Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced on Sunday the formation of a seven-member committee tasked with drafting a constitutional declaration to govern the country’s transition following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. 

In a statement, the president said the committee includes two women and is composed of legal and political experts. Among them is Bahia Mardini, a Syrian Kurdish journalist, human rights activist, and expert in international law. 

The seven-member committee will “submit its proposals to the president,” according to the statement, though no timeframe was provided.

The formation of the constitutional committee follows Sharaa’s January pledge to create a constitutional declaration to serve as Syria’s temporary legal foundation during the transition.

Syria’s new authorities have already nullified the Assad-era constitution. The transitional government has committed to holding elections and rewriting the constitution, but the timeline remains uncertain.

Al-Sharaa earlier said that elections could take up to four years, with constitutional reforms potentially taking three years.

The announcement of the constitutional committee follows a national dialogue conference held in Damascus last week, where participants discussed Syria’s future governance structure, human rights protections, and transitional justice mechanisms. 

According to state media reports, the conference produced key declarations, including the formation of a legislative council and commitments to freedom of expression.