1955 Syrian presidential election

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2026}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name =
| country = Syria
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1953 Syrian presidential election
| previous_year = 1953
| next_year = {{nowrap|[[1958 Syrian United Arab Republic referendum|1958 (UAR)]]&nbsp;→<br />[[1961 Syrian presidential election|1961 (Syria)]]}}
| election_date = {{Start date|1955|08|28|df=y}}
| image1 = Portrait of Shukri al-Quwatli in 1943 (3×4 cropped).jpeg
| candidate1 = {{nowrap|[[Shukri al-Quwatli]]}}
| party1 = National Party (Syria)
| electoral_vote1 = 89 (1st round)<br>”’91 (2nd round)”’
| percentage1 = 64% (1st round)<br>”’65.5% (2nd round)”’
| image2 = Khalid al-Azm, Syrian politician.jpg
| candidate2 = {{nowrap|[[Khalid al-Azm]]}}
| party2 = Independent
| electoral_vote2 = 42 (1st round)<br>41 (2nd round)
| percentage2 = 30.2% (1st round)<br>29.5% (2nd round)
| title = [[President of Syria|President]]
| before_election = [[Hashim al-Atassi]]
| before_party = People’s Party (Syria)
| after_election = [[Shukri al-Quwatli]]
| after_party = National Party (Syria)
}}
The ”’1955 Syrian presidential election”’ was held on 28 August 1955, when the Syrian [[People’s Assembly of Syria|Chamber of Deputies]] elected [[Shukri al-Quwatli]] as [[President of Syria|President of the Syrian Republic]] by 91 votes to 41 in the second round. The election is widely regarded as one of the most notable in modern Syrian history, being the first presidential election following the fall of [[Adib al-Shishakli]]’s regime, and the only one in which two candidates of comparable political stature — a former president and a former prime minister — contested the office directly.<ref name=”source 1″>{{cite web |title=ثلاث أوراق ألغيت في انتخابات سوريا عام 1955، كانت إحداها باسم نوري السعيد |url=https://raseef22.net/article/1091620-ثلاث-أوراق-ألغيت-في-انتخابات-سوريا-عام-1955-كانت-إحداها-باسم-نوري-السعيد |website=رصيف22 |language=ar |date=29 January 2023}}</ref>

== Background ==
Following the [[1954 Syrian coup d’état|coup against Adib al-Shishakli]] in February 1954, former President [[Hashim al-Atassi]] returned to office to complete his constitutional term, which was due to expire in September 1955.<ref name=”source 2″>{{cite web |title=انتخاب شكري القوتلي رئيساً عام 1955م |url=https://syrmh.com/2018/09/24/انتخاب-شكري-القوتلي-رئيساً-عام-1955/ |website=التاريخ السوري المعاصر |language=ar |date=23 September 2018}}</ref> The Chamber of Deputies set 28 August 1955 as the date for the election of a new President of the Republic.

To ensure the election proceeded properly, Brigadier General Shawkat Shuqayr announced that the army had no candidate for the presidency.<ref name=”source 2″/>

The contest that ultimately shaped the election was between two major figures: former President [[Shukri al-Quwatli]] and former Prime Minister [[Khalid al-Azm]]. However, the competition had not initially been between these two. The first rival to al-Azm was [[Lutfi al-Haffar]], one of the leaders of the former [[National Bloc (Syria)|National Bloc]] and Prime Minister in 1939. When al-Quwatli announced his candidacy, al-Haffar withdrew, declaring that Syria’s interests required al-Quwatli’s return to power, and that he would not stand in the way of a legitimately elected president who had been removed from office unconstitutionally in the [[March 1949 Syrian coup d’état|first coup of 1949]].<ref name=”source 1″/>

Al-Quwatli returned from Alexandria to Damascus to begin his campaign with a series of statements calling for the rapid conclusion of the tripartite pact — a clear signal of Egyptian and Saudi support for his candidacy.<ref name=”source 2″/>

[[Khalid al-Azm]] declared his own candidacy and began a series of contacts with members of the [[National Party (Syria)|National Party]], including [[Sabri al-Asali]] and [[Mikhail Ilyan]].<ref name=”source 2″/>

On 6 August, the National Party council met and unanimously declared its support for al-Quwatli’s candidacy.<ref name=”source 2″/> [[Rushdi al-Kikhya]] announced that the [[People’s Party (Syria)|People’s Party]] would not put forward its own candidate and would leave its members free to vote as they chose.<ref name=”source 2″/>

On 10 August, Damascus merchants and industrialists held a gathering in Damascus, attended by hundreds of the country’s leading figures, senior state officials, deputies from various parties and blocs, and diplomatic representatives of several Arab states. Al-Quwatli addressed the gathering, touching on several topics, notably his support for arming the military and strengthening relations with the Arab states.<ref name=”source 2″/>

On 20 August, the Constitutional Bloc declared its support for al-Quwatli, whilst the [[Syrian Communist Party]], the [[Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party – Syria Region|Ba’ath Party]], and members of the Democratic Bloc — 28 deputies in total — declared their support for al-Azm.<ref name=”source 2″/>

The Ba’ath Party had consistently criticised al-Quwatli’s domestic and foreign policies. An internal party bulletin stated that the party considered the presidency a position of great consequence at this historical juncture, capable of exerting significant influence over government formation and inter-party dynamics. The bulletin noted that whilst the party was by its nature opposed to al-Quwatli’s candidacy on account of what it described as the failings of his previous period in power — particularly his conduct towards the constitution — it found in al-Azm the greatest available guarantee, without formally closing the door to discussions with other groupings.<ref name=”source 2″/>

== Results ==

{| class=”wikitable”
! rowspan=”2″ colspan=”2″ |Canditates
! rowspan=”2″ | Parties
! colspan=”2″ |1st round
! colspan=”2″ |2nd round
|-
! Votes
! %
! Votes
! %
|-
|{{Party color cell|National Party (Syria)}}
|[[Shukri al-Quwatli]]
| [[National Party (Syria)|National Party]]
| align=”right” | 89
| align=”right” | 64.03
| align=”right” | ”’91”’
| align=”right” | ”’65.47”’
|-
|{{Party color cell|Independent politician}}
|[[Khalid al-Azm]]
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| align=”right” | 42
| align=”right” | 30.22
| align=”right” | 41
| align=”right” | 29.50
|-
| colspan=7|
|-
|colspan=3|Required majority
| align=center| 94 votes
| align=center| Two-thirds of MPs
| align=center| 71 votes
| align=center| 50% of MPs
|-
| colspan=7|
|-
| colspan=3 | Valid votes
| align=”right” | 131
| align=”right” | 94.24
| align=”right” | 132
| align=”right” | 94.96
|-
| align=left colspan=3 | Blank and invalid votes
| align=”right” | 8
| align=”right” | 5.75
| align=”right” | 7
| align=”right” | 5.04
|- style=”font-weight:bold;”
| colspan=3 | Total
| align=”right” | 139
| align=”right” | 100
| align=”right” | 139
| align=”right” | 100
|-
| colspan=3 | Registered voters / turnout
| align=”right” | 142
| align=”right” | 97.89
| align=”right” | 142
| align=”right” | 97.89
|}

== Aftermath ==

Following his defeat, [[Khalid al-Azm]] submitted his resignation as a minister on Friday, 19 August. President al-Atassi refused to accept it on the grounds that it had not been submitted in accordance with constitutional conventions, but al-Azm insisted. On 24 August, Prime Minister Sabri al-Asali submitted the resignation of his government to al-Atassi, who also declined to accept it, requesting instead that the government continue in office and submit its resignation to the incoming President al-Quwatli. Sources close to the Syrian Communist Party at the time attributed the resignation to al-Quwatli’s election.<ref name=”source 2″/>

== Regional and International Reception ==

The election was closely watched across the Arab world, as al-Quwatli’s return to the presidency was seen as strengthening prospects for a tripartite alliance between Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

President [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] welcomed the election and sent a congratulatory telegram expressing the joy of the Egyptian people at the result, which he described as reflecting the Arab peoples’ appreciation of al-Quwatli’s record.<ref name=”source 2″/> The Egyptian newspaper ”[[Al-Ahram]]” published an editorial entitled “The Spirit of Arabism,” describing al-Quwatli as “the man of the hour” and stating that every Arab could see in his success a good omen for the Arab cause, given that the unity he sought was grounded in co-ordination with Egypt.<ref name=”source 2″/>

King [[Saud of Saudi Arabia|Saud]] sent a congratulatory telegram declaring: “We congratulate Your Excellency on this victory, and we congratulate our sister Syria on the maturity of national consciousness within her, and on her appreciation of the loyal free men who built the edifice of her freedom through their dedication and sincerity.”<ref name=”source 2″/>

[[Mustafa Ben Halim]], Prime Minister of Libya, also sent a congratulatory telegram expressing his wishes for the success of Syria and the wider Arab world under al-Quwatli’s leadership.<ref name=”source 2″/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Presidents of Syria}}

[[Category:1955 elections in Asia]]
[[Category:Presidential elections in Syria]]
[[Category:Indirect elections]]