Hafez al-Assad was a Syrian politician, military officer and revolutionary who served as the 18th president of Syria from 1971 until his death in 2000. He had previously served as prime minister of Syria from 1970 to 1971 as well as regional secretary of the regional command of the Syrian regional branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and secretary general of the National Command of the Ba'ath Party from 1970 to 2000. Hafez al-Assad was a key participant in the 1963 Syrian coup d'état, which brought the Syrian regional branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party to power in the country.

The president of Syria, officially the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, is the head of state of the Syrian Arab Republic. They are vested with sweeping powers that may be delegated, at their sole discretion to their vice presidents. They appoint and dismiss the prime minister and other members of the Council of Ministers and military officers. Bashar al-Assad is the 19th and current president of Syria. He entered the post on 17 July 2000. Bashar Al-Assad is the son of former president, Hafez al-Assad, who was the longest-serving president serving 29 years.