Syrians were digesting an overnight announcement from a caretaker government on Sunday that would take power over the next five years and accepted some resignations, the continued dominance of the rebel group, which occupied power in December but welcomed its containment of independent voices and wider representation.
Since December, President Bashar al-Assad’s rebels have served as the de facto authority in Syria, naming its leader Ahmed Al-Shara, interim president, overseeing the transitional government.
Mr. Al-Shara announced the highly anticipated new government late Saturday, taking the oath of office at a ceremony that entered the early hours of Sunday, the last day of Ramadan Ramadan, ahead of Muslim Muslim Eid Al-Fitr.
The government appears to be a compromise between the call for the conference to convene a more diverse cabinet that can unite, a state of war-scale and divided, while leaving Mr. Al-Shara’s allies in the most powerful ministries.
In Mr. Al-Shara’s appointment, seven ministers were associated with provincial governments led by him once in the rebel-owned city idlib. But he also appointed nine independent ministers, including technocrats and former activists, including five ministers who served in the early years of the Assad regime, before the country came to the civil war.
He appointed ministers from every major minority of the Kurds, Druzes, Christians and the Alawites, the denomination of Mr. Assad. These include the lonely female minister Hind Kabawat, who is a Christian who leads the Ministry of Social Affairs.
“There is no doubt that some voices are still left out,” said Abdy Yeganeh, policy director for independent diplomats of the London-based nonprofit advisory group, before the oath-inauguration. But overall, he said: “In the Syrian transition, including the announcement of a new government, there is a cautious optimism about the Syrian transition.”
Mr. Al-Shara has been under pressure from the formation of governments of Western countries and members of Syrian civil society. These calls took greater urgency after sectarian violence broke out in the Alavet community along the coast of Syria this month.
“It is necessary to expand the circle,” said Ibrahim al-Assil, a senior fellow at the Middle East College in Washington, D.C. “From one perspective, it is necessary to be more inclusive to reflect Syrian society, and the other perspective is because they need them.” They can’t perform alone. ”
For many Syrians, following the composition of the government and studying the biography of the minister is a novel experience.
Several new ministers have degrees from Western universities or under the Assad regime. Among the former Assad officials are the new transport minister Yarab Badr, a civil engineer who earned his PhD in transportation science in Paris, as well as Nidal al-Shaar, An international banker and economist, appointed minister of economy.
Under the Assad regime, at least two ministers have been detained as political prisoners, including the new Attorney General Madhhar al-Weys, who promised to establish the rule of law and seek transitional justice for the victims of Mr. Al-Assad’s oppression.
Nevertheless, Mr. Al-Shara must maintain most of the country’s strength. He left behind close allies leading the Ministry of Defense and Foreign Affairs and moved to his former intelligence chief Anas Khattab, 38, to lead the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In his speech on Saturday night, Mr. al-Shara said his main purpose was to unite the country. “As a people and government, we will build a strong nation to solve our hardships and create the Syria we deserve,” he said.
His appointment reflects Mr. Al-Shara’s been trying to balance his toes. He has been struggling to deal with remnants of the Assad regime and the ISIS remnants, both of which have the potential to exacerbate the country’s sectarian and racial divisions.
Mr. Al-Shara also sought to avoid regional tensions with neighboring countries and convince Western countries to ease the sanctions imposed during Mr. Al-Assad’s regime. According to analysts, he was under rigorous scrutiny because some groups associated with him (and rely on security on it) were designated as terrorist groups by the United States and others.
Yeganeh, an independent diplomat, said the Trump administration, along with other Western governments, further removed Mr. Al Salah’s commitment to terrorism and specific actions against militia against foreign jihadists, in line with him.
Mr. Al-Shara is also balancing complex geopolitical pressures from regional players that could destabilize the country. Israel and Türkiye have fought for influence in Syria and have used military strikes in recent weeks to strengthen their presence in the country. Russia retains troops at its air bases off the Syrian coast, while the United States has 2,000 troops in northeastern Syria.
Muhammad Haj Kadour Damascus report.
