Syrian transitional government

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Syrian transitional government
Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg
Cabinet of the Syrian Arab Republic
2025–present
Date formed29 March 2025
People and organisations
President Ahmed al-Sharaa
No. of ministers23
Status in legislature Provisional
History
Predecessor Syrian caretaker government

The Syrian transitional government [a] is the internationally recognised [1] provisional government of Syria, formed on 29 March 2025 under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. [2] It succeeded the Syrian caretaker government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir.

Contents

The government was announced by Ahmed al-Sharaa at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, where the new ministers were sworn in and delivered speeches outlining their agendas. Two new ministries were formed: the Ministry of Sports and Youth and Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. The position of Prime Minister was abolished. The Ministry of Energy was formed from the mergers of the Ministry of Electricity, the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources [3] [4] [5] while the Ministry of Economy and Industry was formed from the mergers of the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade, Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection and the Ministry of Industry. [5]

Background

The 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, codenamed "Deterrence of Aggression," were led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham and supported by allied Turkish-backed groups in the Syrian National Army. These offensives resulted in the rapid fall of Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship, ending five decades of Assad family rule that began when Hafez al-Assad assumed power in 1970 under the Ba'ath Party following a coup d'état. [6]

After the fall of the Assad regime, Bashar al-Assad's ninth prime minister, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, remained in his post in a caretaker capacity with the support of the opposition and Ahmed al-Sharaa until the formation of the caretaker government, which was led by Mohammed al-Bashir. [7] [8] On 12 February 2025, two major organizations of the former Syrian opposition, the Syrian National Coalition and the Syrian Negotiation Commission, announced their allegiance to the caretaker government. [9] On 11 March 2025, al-Sharaa signed an agreement with Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to incorporate SDF-controlled institutions into the state, establish border crossings, and pledge to fight the remnants of the Assad regime. [10] The deadline for the merger has been set for the end of 2025. [11]

The government implemented the 2025 Interim Constitution of Syria, a provisional constitution ratified by al-Sharaa on 13 March 2025, establishing the basic law of Syria for a five-year transition period from 2025 to 2030. [12] The Interim Constitution sets a presidential system with the executive power at the hands of the president who appoints the ministers, [13] without the position of prime minister. [14]

Formation

Presidential Decree No. 9 of 2025, forming the transitional government Syrian President decrees 9 29-03-2025.pdf
Presidential Decree No. 9 of 2025, forming the transitional government

The government was announced by Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, [15] in which the new ministers were sworn in and delivered speeches outlining their agendas. [16] Two new ministries were formed: the Ministry of Sports and Youth and Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management. [17] The post of prime minister was abolished. [18]

Four of the new ministers belonged to minority groups: Yaarub Bader, an Alawite; Amjad Badr, a Druze; Hind Kabawat, a Christian; and Mohammed Abdul Rahman Turko, a Kurd. [18] The government also included figures from different groups of the former Syrian opposition: during the civil war, Mohammed Abu al-Khair Shukri was a member of the Syrian National Coalition, Raed al-Saleh was director of the White Helmets and Hind Kabawat served as deputy head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission in Geneva. [19] The new government was described by some observers as technocratic, with "ministers chosen according to their competences" according to president Al-Sharaa. [20]

Policies

Possible reforms

President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the new Syrian cabinet on 29 March 2025 President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the new Syrian cabinet on 29 March 2025.jpg
President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the new Syrian cabinet on 29 March 2025

Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that the new government will reform the energy sector for sustainability and reliable electricity, support farmers to ensure food production, revive the industry, protect national products, attract investment, stabilize the economy, strengthen the Syrian pound, and prevent financial manipulation. [15]

On 16 April, Syria's minister of the interior, Anas Khattab, announced that government forces had successfully thwarted an attempted coup by officers loyal to the old regime and that the government would create mechanisms to identify those responsible. [21] [22] [23] The announcement came as part of an increased network of collaboration between the new various security apparatus, from police to military to intelligence. [24] According to Khattab, security forces had been tipped off to the plot, and were able to launch an operation to disrupt it before it could be executed, although exact details of who specifically was involved are scarce. [21]

Foreign affairs

On 10 April 2025, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul visited Damascus and met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. During the meeting, both sides signed a formal agreement to establish diplomatic relations, which included plans to open embassies and exchange diplomatic missions. [25] [26] The agreement made Syria the last United Nations member state, outside of North Korea, to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea. [27]

On 18 April, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with al-Sharaa in Damascus, his first visit to Syria since 2009. [28] They discussed strengthening bilateral ties and regional developments, including Gaza and the two-state solution, and agreed to form joint committees for cooperation. [29]

On 7 May 2025, Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Emmanuel Macron in France. It was his first official visit to a Western country since becoming president. [30] [31] On 14 May, he met with U.S. president Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia, marking the first meeting between American and Syrian heads of state since Bill Clinton and Hafez al-Assad convened in Geneva in 2000. [32] Since then, a number of Western governments have lifted the sanctions on Syria, most notably the United States and the United Kingdom. [33] [34]

On 15 May, al-Shaibani held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Antalya, Turkey. [35] The meeting took place two days after Trump announced his decision to lift sanctions on Syria and initiate the normalization of bilateral relations. [36] On 23 May, the Trump administration lifted a wide range of sanctions on Syria. [37] On 30 June, Trump signed an executive order lifting sanctions imposed by the United States against Syria except those linked to the Assad family and their associates and related institutions. [38]

Justice

On 17 May 2025, al-Sharaa signed Presidential Decrees No. 19 and No. 20, appointing Abdulbaset Abdullatif and Mohammad Reda Jalkhi as heads of the commission. They were given 30 days to form a working team and draft the internal regulations required for the commission’s operation, leading to the establishment of the National Commissions for the Missing and Transitional Justice. [39] [40]

Members

Syrian transitional government [15]
PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft officeFaction
Minister of Interior Anas Khattab 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Defence Murhaf Abu Qasra 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad al-Shaibani 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Wais 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Awqaf Mohammed Abu al-Khair Shukri 29 March 2025Incumbent Syrian National Coalition
Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Marwan al-Halabi 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Energy Mohammed al-Bashir 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Finance Mohammed Yisr Barnieh 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Economy and Industry Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Health Musaab Nazzal al-Ali 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Local Administration and Environment Mohammed Anjrani 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdul Salam Haykal 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Amjad Badr 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Education Mohammed Abdul Rahman Turko 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Public Works and Housing Mustafa Abdul Razzaq 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Culture Mohammed Yassin Saleh 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Sports and Youth Mohammed Sameh Hamedh 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Tourism Mazen al-Salhani 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Administrative Development Mohammad Skaf 29 March 2025Incumbent Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Minister of Transport Yaarub Bader 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent
Minister of Information Hamza al-Mustafa 29 March 2025Incumbent Independent

Reactions

Domestic

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria has since said it will not adhere to the decisions of the newly-formed government, alleging that its composition allowed a single faction to maintain control and did not represent the diversity of Syria. [41]

Sheikh Hammoud al-Hinnawi, a prominent Druze community leader, welcomed the formation of the new Syrian government, commending the conciseness and conduct of the ministers' speeches. [42]

International

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Antalya, 12 April 2025 Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, April 2025 (cropped).jpg
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Antalya, 12 April 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, 8 May 2025 Emmanuel Macron meets with Ahmed al-Sharaa on May 2025.jpg
French President Emmanuel Macron with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, 8 May 2025
International Governmental Organizations

See also

Notes

  1. Arabic: الحكومة الانتقالية السورية, romanized: al-Ḥukūmah al-Intiqāliyyah as-Sūriyyah

References

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