Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, signed off on a constitutional declaration on Thursday that will serve as the country’s fundamental governing document during its political transition. The declaration maintains the requirement that the head of state be Muslim and puts a five-year limit on Syria's transitional period. 

The declaration, which will stand in until a permanent constitution is drafted and approved, also promises to protect women's rights and acknowledges Syria's cultural and linguistic diversity, likely in a nod to minorities like the Kurds and Druze.

Sharaa signed the draft in front of various senior officials, including interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, and the constitutional committee of legal experts, established less than two weeks ago to draft the constitution. The committee includes a number of legal scholars and university professors who were tapped by the government. 

“We hope this will be a new history for Syria, one in which we replace ignorance with knowledge and suffering with mercy,” Sharaa said after the signing.