coalition decides the criminal and civil law in force in the country, which control the judiciary.

24- The government is committed to the highest standards of integrity and transparency, besides making all the government’s business and accounts available to the coalition’s members. The Prime Minister and the Minister must apply the principle of financial publicity for all their possessions and cash as soon as they are given the confidence and before accepting their resignation or withdrawing confidence from the government or from one of its members. The declaration should be submitted to the Legal Committee of the coalition.

25- The Government should submit budget estimates for the first six months of operation within a month from the date of granting the confidence to the general Coalition commission via the Finance Committee to put to for voting and adopting by majority. The government should also provide its final financial statements for the past six months and compare it with the estimated budget and evaluate the achievement ratio to Coalition General commission via the Finance Committee and discuss about the upcoming budget should be the same meeting.

26-The government is considered resigned as soon as the Coalition task finishes according to its internal statute or when the legitimacy of the Syrian people presentation moved to any other representative framework. The government work ends the moment of the transient government during the Expanded National Congress or elected Constituent Assembly, after the fall of the regime or after.

27-The political body and various coalition committees communicate with the government to follow up on common issues between them.

28- The foreign policy is directly subject the Political Commission of the coalition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs implements the policy and allocates oversees embassies and their directorates. .

29- The coalition is considered the political cover for the supreme Revolutionary military council, which is considered the highest command of the Free Syrian Army. The Minister of Military Affairs would supervise the institutions, bodies and directorates follow the FSA Army with coordination between the Ministries of Defense and Interior.

This post first appeared at Zaman ALwasl Arabic; Translation by Yusra Ahmd