The committee tasked with drafting new Syrian constitution decided to limit presidential term to terms to a maximum of two seven-year mandates.

The committee tasked with drafting new Syrian constitution decided to limit presidential term to terms to a maximum of two seven-year mandates.

“The committee "decided to limit presidential terms to two seven-year mandates”,  Al-Watan newspaper said on Tuesday.
The daily added that the draft constitution will be submitted to President Bashar al-Assad in the coming days before being put to a referendum.

Assad on January 10 said the referendum would be held early March.

The new text also provides for the abolition of the presidential referendum which has been in force since 1971, replacing it with pluralistic elections.
"If one of the candidates fails to secure 51 percent of the vote, a second round is expected between the two candidates" who secure the largest number of votes in such an election, the newspaper said.

Each candidate must obtain the support of "15 percent of members of parliament," which has 250 seats, to qualify to run in the elections.