1- About Us:
- A political party for Syrian citizens who share common values, goals and visions, seeking to achieve them through peaceful means.
- The Liberal Party adopts the values of liberal democracy and believes foremost in an individual’s right to freedoms and the pursuit of happiness. However, since practicing freedom entails auxiliary conditions that cannot be achieved on an individual level, The Liberal Party believes in the necessity of building a strong society that protects the individual from external aggressions, crime, indigence and environmental degradation.
- The Liberal Party aims at creating a modern, unified Syrian state that adopts democratic values and systems, the International Bill of Human Rights, as well as other charters and international agreements that guarantee individual freedoms. The party also adheres to secularism as a basic principle that preserves the neutrality of the state towards the various components and representations of the Syrian people. We aim to enhance pluralism, justice and citizenship, ensure the rule of law applies to all and in every aspect of life , guarantees personal freedoms, protects citizens from indigence and provides them with the economic opportunities and knowledge for self-development. The Liberal Party also aims to safeguard the diversity and rights of communities in a manner that does not eliminate the rights of equal citizenship, and grants rights to all for participation in public matters through the peaceful transfer of power.
2- Party Values:
2.1- Basic Principles:
- Democracy: The right of all segments of society to participate in governance, policy making and law making through representatives, who are freely-elected, and with a clear and transparent election law. Democracy is based on the transfer and separation of powers, and it guarantees all citizens the right to elect, and be elected, under equal conditions.
- Secularism: State neutrality towards all religious groups. Non-promotion of the values and interests of one group over another.
- Pluralism: Syria’s wealth of religious, ethnic, linguistic and intellectual diversity requires rational administration by the state, consistent with achieving citizenship and equality among all Syrian individuals and groups.
- Citizenship: The active affiliation with a common public identity that guarantees the political, economic and social rights of individuals, in a context that safeguards the public good, full equality and respect of human rights.
- Freedom: Ensuring personal freedoms, establishing and maintaining the conditions of individual and collective rights by enhancing freedom of worship, rituals, opinion, thought and tendency, and the right of association and peaceful expression.
- Respecting the Rule of Law: Accepting the rule of law and adhering to the laws stemmed from the constitution that is based on consensus and safeguarding individuals’ and groups’ rights, where law complements democracy by preventing the dominance of any ethnic or religious political group over the state and preserving freedom and democracy.
- Transparency: Freedom of information pertinent to the work of authorities, organizations and institutions in the conduct of governance, and holding them accountable through judicial authorities in the event of any breach of their duties.
- Peace: Achieving internal and external peace, in all aspects of life, for all people.
2.2- Economic Values:
- Market Economy: Encouraging economic competitiveness and easing restrictions on productive economic initiatives.
- Promoting Local Products and National Investment: By enacting relevant laws for investment, improving the quality of national products, strengthening the supporting infrastructure, giving priority to the sectors in which Syria has competitive advantages and enhancing the importance of modern technical and knowledge sectors.
- Carrying Out Infrastructure Projects: Through proper planning and expediting the accomplishment of these necessary projects to stimulate the economic cycle.
- Equitable Distribution of Income: For every citizen to receive a share commensurating with his/her contribution in creating the added value and income.
- Fair Tax System: A tax system that contributes to financing development work and providing services, but without imposing burdens on citizens and their incomes. Making taxes proportional to the value of services provided by the state and with the wages, and individual and public income.
- Social Insurance: The state has a major role in supporting poor and marginalized groups, by securing their basic needs such as food, shelter, health, and education.
- A Modern Labor Law: Defining balanced wage policy, employing women and providing appropriate working conditions for persons with special needs.
- Equal Development: Distributing economic activity to achieve equal development in the different governorates and districts - countryside and city - of Syria in a way that provides equal economic opportunities for all citizens regardless of their place of residence, which reduces their need to move in search of employment and investment opportunities.
- Protecting Property: Enhancing laws to protect private, collective, common and cooperative properties.
- Countering Corruption and Preventing Monopolies: This is imperative to achieve any economic growth and improve people's living standards.
- Scientific Research and Guaranteeing Copyrights: To support development in various economic sectors.
- Supporting the Establishment and Incubation of Small and Medium Enterprises: By providing soft loans that support creativity and economic development in all districts.
- Environment Protection: By supporting modern, environmental, agricultural, water and alternative energy projects, in order to preserve Syria's natural resources, improve citizens’ health and the land we share with other people.
- Developing Economic Partnerships: Concluding trade agreements with partners that achieves balanced benefits for both parties.
2.3- Social Values:
- Social responsibility: It is the responsibility of all national groups, disparate in affiliations, to preserve the common national interests, most importantly social coexistence and peace, and to enjoy responsibility and efficiency in serving the community, raising it and developing its culture and effectiveness.
- Cooperation: Encourage individuals, groups, and organizationS to engage in collective work, due to the fact that the product of cooperative EFFORTS far exceed the quantity and quality of INDEPENDENT ENDEAVORS. Developing the culture of volunteerism and urging citizens to devote their efforts, time and expertise, within their capacities, to develop society.
- Civil Society: Supporting civil organizations and activities that lead to a high level of teamwork and encourage individual involvement in civil, social and political life. Aiding in the development of a progressive society and confident and secure individuals.
- Creativity: The appropriate climate to encourage creativity in the fields of intellect, arts and literature, and the need for competent official and civil institutions sponsoring creative individuals, providing them with complete freedom, removing all obstacles in their paths, and providing access to knowledge and culture to all.
Syria the Future
3- Essentials:
- A Modern Democratic Constitution: The outcome of a national social contract, which recognizes the Bill of Human Rights as well as citizenship rights. The constitution is the guarantor of all rights and duties.
- Rule of Law: Law is above all, without discrimination, and is the guarantor in implementing duties and preserving rights.
- Separation of Powers: The separation of executive, legislative and judicial guarantees a balance of these powers and prevents the executive authority from dominating state and society.
- The Constitutional Court: This is the guarantor of respecting and implementing the constitution, and prevents the overlap of the three authorities of state.
- Human Rights and Freedoms: Every citizen has the following fundamental rights and freedoms, with no discrimination against others on the basis of their ethnicity, religion, gender, national affiliation, territorial affiliation or economic variances, which are:
- The right to life, safety and dignity.
- The right to a nationality.
- Freedom of thought, opinion and expression.
- Freedom of belief and religion.
- Freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
- Freedom of sexual tendency.
- The right to privacy.
- The right to a fair trial.
- Freedom of movement and choice of residence.
- The right to political participation and voting.
- The right to work and protection in unemployment.
- The right to healthcare.
- The right to education.
- The child's right to social protection.
- Enhancing Women’s Role: Achieving full equality in rights and duties, equal wages, through positive discrimination, to increase women’s political representation until full equality is achieved.
- Encouraging Youth Participation: By improving education and employment opportunities, and increasing their political representation.
- Achieving Equality for Marginalized Groups: Protected under the rights of full citizenship, with the state supporting and empowering these groups in particular, until full equality is achieved.
- Decentralization: The transfer of powers from central government to the various levels of local administration, except for sovereign issues such as defence, monetary policy and foreign affairs, and the equitable distribution of wealth revenues between central government and local administrations. Likewise, every sub-district, district or governorate has the right to enact its own local laws, providing they do not contradict the those of the state and constitution
4- Judiciary and Law:
4.1- Courts and Judiciary:
- Ordaining the principle of judicial independence, impartiality and competence, and protecting judges from unfair dismissal.
- Separating the Supreme Judicial Council from the executive power. The council has the power to appoint, dismiss or remove judges.
- Judges are barred from affiliating with any political party and political activity.
- Activating the principle of judicial review to enable the Supreme Constitutional Court to assess executive decisions, legislations and veto any decision or law that violates the constitution.
- Abolishing all exceptional and security courts, and amending the power of military courts to be limited to members of the armed forces during active duty.
- Establishing specialized courts to benefit from judges' areas of expertise.
- Establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Committee to uncover past crimes and address and repeal the past arbitrary judgments.
- Establishing a special court to oversee the process of transitional justice and to monitor legal breaches that might suppress citizens’ rights or society and the return of totalitarianism.
4.2- Rights, Freedoms and Equality:
- Amending all discriminatory laws on the basis of ethnicity, religion or gender, to enshrine the principle of equality in law.
- Readdressing and amending personal status laws, in compliance with the International Bill of Human Rights, The two covenants (The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), and international agreements and protocols, and do not contradict the fundamental rights or principles of equality and non-discrimination.
- Amending the nationality law that distinguishes between Syrian men and women, and give Syrian women the right to pass citizenship on to their children. Reviewing all provisions of the nationality law, particularly those related to the conditions of granting and withdrawing nationality, benefiting from the International Bill and preserving natural human rights.
- Signing fundamental human rights agreements.
4.3- Penal Code:
- Repealing penal code articles that grant exculpating or mitigating excuses for honor crimes.
- Increasing penalties on sexual assault crimes, and removing any discriminatory provisions between the two sexes regarding the punishment of sexual assault, honor killing, and harassment crimes.
- Repealing the death penalty since it conflicts with the right to life.
- Aggravating the penalty, to the maximum extent possible, for perpetrators of torture, especially members of the security apparatus, police and the like.
- Rehabilitating anyone tortured by members of state apparatus, or convicted and imprisoned and subsequently proven innocent.
4.4- Security:
- Amending the emergency law to allow for a greater role of the legislative authority in its implementation and restrict it, spatially and temporally, not to exceed three months, as necessary.
- Restructuring and modeling a professional, non-politicized national army, that is subject to the elected authority and does not intervene in political action. Its duty is to protect the country and its borders from any attack. In addition to obliging members of the armed forces to adhere to international laws and conventions on war, most importantly the Geneva Convention and the International Humanitarian Law.
- Restructuring the security apparatus, restricting their powers to only what is necessary, and abolishing the legal exception that gives the security apparatus immunity from legal accountability. Members of the security apparatus must be held accountable for committing any crime, and they should adhere to the law and international conventions on human rights.
- Reconsidering the security agreements concluded by the regime with other countries to protect the rights of Syrian citizens and achieve the interests of the Syrian people.
- Religion and the State:
- The state stands neutral and at the same distance from all religions; it treats all religious organizations equally without preference or discrimination, while ensuring protection to worship for everyone.
- The state does not adopt a certain religion or consider any religion a source of legislation, and does not intervene in determining or recording the religion of individuals. Religion remains a personal matter, and every citizen has the right to convert to any religion or sect, or to not embrace any religious belief. Any law discriminating on this basis must be amended.
- The state does not intervene in the definition of any religion, and the matter remains subject to individuals’ freedom of belief.
- Media and Press:
- Amending media laws to comply with freedom of expression, encouraging the establishment of private media independent from state agencies, abolishing the Ministry of Information, and establishing a radio, press, and television corporation, subordinate to the parliament.
- Repealing laws that restrict freedom of expression.
- Incitement to violence, killing or any crime is not considered freedom of expression.
7- Public Freedoms of Association and Expression:
- Amending the assembly and demonstrations law to comply with international statutory standards and agreements regarding freedom of assembly. The government should not be allowed to bar demonstrations based on a political message unless it incites violence.
- Ensuring the independence of syndicates and public organizations, and the non-intervention of the executive authority in their elections and internal regulations, unless specified by law and in accordance with duly followed procedures.
- Amending the civil associations in accordance with the international statutory standards and laws. The executive authority must be neutral and non-discriminatory towards these associations.
- Removing or amending all laws and articles that give preference to any party or political bloc over others, and returning the resources and public and private properties which were confiscated by the Progressive National Front parties, especially al Baath Party.
- Enacting a law that guarantees the freedom of establishing political parties and prevents the intervention of authorities in such parties and their regulations, so long as these do not contravene the law.
- External Strategies
8.1- Regional:
- Rebuilding Syria's regional relations on the basis of national interest, and achieving a stable regional environment that is free from conflict, based on cooperation, complementarity and mutual respect, while not giving up the right to reclaim occupied lands via the mechanisms of International Law.
- Joining the regional conventions and organizations that serve the interests of the Syrian people and the peoples of the region.
- Establishing a common regional economic market.
- Opening borders to commercial, cultural, scientific and media exchanges.
- Working on joint projects to protect the environment and natural resources.
- Achieving freedom of movement for citizens, for study and work among the countries of the region.
- The party adopts the idea of regional cooperation similar to the European Union, due to the success of this idea and experience in bringing peace, stability and prosperity to the nations.
8.2- International:
- Cooperating with the countries of the world to promote global peace.
- Working within international community organizations and agencies to deepen cooperation among countries.
- Working within the United Nations agencies to support human rights and civilization progress.
- Become party to international treaties and striving to lift the reservations on signed agreements that serve the national interest.
- Joining economic agreements that serve the interests of the Syrian economy.